An Outdoor Mom’s Best Tips for Camping with Kids
Morgan Rogue 12.16.21
When my first child was two months old, I had an itch to go camping. I had never been camping with a child before and every single person told me not to do it, “they were too young.”
Come to find out, baby stage is probably the absolute easiest part of raising children. This applies to camping, too.
We drove three hours away to a beautiful national forest and only ended up staying one night, not because it was difficult, but because some rowdy neighbors setup camp next to us and we didn’t feel like dealing with them.
The day and night that we were there, though, she slept about 90% of the time. The other 10% of the time was spent eating and taking a stroll on a nearby trail.
It was so chill and relaxed. I was way over prepared, but I’m always better off being over prepared than under, especially with children.
Fast forward five years and I now have two kids, five and two, who have been on more adventures than most kids their age.
Kids are made for the outdoors. With so much to explore and do, camping is an enriching experience for the whole family.
Here are my top tips for camping with kids:
Sleep Gear
When they’re young, 1 years or younger, the travel bassinet is the absolute best thing since sliced bread.
I used it for both of my kids and I can’t praise it enough. It kept them contained inside of their little area so I didn’t have to worry. When done, it folded down flat.
When they grew out of that, they got their own sleeping bags and sleeping pads. My oldest only now wants her own pillow, too. You don’t need ‘kid specific’ sizes, either. This is especially nice if you want them to grow into them. I actually regretted buying a kid sizes sleeping pad because they’re going to be grown out of that in no time.
Find real camping gear for your kids. It needs to be just as durable as yours, especially for colder weather. Both our kids have sleeping bags rated to 20 degrees F.
Clothing
Bring lots of extra pairs of clothing. Lots. I’ve almost run out of extra clothes. They get into mud, they fall into water, they have accidents, they spit up, they spill food, etc. Bring plenty of extra clothing and dry bags to place the clothing in until you can return home and wash it. Prepare for changes of weather, too; cold, rain, heat, etc.
Of course, extra underwear, socks, diapers and LOTS of wipes!
Food
My kids tend to snack more than anything when camping. I try to get them to eat an actual meal but they just want bites of mine or to snack. I will still have complete meals available for them, but I will also have about 10x the amount of snacks available. They snack throughout the day, which is ok by me since they’re usually pretty active.
I always bring far more food than I know we’ll eat, just in case.
If you’re breastfeeding, I found that I only needed to bring enough extra breastmilk for a days worth and that was only to be used in an emergency. The rest of the time I was able to breastfeed. Of course, if you use formula, bring plenty of formula to last the amount of your trip, as well as day or two extra. Just in case.
Water
Our kids were both able to drink from a camelbak hose pretty early on, but if your kids need their specific sippy cups or any other type of cup, don’t forget it. Kids need plenty of water. You will need to constantly be offering it to them and reminding them because they won’t remind themselves.
Extra Floor Padding
My kids love to mess around inside of the tent so we laid down foam tiles. We were only able to carry these when we car camped or overlanded, but they were always worth it. It added a nice extra layer of padding and protection and it was always glorious to have inside of the tent.
First Aid
Have a well stocked first aid kit for kid specific supplies. Such as kid medications, nose sucker, tweezers, nail clippers, child sized bandaids, thermometer, topical ointments, medicine dropper, gripe water, child appropriate electrolyte drink, more wipes and emergency contact card.
Additional Tips
Sleep time was always a bit of an issue and still can be sometimes even to this day. New surroundings, new noises, new smells, it can all keep a child hyper and awake.
We keep our nighttime routine as best as we can. We get changed, we brush our teeth, read a book, get into our sleeping bags, turn off the lights and sing a song. Sometimes we have to sing two or three songs and sometimes we tell another story.
Sometimes we still have to remind them that it’s time to go to sleep, but we also try to go easy on them as this is as adventure for them, too.
Also, let them help! Let them help setup the tent. Let them help setup the fire. Let them help make meals. They should be an active part of the overall experience. Patience and understanding will be needed, especially the first couple of times that you go camping.
I wouldn’t over plan too much. There’s always something to do when you’re outdoors.
Final Thoughts
If you’re worried how your kids are going to react while camping, setup a tent in your backyard and do a test run.
Overall, be prepared and have fun! Camping is about exploring, learning and challenging ourselves to get back with nature.
They’re never too old, or too young, to go camping. Teach them skills, learn new skills yourself and really embrace the outdoor experience with your family.
