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Hi, as a novice campers, the OH and I took the kids (1 1/2 & 3 1/2) away for a weekend trial camping before we go away for a week later in summer.  Unfortunately, as the kids are quite 'enthusiastic' it was a more stressful & tiring trip than we had hoped.  With some adjustments to the equipment we take and the way we plan things, this should improve enormously.  Before we go down the trial and error route, if anyone has any specific tips/suggestions on getting the best out of camping with kids, it would be very well received (apologies if this has been covered, I could not get the search function working)

Thanks.    

Hi,

My little girl was 2 1/2 when i started camping (4 1/2 now). Being a single mum it wasn't easy getting the tent and everything sorted on my own whilst trying to entertain her. For all the good advise of getting them helping passing pegs etc, i really wished she could have turned up an hour later when it was all done. You will find your own way of coping but here are a few tips that worked for me.

She has a small plastic staorage box that she fills with what she wants to take (about a foot square). When we get there i get the picnic rug out and she sits there playing while i pitch the tent.If its raining i try to clear the back seat for her.

Once the tent is up and she has helped with the pegs if she feels like it! I get out the larder cupboard i have and she happily plays tea sets putting all the pots and food away in there.

Then its just us time for the rest of the time till its time to pack up. This is i find the most stressfull time!!! I have come up with the idea for this year of putting a dvd on in the car, not tried it yet but hopefully it will keep her out of the way but happy.

Try and look for sites where you are pitched around a field. Playing on the rug is usually an open invitation for other children to come and join her. She's happy making friends and we can all see the children all the time no matter who's tent they are playing at. It gives them a sense of freedom whilst still being watched. We go all over now and she never wonders far without popping back or she knows to 'sing' if she is out of site (round the back of tents looking for bugs). So i always know where she is.

Hope this helps but as i said you will find your own way eventually and believe me when you do, sitting there outside your tent watching them have the confidence to go and make friends it will be well worth it!!!

Forget about routine, espeically bedtime routine - no kid is going to want to go to bed at 7, when every other kid on site is out playing.   
Doesn't matter if they don't get washed before they go to bed - just do the teeth, adn get washed in the morning.
The kids will tire themselves out and you can then get some time when they fall asleep. 
The more used to camping they become, the easier it gets.  

Get them involved in things like the setting up - even if it only to pass you pegs.
I have ground rules - the main tent gets set up, as does the sleeping stuff - THEN and ONLY THEN can we have fun.    By getting them involves it gives them the feeling of doing something important, and being part of the whole camping experience.   OK now mine are a bit older I will let them go off and play if the play area is near enough, then OH and I can get the tent set up.  If it is just me and the kids, then they have to help.

Once the tent is set up and we have somewhere to sleep, then we can take a break, and go to the shops/walk around the site etc.    When we get back I will do things like tidy the tent so that we can move/set up the loo/cooker/water etc.

I find that by either taking a flask of hot water, or keeping a suitcase cooker handy, along with tea bags and milk, I can have a welcome brew, and five minutes breather while setting up.   Juice and crisps for the kids.

I was talking this weekend with a woman who was the mother of an 8 month old baby who she had left at home with Grandma for her first real try at camping with OH. I've camped for years now with children ranging in age from 3 months to 16!! And with never less than 3 of them!!

The best advice I can give is to consider any camping trip a 'break' but not a 'holiday'!!

I love it and wouldn't change things but with children it is hard work. Being organised is the key - and having plenty of 'plan B and C's' is a good idea. Some good tips already given - and the portable DVD player has worked a treat with my youngest - now 5 - over the last few years especially when I've taken her on her own.

Invest in good equipment, make lists and make lists again. Good luck and enjoy!

Our kids love to go on a bear hunt as soon as darkness falls....the scarier the better! any sign of naughtiness and the hunt gets cancelled......Great bribe!

On arrival we usually conjure up a new comic/colouring book and a tub of Pringles,gives us just enough time to pitch......

To be honest if they've got the Devil in 'em sometimes its best to ignore,relax,beer and eat the Pringles they have just thrown at you!

Good Luck....

We take plenty to do, for both indoors and outdoors.    Cheap colouring books etc are great as they can be used anywhere and at anytime.
Balls etc for outdoor games.

Although rarely used, I have found there have been times when my portable DVD player has been a real lifesaver.   Disney video, which we can all watch together, or Pip and Alice can watch, while I do some jobs, or read.    Great for killing a couple of hours when the weather is bad.
Look for child friendly things to do in the area before picking your site.  That historic stately home with beautiful gardens will not appeal to a toddler as much as it does to you.   Trip to a farm is far more exciting.

Something like a playarea on site is a good indication as to whether there will be other families on site.    Means that your kids have other kids to play with, and that you are not the only ones on site that are not drawing your pension.
You can more or less guarantee that other families will know exactly how you feel when your little one decides to throw a wobbler or you ball you older kid out so that the whole campsite can hear - cause odds are they have been there., I know I have.    Or if not are in for a treat when they are.

Lots of stuff you have to play by ear, and treat things as a learning curve.    
There was a time when the last thing I would have done was use the campsite laundrette, after all I do enough washing at home.   Two years ago, having had a load of sicky bedding to deal with, I discovered that launderettes on site were a wonderful way of recycling clothes so that you needed to take fewer things with you.

Our kids love to go on a bear hunt as soon as darkness falls....the scarier the better! any sign of naughtiness and the hunt gets cancelled......Great bribe!

Love this idea and have heard it mentioned before. Any tips for a good bear hunt - might try it with my two next time!

sandraj

Hi Sandraj,

You just have to bear hunt!

 Early evening tell the kids a bear was seen last night to get the imagination going.....we then snap a few glowlights when darkish,form a line and number the kids(has been 1-12 on occasions!) we stop at intervals and have them call out their number-this, if asked why is to make sure the bear hasnt had anyone....yet!

We torch/lantern them up and hit the woods/dunes/fields or whatever is best suited at the camp.

The fun is when a fellow adult has sneaked off and begins snapping a few twigs,grunting,even howling etc(quite amusing when not sober)

We sometimes give the kids a walkie talkie to report back to Mum,who is sat supping wine back at the tent!

The other thing is the kids chant the'going on a bear hunt song.....were not scared'

Make sure to use the shhh.....i heard something chestnut....always gets 'em!

Happy hunting.......

Quote: Originally posted by HardyLardy on 04/6/2008

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On arrival we usually conjure up a new comic/colouring book and a tub of Pringles,gives us just enough time to pitch......

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Dont forget to lock the car once you have removed the monkeys(kids) and began to pitch the tent......trust me they will unload everything in approx 3.25 mins in a way in which only monkeys(kids)can! .......Losing the security gate key to the campsite and the gazebo £10.00 tag in the process!

Oh,and if your kids suddenly become Entomologists over the w/e make sure the jam jar is tight......still finding woodlice in places they shouldnt be!

Oh....lastly.....if you hear the ice cream van tunes blaring away.....tell 'em it means the ice cream has run out......saved me a fortune over the years....