Tips and Tricks for Camping with
Small Children
Camping with
small children – even infants and toddlers doesn’t have to be the nightmarish
experience you might think it would be. After all – you haven’t lived until you
warmed a bottle over a campfire at 3:00 am! If camping is something you enjoy
doing then there’s no reason that you shouldn’t enjoy it even when your
children are small – with a few changes to accommodate your young family.
Obviously,
the younger your children the more “stuff” you will need to bring along to make
the trip enjoyable. You’ll be taking your car with you to the campsite so you
have the luxury of making the car as full as you need without having to worry
about the extra luggage. Keep in mind that no matter how much you pack, you
will likely forget something or even run short so try to pick a campground with
at least a convenience store nearby.
Another
thing to consider is the trip itself. You know better than anyone how long your
child will remain happy on a car ride – if necessary, choose a campground
closer to home to keep everyone happy along the way. You also want to make sure
that you can get to your campsite before dark in order to set up everything you
need and can find everything easily.
If you have
a crawler or young one just learning to walk, you’ll want to make sure you have
a pack ‘n’ play that can be used for a crib and a play pen and let your baby
move around while you’re setting up camp or hanging around the campfire.
You may also
want to choose a campsite with flushing toilets and potable running water if
you are in the potty-training phase. You can also decide to rent a cabin –
there are plenty of kid-friendly campgrounds that can help you plan.
Camping with
your young children can be very enjoyable with these few little tips. And don’t
forget to keep your children on their same eating and sleeping schedules as
much as possible – doing so will keep everyone in their happy place!