Making Camping With Kids A Little Easier

Earlier this year a group of families from the school we moved to, invited us to go camping with them in August. I’ve always thought of camping as an activity meant for people who are not me. To me, camping with kids seems like the exact opposite of a “vacation.” But then you see I am quite into hanging out with other families, so I was caught in a dilemma. In the end, I decided the kids should get to try camping and we, adults, should get to know other families at our school better and spend more time with the ones we know already. So, camping it is.

My little boy and I had a camping-test-run in May at an overnight camping event with his Cub Scout group. This little experiment was, kind of a disaster. It turns out tents are not automatically water proof and even a short camping outing, at a site without running water, requires more than just a bag of supplies. I was incredibly under-prepared. So, in preparing for our upcoming summer trip I’ve been reading up on Camping With Kids and have found tons of great tips for making the experience as smooth as possible.

General Camping with Kids Tips

I emailed Asha Dornfest at Parent Hacks asking her to collect her readers’ camping hacks. I knew this was a group of parents that would not disappoint. You can read some tips here. And, here is another exhaustive list of collected camping hacks. Parent Hacks, why weren’t you around when my babies were little?

Camping with Babies

Here’s a great set of 10 tips for tent camping with a little one. My favorite tip: Warn people you’ve got a baby on site by leaving baby related items in clear sight, so baby-friendly campers choose a site near yours and the others get far away.

What to Eat When Camping with Kids

I’ve been curious about what we’ll eat while camping, my brain can’t quite wrap itself around not having a microwave handy. Mother’s Kitchen (a fellow Michigander) has a few great recipes to share. I’m excited to try out the techniques, but will be bringing along quite a few boxes of cereal in case of emergency.

Checklists for Camping with Kids

To make our camping experience a little smoother this time around, here’s what I have planned.

My friend Maggie, who actually enjoys camping, gave me her master packing list for camping and all sorts of trips. I made the camping section into a PDF you can download here. Customize it for your own family and then laminate it for repeat use.

To keep everything organized and easy to find, I’ll be packing things in a few plastic totes, like these. One tote will hold clothes and toiletry items, another will hold gear, like lanterns and flashlights, and a third will hold all the food and food prep items. Everything is then easily stacked and waterproof. Still, to prevent small animals, like the very adept raccoon, from trying to break-in, those bins will have to be stored, probably in the car.

On our last camping trip I didn’t realize there would be no running water anywhere near our campsite. Luckily the trip was just one night but I saw a really easy way to keep water on site at one of the other camper’s set-up. I eyed it longingly. A large water cooler with spigot will keep drinking water accessible, lets your kids brush their teeth easily in the morning, and with the addition of a nylon “Soap Bag”, makes a perfect hand washing station.

Some other Quick Tips for Camping with Kids:

1. I’ll be packing each of the kids a whistle they can wear while exploring around our campsite, if they get lost they can blow the whistle until we find them.

2. We’ll be bringing a bulk box of glow sticks for the kids. Someone had that idea at our last camping excursion, and they were such a simple hit for everyone. And at under $1 a stick, totally worth it.

3. I am usually a little less than relaxed about messes, so while camping I’m taking advantage of the already-messy conditions and bringing quite a few craft supplies, including the much dreaded and often ignored PAINT SUPPLIES.

We’re heading into the wild during the first week in August. I’ll be sure to post an update after we return…if we make it out alive.