Mom of Children

Daria

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19 comments on Camping with kids

Camping with kids

It’s interesting how one thing leads to another.

A few weeks ago we were taking a hike on the reservation. The kids saw a brook and started playing with slimy things in said brook. A few hikers passed us by, we said hello, they went on their way. Then L blurts out “we are going camping!” {which was just a thought on my part at that point} The passing lady hiker overhears and goes, oh do you have a place in mind? Me: no idea. So she recommends a campground on the water in Upstate New York, and I look at our calendar and book a campsite the next day.

The campsite is booked, and I am not turning around.

T’s reaction was less than favorable “just book a hotel room with the kids! Make sure to bring bear spray! You all are gonna be miserable!” I got angry at him that he was poo-pooing my idea. I understand that he is concerned about safety- but it’s a private playground, fenced in around the pond. After a few days I think he made peace with it.

The spread of things to pack

So now I have a favor to ask of my fellow bloggers who went camping with the kids. Diane, Naomie, anyone?

Spam me with advice! Please look at my packing list, and let me know what else I should bring.

Posted by:

Daria

Mother, teacher, partner, friend. I love coffee, books, and travel with and without kids. I dislike exercise. Nothing glamorous here but do have moments of insight.

19 responses to “Camping with kids”

  1. Lisa’s Yarns Avatar
    Lisa’s Yarns

    You are such an adventurous mom! I would go camping with the kids but only with Phil and he is a hard pass until taco is a bit older. I have no advice as I have only truly camped once and it was when I was newly pregnant with Paul. We registered for some camping stuff for our wedding and got one trip in that summer. Now we are on a grand pause! But some day we will go camping.

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  2. Tina Avatar
    Tina

    Oh, camping with kids is so much fun. You have a pretty good list started. What cooking method are you planning on using? Does the campsite have something available? We’ve only ever had fire rings for bonfires in any of the campsites we’ve stayed at. I usually bring a portable two burner camp stove. I suggest a large tablecloth to throw over the picnic table, it’s usually pretty yucky and so I love covering it. I also suggest a clothesline and pins to hang up any wet things, small broom and dustpan to sweep out tent, a small throw rug for just inside the tent door. We take our shoes off on the rug and then enter the tent, keeps some of the dirt and grime out of the tent. I don’t like leaving our shoes outside for critters to crawl in or get wet from rain or dewy mornings. Baby wipes! So easy to wash hands and faces. Solar battery charger for your phone. A fun thing for the kids to eat are walking tacos. I make as much as stuff at home as possible so all I have to do is warm things up. Make taco meat, chop up lettuce and tomatoes ahead of time, buy the lunch size bags of corn chips or doritos. You load up the bag with meat and your favorite taco fixings. My grandson had a blast with them. Of course you have to do s’mores. I bring a couple games and some cards. I thought I had a list somewhere of everything I bring, but I’ve been adding to the pile for several years. I do something closer to glamping nowadays than hardcore camping. I can probably come up with a whole bunch more stuff to add to the list so be careful what you ask for. Fortunately you can pick and choose what will work for your circumstances. Have fun!

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    1. Daria Avatar
      Daria

      Thank you so much for all of this advice! I am taking notes!

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  3. Diane Avatar
    Diane

    Yay camping! I love camping with the kids. Maybe more than the kids. I don’t know when we’ll get to camp with the kids this year and that makes me a little sad.

    So many thoughts! I always start with this camping list from REI:

    https://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/family-camping-checklist.html

    Then I add or subtract based on the trip and my preferences. I agree with a lot of what Tina says above, though. A nice tablecloth makes such a difference.

    For fun, I have a set of small construction vehicles that I bring for the kids. They like to play with those in the dirt. Also walkie talkies are a huge hit with my kids while we go camping.

    I feel like most of my time prepping for camping, and during camping is spent thinking about food. I have a very detailed food list with what we are eating every meal plus snacks. Camping for me feels like just trying to get from one meal to the next, with some hiking or lazing in the hammock in between. I also prep as much before hand as possible. For example, we’ll have foil packets and I’ll chop all the vegetables before hand so that once at the campsite it’s mostly just about assembling things.. I do usually cook on a stove because things always cook much more slowly on the fire and I don’t want to end up with hungry kids.

    The first meal the evening we arrive always something quick and cold because it always takes longer to set up the tent than I think it will. So I usually do something like cold sesame noodles (all prepped beforehand), or a snack board (meat, cheese, crackers, fruit, carrots).

    Here’s a post I did on what we eat when camping:

    https://lifeoffheadset.com/shenendoah-camping-what-we-ate/

    For clothes, I bring a set of sneakers/hiking boots and a set of crocs for the kids. They like wearing the crocs around the campsite and they are easy to take on and off when they are going in and out of th tent.

    I guess the other thing that I find tedious is returning and finding time to properly air out all the gear and then pack it away. I love camping – I hope you have a great tim!

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    1. Daria Avatar
      Daria

      So many great points, thanks Diane!!

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  4. rachelinwales Avatar
    rachelinwales

    Oh Kid camping is an adventure! We did one kid trip with my 2 and 4 year old last June. You may be at a different life stage with your kids but my 2 year old was working on potty training which meant we had brought a little potty which actually turned out great because the 4 year old sometimes needed a go and the bathrooms were far from our tent. But you may be far beyond that with yours already… actually I saw you had written “toilet potty” so you may already be more clever than me

    And lots and lots of snack. Also, I was listening to The Girl Next Door podcast recently and they were talking about camping and they said to remind yourself there is no rush – that putting up the tent and setting up the gear *Is* the camping! I always get stressed because I feel like I have to set up before the fun can start, but the kids LOVED the set up.

    Also our biggest mistake was only bringing 2 camping pads for the two kids and me. We thought they could share a camping pad but they could not and I ended up sleeping on the ground between the two kids and I was so very unhappy.

    Oh and little flashlights or head lamps for the kids is a great toy.

    I’m so excited for your camping adventure- I love your adventures!

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    1. Daria Avatar
      Daria

      Thank you, Rachel!! We have a porta potty from our toilet training days and we usually bring it to the beach. So I’m going to bring it for this camping trip, too.
      I started listening to that episode (love their podcast) and ran out of time. It popped up in my queue just in time. The Universe talking?..

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  5. Sak Avatar
    Sak

    I think the previous commenters had great advice. Try to borrow things you don’t have for the first trip and then keep a list of things you see others at the campground have. Remember you can always drive into the nearest town to buy things you forgot. You inspire me to be more adventurous with my kids seeing your trips to foreign countries. Camping with kids over the age of 2 is fun for us. My kids love to go in the water, play in the dirt and with sticks.

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    1. Daria Avatar
      Daria

      Hi Sak! I was thinking that, too. I can just pop over to the nearest store and get ice. Or hotdogs 🙂 lots of hotdogs lol

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    2. Daria Avatar
      Daria

      Oh and thank you for your kind words!

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  6. Natka Avatar
    Natka

    Not sure if it’s on your list already – flashlights. Maybe also a small portable light with batteries for inside the tent.

    Tina has an awesome list of items. Ready-to-go food. Canned beef stew and canned ravioli are pretty popular with my family. Anything that you can cook on a stick of the fire – sausage (pre-cooked is best), marshmallows.

    Like all the others said – having a camp stove is awesome. Makes sense to buy it if you plan to go camping semi-regularly.

    Foil. For lining things on the campfire grate, wrapping potatoes before throwing them into embers, etc.

    After a couple of rainy experiences, we bring extra tarp (that can be used as a cover).

    Garbage bags.

    A large plastic refillable water container with a spigot (can come in handy when you are refilling your water bottles, but also helps if you need to wash hands or brush teeth without leaving the campsite).

    Fun things for kids: magnifying glass, insect-catching tools.

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  7. Irena Avatar
    Irena

    I like private campgrounds because they usually have clean bathrooms, a nice playground (and maybe a pool) and hot coffee in the mornings! My hubby would go if i book everything and do the packing, but he is no means a crazy hiking/camping guy with tons of gear (i dated couple of dudes like that in college). In fact, our first camping trip together (just the two of us) was a disaster because he forgot the sleeping bags :))) Thankfully it was before the kids. He got a little bit better now, lol ;)) As long as we have the clean bathrooms and hot coffee in the morning (see my opening sentence) the trip is a success! You can buy wood/food/ice-cream at the private campgrounds, and i usually don’t worry about it. Have a great trip!!

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  8. Melissa Avatar
    Melissa

    I have not camped since I was at uni, but it was rough camping (in the bush with no facilities). G is not a fan of camping so we have never been with the kids. I’m sure you’ll have a great time, and you’ve got lots of good advice in the ocmments.

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  9. Stephany Avatar
    Stephany

    I have no advice, but I love that you’re doing this! What an adventure it will be for the kids. You are definitely a fun mom, and I mean that in the best way possible!

    Also, for a minute when I saw the word “alcohol” under medicine, I thought you meant the kind of alcohol you drink and thought, “Yup, probably good medicine when you’re camping with kids, haha.” (Or I guess not, since you probably need your wits about you!)

    I can’t wait to hear how it goes!

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    1. Daria Avatar
      Daria

      Hahahahaha I will bring a bottle of wine for sure, but that was rubbing alcohol 🤣🤣

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  11. Tobia | craftaliciousme Avatar
    Tobia | craftaliciousme

    All my childhood vacations were camping. I can not remember a single vacay in my first ten years were we stayed in a hotel. You will have so much fun.

    One thing that can get the mood low in camping is mosquitos though. And the occasional tick. So I suggest you have that stuff handy. Spray and some lemon scented candles and one of those tick removal things.

    Other than that pack light, enjoy the outdoors, tell stories in the dark, do night walk adventures.

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    1. Daria Avatar
      Daria

      How wonderful! I do have some memories from when I was a kid, camping by one of the lakes in our region. Yes, the lemon candle and the tick spray. I am nervous about ticks because they can carry lime desease. 🤞

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