My dad regularly took my sister and me camping when we were kids. Some of my best childhood memories are from camping trips with my family. So, when I became a parent, I also want to take my kids camping.
Even for experienced campers, camping with children can be a bit overwhelming. Will they be warm enough in the tent? Will they get bored? What if something bad happens?
This article covers loads of tips for camping with kids so you have a stress-free, enjoyable experience. The tips are broken down into the following categories:
If you are completely new to camping, read this beginner’s guide to tent camping. If you have really little kids, read these guides to Camping with a Baby and Camping with a Toddler.
Planning a Family Camping Trip
1. Decide What Type of Experience You want
Camping means something different to everyone. It can be a glamping setup with lots of organized activities, a minimalist backcountry trip with lots of hiking, or something in between.
Once you know what type of camping experience you want with your kids, you’ll be better able to plan the trip.
2. Choose a Family-Friendly Campground
You’ll need to choose a campground which is kid-friendly. More specifically, kid-friendly for your child’s age and needs.
- For babies: You may want larger, more secluded campsites so you don’t have to worry about bothering neighbors.
- For toddlers: Hot water for washing up is a nice feature. Playgrounds where they can safely play are nice. Pools and water features should be fenced.
- Big kids: Playgrounds, pools, rec rooms and gear rental are nice to have.
Read more about how to choose a campground.
3. Also Choose the Right Campsite
The location of the campsite at the campground can make a huge difference to your trip. Depending on your kids’ ages, you may want a site:
- Next to the playground: You’ll be able to watch them from camp
- Near the bathrooms: To prevent accidents and having to trek long distances for late night bathroom runs.
- Away from dangers: Such as away from the pool or high-traffic areas.
- At the edge of the campground: You’ll have more privacy and are less likely to bother other campers if your baby or toddler wakes up crying.
4. Prepare Your Kids for the Camping Trip
Not all kids handle new experiences well. To help mentally prepare your kids for the camping trip, try some of these things to expose them to camping and get them excited.
- Pitch the tent in your yard. Let them play there or even do a “practice run” sleeping in the tent.
- Read books and watch TV shows. Peppa Pig, Curious George, Cocomelon, Maisy, and many other popular series have books/episodes where the characters go camping.
- Get older kids involved in planning. They will be more excited if you let them help with the itinerary and choosing activities.
Sleep Setup
5. Pick the Right Tent (or Tents!)
The tent will be your family’s home while camping. It needs to be large enough to fit your family but still packable and capable of handling the weather conditions. You may want features like a screened porch, good headroom, privacy screens or blackout walls for daytime naps.
Depending on your family size and ages, you may want to bring two tents: kids can sleep in one and adults in the other. Or maybe one parent sleeps with the little kids and the other with older kids.
For more info, read: Best Family Camping Tents
This huge tent is roomy enough for a family of four
6. Kids Need Youth-Sized Sleeping Bags
Your kid’s sleeping bag must fit them well. If the bag is too large, it won’t trap heat well. Some youth sleeping bags also have cool features that kids will love, like interior pockets for their stuffed animals or glow-in-the-dark designs.
See the Best Kids Sleeping Bags here. If you are camping with little kids, see these baby and toddler sleeping bags.
The Big Mo sleeping bag is perfect for little kids.
7. Keep Kids “Organized” in the Tent
Kids have a tendency to roll off their sleeping pad at night. Or, if your kids are like mine, they somehow end up completely turned around in the tent!
Not only do you risk getting kicked in the face, but your kids will get cold if they aren’t on their sleeping pad.
You’ll want to use one of these solutions for keeping your kid on their sleeping pad, such as using a portable camping bed.
Somehow kids always end up off their sleeping pad!
8. Develop a Bedtime Ritual
Babies and little kids might want to keep their normal sleep schedule and routine. If the schedule doesn’t work for you though, you don’t have to stick to it. For example, my toddler loved falling asleep in her sleeping bag in front of the campfire. I just made sure she got pjs on and teeth brushed before starting the fire.
For older kids, you might want to create new bedtime rituals for camping.
For example, I usually read my daughter a bedtime story at home. When camping, we make up a story together.
Our camping bedtime ritual includes falling asleep in front of the campfire!
Gear
9. Know What Gear Is Essential to You
You’ll absolutely need essential gear like a tent, sleeping bags, and lighting for your family. There are also some “non-essential” items which can really improve your trip. For example, you may want a portable high chair for little kids to make mealtimes easier.
Not sure what to bring? See this Printable Family Camping Gear Checklist.
This is the gear my family of 4 took on a minimalist 12 day camping trip.
10. Don’t Get a Bright Headlamp
Your kids will need to have their own headlamp so they can walk around safely in the dark. Little kids really shouldn’t use ultra-bright headlamps though. They will inevitably shine the light into your eyes or their own, which can be dangerous for their eyes. Instead, choose one of these headlamps for kids.
11. Bring a Chair for Your Kids
Don’t make the mistake of bringing chairs just for the adults. Your kids will appropriate the chairs from you, leaving you to sit on the ground.
It’s best to choose camping chairs specifically for kids. The shorter height means your kids will be more comfortable are less likely to fall out of it. See these best kids camping chairs. There are also these camping chairs for babies and toddler camping chairs too.
Clothes
12. Follow the 3-Layer System
The weather can change rapidly when in nature. Just like adults, kids will need to follow the 3-layer clothing system when camping. This means wearing good base layers, a mid layer and a shell.
13. Invest in a Good Waterproof Shell
It’s amazing how dirty kids can get camping. While it’s good to embrace some dirt, you don’t exactly want wet, muddy clothing all over camp. This is why a good waterproof shell is so important. It will keep the base and mid layers clean so you have less laundry and mess to worry about.
Also read: Best Rain Suits for Babies, Best Rain Suits for Toddlers and Best Rain Jackets and Rain Pants for Kids
A rain suit means little kids stay clean and dry even when the ground is wet and muddy.
14. Bring Dedicated Pajamas
Your kids need to have clothes just for sleeping. Don’t let them wear their camping pajamas around camp. Insist that they change before getting out of the tent in the morning and don’t put PJs on until it’s bedtime.
Why? Because their pajamas will end up dirty and wet. Then their sleeping bag will end up dirty and wet, so it won’t keep them warm.
For little kids, you’ll need backup pajamas in case of diaper leaks or accidents.
Also read: Best camping pajamas for kids
15. If Bringing Cotton, You’ll Need Lots of Backups
Yes, it’s okay to wear cotton when camping. However, cotton absorbs water like a sponge. If your kids so much as sit on a damp tree stump, they will be wet. In hot temperatures, this isn’t too much of a problem. But, when it starts getting cooler at night, wetness will mean your kids end up cold.
If you don’t feel like buying synthetic or wool camping clothes for your kids, then you will need to bring a LOT of extras. Also bring some rope to make a laundry line so you can dry out damp clothes.
Safety
16. Establish Safety Rules
Camping can be a great opportunity for kids to try new things, push their limits and gain self-confidence. But it is also a new environment and there might be a lot of dangers.
To keep yourself from worrying while still letting your kids have room to explore, you need to establish clear safety rules from the get-go.
Rule examples:
- Running is allowed, but not with sharp objects, in the dark or near the campfire.
- They can poke the campfire with sticks, but only while sitting and no waving the sticks in the air.
- Older kids can walk around by themselves, but must stay on trails and always have basic survival gear (like water and a whistle) with them.
- Little kids must stay a set distance away from deep water.
- In snake territory, kids aren’t allowed to lift or look under rocks.
17. Don’t Skimp on the First Aid Kit
Make sure your first aid kit is equipped to handle all minor injuries and ailments from splinters to dehydration to getting sick. This will save you the agony of having to drive off to town to get something basic. When backcountry camping, you’ll also need to be ready to handle major first aid emergencies.
Read: Camping First Aid Kit Checklist
18. Make an Exit Plan
Sometimes things simply don’t go well when camping. Trying to “tough it out” can result in your kids having a terrible experience and hating camping forever. So, know when it’s time to call it quits. Have an exit plan for these situations, such as having a list of nearby hotels.
Food
19. Choose Simple Meals
Even if you love gourmet meals and campfire cooking, it usually isn’t practical when camping with kids. Even things like making a salad can be annoying since you have to do prep and bring extra supplies like a cutting board and mixing bowls.
You will likely enjoy family camping more if you stick to simple meals. Avoid meals which have lots of ingredients that need to be chopped up. One-pot meals also make cleanup easier.
Read: Easy Camping Meal Ideas (that Kids Will Love)
20. Let Kids Choose their Own Snacks
Kids use up tons of energy when playing outdoors, so they will be snacking a lot. Let them choose their own snacks for the trip and they will be a lot happier.
Bonus Tip: Divide snacks into separate baggies for each day. This prevents them from eating all of their favorite snacks on days 1 and 2 and being grumpy about it later on when there’s nothing but “boring” snacks left.
21. Create a Dedicated Cooking Area
Having a dedicated cooking area helps keep camp organized. When camping with kids, it also reduces the likelihood that your kids will knock over the stove!
If the campsite has a picnic table, you can use one end for this. However, there’s still a risk of them bumping the stove if they are eating at the table (I call out “stove alert” before lighting the stove so my kids know to be careful). Instead, you may want to get a portable camp kitchen station.
Not sure what to eat when camping? Check out my dehydrator recipes book.
Activities
22. Don’t Be Overly Ambitious
One of the biggest camping mistakes that families make is being overly ambitious. Sure, a scenic drive, kayak trip and hike might all sound like fun – but not on the same day! Everyone will end up cranky and not enjoy the experience.
Try to:
- Limit activities to one per day
- Keep scenic drives to less than 1 hour
- Leave a few days for spontaneous plans or just relaxing around camp
22. Let Your Kids Entertain Themselves
A lot of campgrounds have activities for kids like lakes for swimming, horseback riding, mountain biking and canoeing. Some of these activities are worth it, especially if you don’t get an opportunity to do them in your everyday life.
But you probably don’t need to plan too many activities when camping with your kids.
Kids are remarkably good at coming up with ways to entertain themselves. My daughters can entertain themselves for hours by poking muddy puddles, catching fireflies and tadpoles, or building forts from sticks. None of these activities were planned but still incredibly fun.
Still not sure how to entertain your kids? Read: 30+ Camping Activities which Require ZERO Prep
My daughter entertaining herself with pine cones
23. Leave Electronic Devices at Home
If you bring devices, your kids will want to use them. They might even beg to use them. But, if you don’t bring the electronics (or, even better, choose a campsite without electricity!), your kids quickly forget about them and start entertaining themselves.
If you really have to bring electronics, try to make it a special experience. For example, you can have movie night with a portable projector. Or look over the day’s photos before lighting the campfire at night.
24. Have a Bad Weather Plan
There is no such thing as bad weather; only bad clothing. If you and your kids have the right clothes, you can still enjoy the outdoors even if it is cold, raining or very hot.
That said, it’s still good to have a plan for bad weather days.
For example, you can make a list of nearby museums or indoor attractions. Or bring camping games to play in the tent.
Also read: What to Do If It Rains When Camping and How to Deal with Extreme Heat when Camping.
25. Have Kids Do Camp Chores
“Chores” like setting up the tent, gathering firewood and filtering water can all be tons of fun for kids. So don’t be shy about getting your kids involved in the camp chores.
26. Follow Leave No Trace
There are 7 principles of Leave No Trace, all of which involve respecting nature and others around you. However, it can be somewhat difficult to follow these principles when in nature with children.
For example, kids might want to pick flowers. Or feed animals. They might make a lot of noise which bothers other campers.
It’s not impossible though. Read this guide to Following Leave No Trace when Outdoors with Kids
Guess what? I wrote a book on DIY dehydrator meals for camping and backpacking!
1 Comment
rosemary huebner
January 31, 2021 at 7:20 pmVery practical info for family camping. I loved making peeled apples dipped in cinnamon sugar on a stick over the fire. Also, mixed salad ahead of time in a bag was quite useful for one of the first meals.