3 Tips to Enjoy Camping With Kids

I’d been camping for a long time before I had kids. Then three little darlings came along and it seemed that camping would have to sit on my ‘things I gave up’ pile.

While camping solo I had seen too many harassed parents, usually mothers, trying desperately to force their offspring to enjoy life under canvas. I wasn’t going to be one of those campground screechers. Nor would I be one of the fathers cracking a beer and turning a blind eye. So for a couple of years we didn’t go camping as a family.

But as the kids grew a bit, I decided to take a chance camping with kids. I haven’t gotten it right all of the time. Far from it. But we have had some great family camping holidays and here I’ll share a couple of my tips to enjoy camping with kids.

Tips to Enjoy Camping with Kids:

1. Camping Location

When your camping with kids, make sure that you choose a place that the kids will enjoy. This usually means near water. Lakes, rivers or the ocean, it doesn’t matter; kids love to play in the water. And if there’s mud to play with too, even better.
Most kids are completely oblivious to the great views that we adult campers enjoy. My four year old daughter’s comment on a 360° view of snow capped mountains and virgin wilderness stretching as far as we could see:
“Yes Daddy, they’re trees. Can we go swim now?”
Teaching your kids to swim in a river or at the beach has to be one of the most satisfying parts of parenthood. Sharing time, having fun and passing on important skills in the great outdoors? Priceless.

2. Packing for Camping

You already know that what you take with you is important for any camping trip. It’s doubly so when you are camping with kids. Try to think of all the things that you might possibly need to take with you. Add some extras. Kids are masters at getting sleeping bags wet one way or another. Take some extra blankets. The metallic emergency blankets go down well, especially if you explain that they are used by astronauts. And they wipe dry pretty easily.

3. Camping Food

Take lots. Kids out in the fresh air get hungry. Don’t expect the wee ones to be satisfied with three square meals a day. If my own brood is anything to go by, camping kids are more like baby birds. You know, mouth open and constantly squawking for food. Take lots of snacks to tide them over between breakfast and morning tea. And take what they like. A camping holiday is not the time to teach little Johnny to eat broccoli.  Don’t make it hard on yourself.

If you plan your camping holiday with the kids’ enjoyment firmly at the front of your mind, things will be easier. And you know what? If the kids are happy, you will be too.

Happy camping.

Author: Paul Callaghan

Edited By: CampTrip.com