The key to a successful family camping trip is to prepare adequately for different weather conditions, such as rain and cold. Serve healthy foods to avoid stomach aches and be sure to have some comforts of home for bedtime.
Plan for Unexpected Weather and Insects
When you are camping with children, it’s always a wise idea to over pack. You never know when it’s going to rain for two days straight or when it’s going to be unseasonably cold.
- Pack extra clothes in case it rains and everything you planned on wearing gets soaking wet.
- Don't forget warm hats. It can get cold at night, especially if you are camping at a higher elevation.
- Likewise, warm clothes are needed for night time. Clothes that fully cover the arms and legs also offer mosquito protection.
- Baseball hats can keep bugs from attacking. In some regions, black flies join mosquitoes to pester campers. Hats will help keep them from landing anywhere on the head.
Eat Healthy Foods, but Don’t Forget the Smores
Typical camping food is usually lacking in nutritional value and has too much fat and additives. This kind of diet can leave children’s tummies feeling unsettled. To avoid any camping trip illnesses, pack healthy foods for breakfast and lunch and save the campfire food for dinner and bedtime snacks.
Quick, easy to prepare foods will make meal time at the campsite less complicated and minimize clean-up time. Here are some quick breakfast and lunch ideas to use while camping.
- Bagels don’t have to be toasted. Serve with cream cheese, fruit and milk or juice.
- Yogurt can be stored in a cooler and is a quick breakfast or snack for hungry children.
- Cereal can be served with milk or eaten dry. Dry cereal makes an easy take-along snack for hiking or boating.
- Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are quick and easy to prepare for an on-the-go lunch. They can be packed to take hiking or to the beach.
- Canned soup or boxed, additive-free macaroni and cheese, like Annie’s, involve a little more preparation and clean up, but they make a filling, campsite lunch.
Important Camping Supplies to Manage Children's Bedtime
The sounds and sights of camping can make some children uneasy at bedtime. Others are simply unsettled whenever they are away from home and their familiar routine. There are a few things that make bedtime while camping with children easier.
- Pack a toy Fischer Price lantern or flashlight for children to use inside a tent or pop-up camper. These lanterns are battery operated, don’t get hot and give off a surprising amount of light. The lights have an automatic shut-off, so there is no worry of batteries running out.
- When camping with children, a few games and toys are essential. Children will be busy outdoors most of the time, but bedtime can bring a need for the comforts of home. A special toy or two and a game to play with the parents can help a child feel comfortable at night.
Camping with children is a fun, inexpensive family vacation. Pack extra clothing for variations in weather and to thwart insects. Serve healthy foods that require minimal preparation and clean-up and be sure to remember a few important camping supplies that will make bedtime easier.
