The boy is now at the age that we are beginning to consider sleep-overs with friends. I must confess that I am a little bit nervous about it, more so than him.
He has only ever stayed with his grandparents without us previously, which are totally familiar surroundings. I worry that he will wake in the night and not know where he is, I dread the thought of him wanting me, or Daddy, and not being able to find us. Oh why do they have to grow up?
I have decided that before we embark on his first proper night away from us to let him get a little familiar with his sleeping situation and Worlds Apart were kind enough to send me a junior ReadyBed for him to try out. They have some really cute Spiderman and Peppa Pig designs but we opted for Star Wars.
The ReadyBed comes with it’s own foot pump and, once inflated, it is surprisingly comfy. The cover is removable and machine washable at 30° and it even has it’s own, integrated bag, making it extremely portable. I am tempted to buy a few more as these will make a great solution for when his cousins and friends come to stay, and will be ideal for camping trips.
We have decided to let him try it out for a few nights at home and then he will at least have something quite familiar with him.
Here he is camping out next to his sister.
He is pretty excited.
I am still in a panic.
In an attempt to quell this rising panic I have done what I always do in these situations. I have sought wise words from my blogger buddies who, as usual, have some very good advice. Here goes…
“Prepare rather than pack. Let them camp on their bedroom floor with their siblings.” – Boo, Roo and Tigger Too
“When Rhys first went to Respite I sent him with his own pillow and a piece of paper with my phone number on. I told him that if he felt sad he could give them the paper and phone me. I also told him regularly that if he wanted to come home at any point he could and it wouldn’t be a problem. (He didn’t.)” – Life as Alice
“Give your child their own backpack and let them be responsible for choosing what to take, what pair of PJs etc and praise them for their independence.” – Mammasaurus
“Be really clear about what time you are collecting them and maybe call to say good night.” – The Diary of a Frugal Family
“I’d recommend a sleeping bag. We always send my eldest with one even if no one has asked you to bring one. It gives them the ability to feel a bit secure as its something from home, and there are never enough duvets!” – The Ana Mum Diary
“When you arrive at the house where they will be sleeping, go to the bedroom with them on your own and map out together where the parents will be sleeping in case needed, and where the loo is. Important stuff for if needed in the night. And, as ever, we write our phone number on his arm and put the landline next to our bed, just in case they want to call us at any point – we show him the landline being put by the bed before he goes!” – Cambridge Mummy
“Take a gift for the host parents: they’ll be the ones up late marshalling children!” – Domestic Goddesque
So, there you have it. Some top tips on preparing your child for their first sleep-over. Now, can someone prepare me?
Worlds Apart were kind enough to send us the ReadyBed featured free of charge for the purpose of review. All opinions are my own and 100% honest.
oh i am loving this Jenny!
I would swear by a ready bed (we have an adult sized one) having something familiar from home to sleep in is definitely half the battle! My two children never fail to surprise me. If they are sleeping away from home and I imagine that they are going to be worried about it they never are, and vice versa! I hope he has a successful sleep over and lots of fun! 🙂 x
An inflatable thingy? Pfff, I was camping out in the freezing cold back in the day.
Great tips. We are having a sleepover tonight – but we are the hosts. The new Star Wars Readybed is fab and we love ours.
oh ready beds are fab we have one ready for our summer trip to Spain.
Ah – a big moment indeed! With mine, we did baby steps and had sleepovers at their cousins first. Loving the look of those beds – wow – they’ve changed a lot! Might have to invest in a couple – as you say, great for camping too x
That ReadyBed looks great – we’re going camping in July, so might have to think about one for that.
N was easy for sleepovers but it was with family anyway, and he’s been used to doing it a while- plus we’re only across the drive if he wanted to get home. He does wander sometimes in the night into bed with me, and Granny & Gramps have lodgers, but thankfully so far he’s only wandered into their room, and not the lodgers’
I think all the tips given are great. Hope it goes smoothly for him (and you)
Eek! I’m not sure that I’m ready to think about sleepovers yet, but in a year or two this sounds like it will be perfect. And perhaps also good to have one stashed at home in case of unexpected visitors!