Camping with kids can be a great experience for all if you come prepared with the right essentials for your adventure. These tips will help you have fun and ensure you have everything you need for your camping trip.
After going on 2 cross country road trips alone with 3 kiddos I’ve come to find a few things that make the journey and camping experience a lot more pleasant.
Meal Plan
Before you even begin your adventure you must have a plan for meals in place. This is for your sanity. It’s no fun to be at your campsite trying to set up your tent with rumbling tummies (aka: kids) surrounding you.
“Mom I’m hungry can I have a snack?”
“What are you making for dinner?”
“When can we have s’mores?”
Can you tell I’m speaking from experience 😉
When planning your camping meals you need to take activities into consideration. Will you be out on a hike during lunch time, swimming at the lake, and what if it’s raining and you can’t build a fire? Will you be bringing a camping stove, propane grill or cooking by fire?
Once you have a good idea of your camping activities and cooking set-up you can plan meals that will work best for each day.
Planning out breakfast, lunch and dinner for camping is one of the biggest tasks to complete in my opinion. It’s always refreshing when the meal planning is done.
RELATED: Check out this post for a printable camping meal planner.
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Set Up Sleeping Arrangements First!
Once you arrive at your camping destination it’s best to set up your camp first, including sleeping arrangements.
I’ve been in the predicament of having a cranky toddler that is needing to have some quiet time and a nap with no place for them to lay down their head.
Because we didn’t set up our tent right away and decided to explore the camping grounds first I had no place for my kiddos to get some rest after our exploration.
Live and learn.
You can avoid this predicament all together by learning from my mistakes.
Avoid the temptation to explore your campground after arriving. This will be especially difficult because you kiddos will be eager to have fun after a long car ride. But…
Get your tent set up, air mattresses blown up and sleeping bags laid out first. Establish who will be sleeping where in the tent. Get all blankets and snugglies on individual beds. Then go on an adventure and explore your campground.
Establish A Kids Bedtime
Now that you have sleeping arrangements set up having a good bedtime for the kiddos will be easy to implement.
Kids thrive on routine. Messing with a regular bedtime can result in cranky kiddos and put a damper on the mood. Try to stick to the same bedtime routine you do at home. If you read a book and pray with them before bed at home do the same while camping.
Establish a set bedtime for your little campers. Of course your kiddos will be staying up a little later than their normal bedtimes but making an established camping bedtime will help to ward off the daily grumps.
To help with sleeping, bring along some white noise. There are many free apps you can download to a phone or device to play during the night. With so many new outside sounds it can take kids awhile to fall asleep.
If you don’t want to bring along electronics you could use a battery operated sound machine.
Using white noise will allow you to put the kids to bed but the adults can stay up and talk around the campfire without whispering.
Downtime
Even with an established bedtime your little campers may need a daily nap or downtime to just relax.
I’ve found having some afternoon downtime is very helpful to keep the kiddos rested and avoid meltdowns.
Bring along some sticker activity books and coloring. You could even just sit and play a card game with your kids.
Dirt
Camping always involves lots of dirt. Especially with kids. They love to play in the dirt and take off shoes and run around barefoot in it.
Embrace the dirt and bring a bag full of baby wipes for daily wipe downs.
Even better is to set up a wash station for hands and feet.
Water Dispenser With Spout
Water Basin
Use a plastic tub and water dispenser with valve so your kids can wash up before meals and wash feet at the end of the day before slipping into sleeping bags.
Make sure to bring extra washcloths and hand towels for your wash station.
Lights
Most kids aren’t fans of the dark and when you are out away from the city the night skies become even darker.
Have flashlights for each child and also put a lantern in your tent for the night. Kids also enjoy using headlamps to light the path to the bathroom at night.
Another fun way to add a little light to your tent in the night is with glow sticks. Glow Sticks add just enough light to see in your tent without being to bright to prevent sleep.
You can also have kids wear glow stick bracelets and necklaces so you can easily see them at night and spot them from a short distance. Plus they think it’s super fun!
Place glow sticks next to tent stakes and poles to avoid tripping or running into them at night.
There are many uses for glow sticks while camping and for the price of $1 you can afford to bring along a stash of them.
Activities and Entertainment
Little kids and big kids alike will only be entertained by dirt, rocks and sticks for so long. Make sure to bring along some activities they can do at your campsite.
I like to bring used plastic jugs and food containers for my kids to use at the campsite. They can be pretty creative in their play with these used containers and at the end of the camping trip I just throw away the dirty containers.
It’s always fun to have a few “new toys” they only get to use while camping. Having some of these items can also help keep kids busy while you are preparing a meal, washing up dishes or if you have a rainy day.
Here is a list of some activity ideas for your camping trip:
Gear
When taking kids camping there are a few items I like to bring along with them in mind.
Reusable Water bottles– Kids need to stay hydrated during all their outdoor explorations and activities. Bring along reusable water bottles that can be filled throughout the day from your water jugs.
Extra-long roasting sticks– Don’t worry about kids getting too close to the flames when roasting marshmallows or hot dogs. Bring along these extra-long roasting sticks to they can have fun cooking their meal too.
Pee bucket– Walking a long distance in the middle of the night with a sleepy kids is not ideal. Having a pee bucket near your tent can be very useful and helpful. It also helps avoid any night time accidents.
Sun protection– Don’t forget to protect your little’s skin and eyes from the sun. With all the extra outdoor time you will want to prevent sunburn. Make sure to bring along sunscreen, sunglasses and hats to shield them from the sun.
Patience!
Camping with kids requires patience. Activities can take longer or kids may need an extra nap. Try to keep a light heart when camping with your kids and just enjoy the outdoor family time together.
I hope you find these tips helpful in planning your next camping trip with kids. The experience of a camping trip is so fun and memorable! With a little planning you will have a great time in the outdoors.
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