Motorhome travel with children: seats, sleeping, water and papers

A lake, a pitch with a view and children running barefoot across the grass: family trips by motorhome are popular. A camper, however, is not a car with a bed. Seating, sleeping places, water and travel papers each need a little preparation. This article collects what could be verified in sources from motoring clubs, a rescue organisation and an authority. It is general information, not legal or medical advice.

Seats and restraints

According to ADAC, the German motoring club, children who are under 12 years old or shorter than 150 cm need a suitable child seat in a motorhome too; in vehicles with seat belts, securing children with child seats is mandatory. This is the legal position in Germany; for other countries, check before you go. The seat may only be fitted on places approved for it, which are mostly the forward-facing ones; only places whose three-point or two-point belt is approved for fitting the child seat are suitable. Under section 21 of the German road traffic regulations (StVO), no more people may be carried than there are seat belts; in a motorhome the seats for travelling are marked accordingly. If all forward-facing places are taken, ADAC says child seats can also be used on rear-facing or, in an emergency, side-facing seats. Children must never lie in the sleeping area while the vehicle is moving.

In a motorhome, ADAC says the rear bench sometimes has only lap belts, and most child seats are suitable only for securing with a three-point belt. According to promobil, the Isofix anchors common in cars are so far the exception in motorhomes: standard in only a few models, an option from some makers. Without Isofix the seat is held by the vehicle belt; promobil says it helps if the bench backrests are shaped, otherwise the seat can tip sideways in bends. Before booking or buying, check exactly which places have belts, and try your child seats in the vehicle. For trips abroad, child seat rules and approval standards differ by country, so check before you go.

Stages, breaks and heat

For car trips with children, ADAC Nordrhein recommends a break about every one and a half to two hours and no more than 500 kilometres a day; allow a little more time for the journey. Rest areas with playgrounds and room to move help children burn off energy. Games, audiobooks, puzzles or colouring books shorten the journey; travel games that need no equipment, such as word chains, are popular too. Tablets or books should only be used for limited periods, because constantly looking down can worsen motion sickness, and tablets belong only in stable, tested holders.

Heat is a topic of its own for children. In its guide to driving with a baby in hot weather, ADAC writes that a vehicle can heat up dangerously at air temperatures of just 20 degrees with sunshine. A child must never be left alone in a parked vehicle, even for a few minutes; even a slightly open side window cannot prevent the build-up of heat. The club also advises sun shades on the side windows, light clothing, frequent breaks, water or unsweetened tea, and driving in the early morning or at night. Among the signs of heatstroke it names a flushed face, hot, dry skin and a dull expression. If the child does not respond, shows signs of overheating or is trapped in the car, call 112; afterwards move the child to a cool, shaded place. For cooling the vehicle, see our article on heat in a camper; for carbon monoxide detectors and heating, see our article on safety when heating and cooking.

Sleeping and water

According to promobil, DIN EN 1646-1 requires fall protection around every bed more than one metre above the floor; wooden grilles or boards are examples. Nets must not be too coarse or elastic because of the risk of strangulation. Promobil says children under three should not sleep in an upper bunk, lift bed or alcove even with fall protection (a recommendation by the magazine, not a manufacturer statement); a lower bed, such as the converted seating group, is better. Small children should not be left to sleep unsupervised in the motorhome either. What your vehicle provides in sleeping places, ladders and protection, and for what age, is in the manufacturer’s information; check before you go.

At the lake, supervision matters most. The DRK Wasserwacht (German Red Cross water rescue) addresses its information letter to supervisors of children’s and youth groups: swimming and bathing children should be supervised constantly and actively, and this responsibility cannot be passed to third parties such as lifeguards or pool staff. Buoyancy aids such as armbands, belts or vests offer no protection against drowning; non-swimmers must still be supervised constantly within arm’s reach. Children must not go into the water alone, bathing time should be limited, and if a child is cold, bathing must end. According to the letter, bathing should for safety reasons take place only at public, supervised bathing spots, and bathing is prohibited when the red flag is flying. Signs and the municipality show what applies at your lake; abroad, check before you go.

Campsite and rainy days

When choosing a site, pincamp lists centrally located playgrounds, ideally easy to see (for younger and older children), child-friendly washrooms with low basins, children’s toilets and clean changing places, enough room to move and shaded places to retreat to, and fenced pools and ponds. The source gives no specific quiet hours, and they vary from site to site: ask before booking about quiet hours, access to the water and whether there is a children’s programme.

For rainy days the same things help as on the road: games, audiobooks, puzzles and colouring books. As extras, ADAC Nordrhein names the favourite cuddly toy and a small surprise such as a new game or a magazine. A packing list of clothing and a travel first-aid kit is not among the verified content of this article; what your child needs is a matter for the family, and which medicines to take you should clarify beforehand with your paediatrician, and for long-distance trips or particular regions also in a travel-medicine consultation, which also covers vaccinations. This article gives no dosages.

Papers for the trip

If a child travels abroad without parents or with only one parent, the German Federal Foreign Office recommends an informal consent declaration. It makes the border authorities’ work easier in preventing a possible case of child abduction (Kindesentziehung) and, as recommended, contains details of the child, the parents with custody and how to reach them, the route and any accompanying adults. If child and parents have different names, a copy of the birth certificate should be with you. Whether a certification made in Germany is accepted depends on the destination’s law; a translation of the declaration into the local language can be advisable. Binding information comes from the destination country’s competent foreign mission in Germany.

The children’s passport was abolished on 1 January 2024; documents issued before then stay valid until the printed expiry date but can no longer be extended. According to the Foreign Office, the German ID card is usually not enough for entry to countries outside the EU, where a passport is generally needed. Because the facial image of infants and small children can change greatly, a document can become unusable before it expires; renew in good time. Current entry rules are in the Foreign Office’s travel and safety advice. This text applies to children with German documents; for other nationalities, check before you go.

Sources

• Kindersitz in Bus und Wohnmobil: Tipps und Regeln (ADAC)
• Kinderschutz im Wohnmobil (promobil)
• Urlaub mit Kindern: 10 Tipps (ADAC Nordrhein)
• Mit dem Baby bei Hitze Auto fahren (ADAC)
• Infobrief 03/2025: Ausflug ins und ans Wasser (DRK Wasserwacht)
• Einverständniserklärung für Minderjährige (Auswärtiges Amt)
• Reisepässe und Personalausweise (Auswärtiges Amt)
• Campingplätze für den Familienurlaub (pincamp)