When the older children were younger we used to love taking them camping, but the more children we had, the more stressful it became, however now the younger ones are a bit older we are considering Camping again, so here are some hints and tips for successful camping.
Camping with kids, especially young ones, is very challenging and without proper planning, your trip could be disastrous. This article on family camping tips and tricks, however, will make sure that doesn’t happen by highlighting some of the things that you need to do to make your family camping trip as enjoyable as possible, if you are looking for some ideas to keep the kids entertained, check out Camping Activities For Kids
Important family camping tips and tricks
The key to a successful and totally enjoyable family camping trip is proper planning. Adults can fend for themselves when they are out there but when there are little ones involved, you have to make sure that everything is in place for them to be comfortable and to have fun.
You need to make sure that your kids feed well. You need to make sure that they are properly clothed so as to prevent them from catching a cold or get beaten by bugs out in the woods. Ensure you have these essentials things for a family camping trip with kids.
You also need to make sure that your kids are entertained as well and this post will cater to all of these needs by highlighting the important family camping tips and tricks.
Let’s now dive into the things that you need to know and do to make your family camping trip memorable.
Tip 1. Prepare and pack your meals before you head to camp
This is one of the most important things that you have to do if you plan on going to camp with your family. It is highly unlikely that you will go hunting for food in the woods when you are out there, so it is very important that you carry all the meals that you will have when you are at camp.
Carrying all the meals that you will eat at camp is very important but so is packaging them properly. Proper packaging will make it easy to remove the food for meal preparation as well as ensuring that your food doesn’t go bad.
When packing your meals, put those that are to be eaten or cooked immediately at the top such as the snacks for the kids. This will make sure that you don’t keep tossing and turning your meals and this will ensure that they are fresher for longer.
Use zip-top bags to store all your meals and make sure that you freeze them a day or two to your trip so as to prevent them from going bad.
Tip 2. Don’t forget glow sticks
Glow sticks are very important for camping as they allow you to easily identify things in the dark. It is almost impossible to see things and to find your way in the dark but glow sticks will help you identify things such as where the toilet is.
Hang them by the toilet, at the entryway of the tent and at the watering point so as to make it easy for you to move about when it gets dark. You can also have your kids stick them on their bags so as to make it easy for them to locate them when they need something in their bags and it is dark.
Make the whole glow sticks thing interesting by getting sticks in different colours and having the kids pick the colour that they love.
Tip 3. Let your kids bring some toys
The essence of going to camp is to have the kidskids use nature as their playground but sometimes this is not enough to keep them engaged and entertained. Kids are used to playing with their toys and as such, you should ask them to bring some of them over to camp.
This doesn’t mean that they can bring over their whole collection of toys as you still want them to enjoy the outdoors and to interact with nature. Ask them to pick a few toys and leave the rest at home.
Another alternative would be to ask them to carry their sports gear and equipment. Most campsites are large open areas and as such, you can find a spot that is free and have the kids play their favourite sport. You can also join them as a parent for the ultimate bonding experience with your kids.
Tip 4. Sort and pack your clothes properly
You also need to make sure that you have the clothes sorted out if you want to have a good time outdoors. When packing your clothes and those of your kids, get a plastic bag and pack all the clothes that you will wear on specific days separately. Lock the plastic bag and pack it in your bag.
Do the same with your kids’ clothes before packing them in their bags. Once you are done with a particular’s day clothes, put them back in the plastic bag that you had removed them from.
The kids can find this arrangement somehow difficult to muster as they are used to dumping their clothes all over the place when they are at home, so you need to make sure that they understand this arrangement properly.
Family Camping Tips and Tricks Conclusion
Camping as a family can get messy without proper planning but this article on family camping tips and tricks will make sure this doesn’t happen. Read this post in detail to learn the tips and tricks of camping as a family.
Hi Mandi !
you are an excellent writer to make the happy audience. I got important tips from your blog and It will help my next tour.
Hi Mandi,
Tip ###3 (Let your kids bring some toys) is very important The essence of going to camp is to have the kids use nature as their playground but sometimes this is not enough to keep them engaged and entertained.
Thanks for this post. I haven’t had the chance to camp with my parents when I was a kid so I honestly don’t know how to camp with kids lol! I’ll definitely try this out, especially tip #1.