As I’ve mentioned, we went camping in Lassen Volcanic National Park a couple of weeks ago. It’s the third time my son had been camping and the first time for our little Miss. I don’t claim to be an expert, but I have learned some things over the years. If you plan right, it can be a lot of fun from taking young kiddos out into the wild. Keep reading for some of my tips on camping with kids!

best tips for camping with kids

prepare for camping with kids

This might seem obvious, but being as prepared as possible will make things go much more smoothly. You know what they say, “If you fail to plan than you plan to fail”. Well, this is especially true when little kids are involved.

Start packing (or at least writing a packing list) days in advance so you’re less likely to forget something. And don’t forget to prepare yourself mentally. Going camping with kids will be very different than camping with friends or your spouse. If your kids are anything like mine you’ll spend a good portion of your camping trip saying things like, “Come back here please”, or “You need to listen to me.”

Just like at home, consistency is key. Sure, you’re on vacation and you can relax a little bit, but follow through with what you say. Also, a word of advice–camping is not the time to let your kids stay up all night. There’s a good chance they’ll be up with the sun, and a well-rested kid is a happy kid.

Carlsbad Caverns KOA

picking your campground

Once, when I was looking at campgrounds online I found one I really liked. I started reading some of the reviews online, fortunately. The reviews were really great, until I got to one that mentioned all the poison oak everywhere. Um, yeah, I don’t think I’m going to take my rambunctious toddler to a campground with poison oak around.

Try to see the campsite through your child’s eyes. Although your idea of a good time might be hiking around all day, is your kid going to be having a ball too? Not to say you can’t rough it with little ones, but it’s best to consider their likes. If you want to have fun on vacation, don’t you think your kids do too?

Lots of campgrounds have pools, horseshoes, planned activities, playgrounds, etc. Find a campground that has some fun things you can do as a family! KOAs have locations all over the country and not only have fun stuff to do, but usually have bonuses like laundry facilities which are nice to have in case of a potty training emergency.  And with little rugrats, showers are always a nice plus, although baby wipes and hand sanitizer can work wonders too.

Read about our family’s favorite glamping spot here.

I am also a big fan of National Parks, I think these are great places to go as a family. Beautiful places with well-maintained trails (some that are accessible and easy to take a stroller on!), and bathroom facilities with drinking fountains. Plus, great museums and information centers for the whole family to enjoy and Jr. Ranger programs for the kiddos.

Don’t be afraid to pimp out your campsite once you’re there. Anything within reason that will make your life easier or more comfortable while you’re camping you should consider bringing! This last time we requested a tent site with water and electric, which we were able to use to blow up our air mattress that we brought along. We also made sure to bring our daughter’s high chair so we could all eat at the same time. It was also a nice place to keep her contained while we were busy setting up camp and cooking food.

Fire pit at Shingletown/Mt. Lassen KOA.

enjoy chow time

One of my favorite things about camping is planning fun meals we don’t normally get at home. For example, foil wrapped dinners. And why is it that everything always tastes better when it’s cooked over a fire? Here are just a couple of ideas and tips that are good whether or not you have kids.

One of my favorite breakfasts while camping is crescent rolls wrapped around sausage and cheese, then cooked over a fire. It takes awhile to cook it so that it gets cooked evenly, but it is oh so good!

Prepare everything you can before you leave home, it means less time and less cleanup. I like to prepare our foil dinners before we leave on our trip. That way, I didn’t have to cut potatoes and deal with raw chicken at our campsite. For our pancakes in the morning I measure out the amount of mix I need in a plastic bag. Then I write the ingredients that I need to add in a marker. Then it’s super easy to mix right in the bag by mushing it with your hands, then cut the tip off a corner and use the bag to pour the batter onto the griddle.

 

don’t forget to have fun!

Remember to enjoy yourself! Stop on the way at a yummy food place you’ve never tried before or at a roadside oddity. Do a Google search, see reviews on Yelp, or check out this website. Geared towards foreigners wanting to visit America, it’s a great catch-all list of roadside oddities, and state and national parks. They also have a list of “The Top 100 in the USA”, which is comprised of the top 10 amusement parks, top 10 bridges, top 10 monuments, etc. Lots of great things to see and do!

is it worth camping with kids?

I’ve heard lots of people say that it seems silly to take young kids camping or on trips in general until they’re older, so much effort and expense for something they probably won’t remember; that may be true, but you will. You’ll remember how excited your 3 year old was the first time he saw a bear without the safety of a zoo fence. You’ll remember how funny your 13 month old daughter thought it was to walk through  a pitch dark lava tube and how she just laughed and jibber-jabbered the whole way. And if you’re like me, you’ll likely have lots of photographic evidence to help you remember how badly your son wanted to stop on the side of the road and build a snowman.  And all those memories are just from one short trip.

So it might be extra work and frustrating at times, and you might come back feeling like you need a vacation from your vacation, but this time with your young ones is so fleeting. It’s a very small window when you can have conversations like this with your child: “Look, poop” “Poop? No honey, that’s hot mud, it’s called a mud pot.” “Oh, mud, we should clean it up!”.

Does your family like to go camping? Do you have a favorite spot?