I have so many memories from camping as a kid and always told myself that when I had a family of my own I wanted us to be “campers”. It was fun envisioning us roasting marshmallows, reading books by flashlight, and snuggling together in a tent. Cut to my first time camping with kids: I had an 18-month old boy and I was 6-months pregnant. And it was terrible. Never mind that it rained an entire day (because that is just tough for any camper), but I just wasn’t prepared for the endless amount of work. My fond childhood memories of camping didn’t involve the packing and unpacking equipment, planning and cooking meals, or heating water to wash dishes. Now that I was the mom, it just felt like one chore right after another. And on top of that I was trying to teach an 18-month old that our tent and air mattress was not a portable indoor bounce house but rather the place he was supposed to sleep at night (spoiler alert….he didn’t sleep).
I was very reluctant to ever try camping again, but with some prodding from my sister and clear skies in the forecast I somehow agreed to give it another shot this year. And guess what…it was a success! I’m going to share a few of the things I’ve learned from camping with kids.
Lower Your Expectations
My biggest mistake the first time our family camped was getting hung up on all those unrealistic visions of everything being “perfect”. The truth is things will go wrong, the kids will be sticky and dirty, you will be sweating while setting up the tent, or frustrated that you can’t find the one chopping knife you packed. But all those things are OK and normal, you just have to go into the trip expecting them to happen. That way you will be less frazzled and frustrated in those situations.
Don’t Forget to Pack the Everyday Essentials
Make sure you pack the everyday essentials that you need for your kids, even if you think that it is excessive for camping. Last summer we didn’t bring our pack-n-play for our 18-month old who had only ever slept in a crib or pack-n-play. I thought the idea of using a pack-n-play in a tent sounded silly, so I told myself he’d do fine sleeping on an air mattress with us. Now THAT was silly. That was the number one reason he barely slept, he didn’t have 4 walls “containing” him like he was used to. So this summer I smartened up and brought it along. Our tent is tall enough for a pack-n-play and it worked like a charm…our youngest slept like a champ in it. So do not be afraid to bring along the things that help your kids sleep.
Another item we were thankful we brought was a travel high chair. We strapped it to a camping chair (and made sure it was sturdy), and then our 11-month old was able to be a little more independent and didn’t have to have someone right there feeding him. He sat so content in that high chair while he watched the older kids play.
Keep Them Busy
For this year’s camping trip I did a little more planning ahead for activities to keep toddlers and kids occupied. A lot of the frustration from camping with kids comes when you are trying to set up a tent or cook a meal while they are running around getting into mischief. Keeping them busy with an activity or game will help keep your sanity. Before our camping trip I created a simple nature scavenger hunt with pictures instead of words (free download below) so that it would be suitable for any kid ages 2 and up.
I used spray adhesive and glued the piece of paper to an old gift bag I had laying around.
I also took the extra time and used curling ribbon to tie an old crayon to the bag so the kids could check off what they found. I wasn’t sure how much the kids would enjoy it, but honestly they LOVED it!
They were racing around the campsite finding rocks and sticks and throwing them in their bag. They did this for over half an hour (any parent of a toddler knows that if you find an activity that keeps their attention for more than 10 minutes you’ve hit jackpot). We were able to prepare supper without the kids hanging on our legs or without having to say “stay away from the fire” one million times. It was bliss.
Another activity I brought along were wooden dowels that you’d find at a hardware store and a set of markers. The idea was that they could color their own walking sticks to use while camping.
The coloring part went well, they sat nicely working on their own sticks. However, the walking stick part was a bit of a fail. Two year olds should not be given long sticks, they instantly started whipping them around and banging them on anything within sight (grabbing the sticks away was like entering a battle zone).
My nephew who is 4 was a little bit better, but it was even hard for him not to wind up and whack something with it. SO, I’d definitely recommend this activity, but I’d say this one is only appropriate for 5 to 6 year olds and up!
Cherish the Memories
It’s no question that camping is a lot of work, and add a few young kids to the mix and it can be downright exhausting. That is why you have to hold tight to all the special memories that are made. The weather this year for our camping trip was absolutely perfect. It cooled down nicely at night, and my boys woke up in their footie pajamas and wanted to cuddle under a blanket next to the fire.
So as our coffee was percolating on the camp grill I held my baby in my lap listening to the birds chirping and morning fire crackling, and that single moment was worth all the hard work. And I had to cherish that sweet sliver of time because soon the cooking and washing would be calling.
DOWNLOAD NATURE SCAVENGER HUNT
(If you like it, pin it!)