Tips For Camping With Toddlers
Maybe you camped before children, and now are at a stage where you are ready to get back out there? Or maybe you are wanting to try camping for the first time with your young family? And you are thinking - How do I camp with a toddler in tow?
We are a young family who camped and travelled before our little one graced us, and have had the pleasure to take him on family camping trips on overnight hikes, in a big canvas tent the size of a palace, and more recently a roof top tent. Here are our tried and tested top tips for camping with a toddler.
Getting there!
Whether you are planning a getaway close to home, or a little further afield, we always try to travel during sleep time. This ensures that our little one is snoozing and not complaining and wanting to get out during our travel time. To ensure that they are ready for a big sleep in the car, we always like to take our little one for a run in the park before we head off, burning the last of that energy. Sometimes we will offer our little one a post play snack and water sip in the car, and usually shortly after they have drifted off for a sleep.
When your little one wakes from their sleep and you haven’t yet made it to your destination, it’s time to entertain! We will spend the time looking at interesting things out the window, interesting animals you might see, or structures like windmills or bridges, and also looking for big trucks. I will always make sure that we have got a snack box for when he wakes up as well as some of his favourite toys ready to hand over for a little play.
If your drive is longer than their sleep time, we always like to plan ahead and have a few places in mind that would be good to stop at along the way. Our favourite places are parks with big grassy areas for a run around with a ball, or a game of running races or hide and seek, or a playground with a slippery slide and a swing. Toilets and picnic tables at these rest areas are a bonus too.
Once you have arrived!
When you have arrived at your campsite, it’s time to get out of the car and stretch those little legs! Involve your little one in where you think you should set up your tent/caravan/car, and try and give them some very special and important tasks - holding onto the tent pegs. If your set up takes a bit longer to get up and you need your little one busy with a different task, think of popping down a bucket of toys for them to play with.
Top tips for camping!
Keep a routine
Pack their favourite toys
Don’t forget the essentials
Nail the nighttime bag
Pick toddler suitable activities
Routine:
We think that the biggest thing when camping or travelling is that you should maintain some sort of routine, even if it’s just the bare skeleton of your normal at home routine. Our general camping routine (not a travel day routine) is as follows:
Wake up and have breakfast.
Morning activity like a hike or swim at the creek.
Post morning tea snack.
Independent play at campsite.
Lunch Time.
Books and then nap time.
Afternoon activity.
Post afternoon snack time.
Dinner preparation with independent play at campsite.
Dinner.
Post dinner walk around campsite.
Into tent for books and sleep time.
Pack their favourite toys!
We like to pack toys that are okay to be used outside, can be dirty, and are open ended and multi use.
Our little one loves diggers and trucks, so this is super easy to pack and plonk down at and campsite, park or creek side.
Other things that we like to pack are balls, planes, toy cars, his bike and buckets. Buckets are a great multi use toy and can promote curiosity and independent play with posing tasks like “can you find some red leaves? Can you pick some pretty or interesting rocks and put them in the bucket?
Don’t forget the essentials!
Depending on where you are travelling to, and how remote it is that you will be, will dictate availability to purchasing those essential items if you were to forget them. If you have got food, and shelter sorted, then here is a list of toddler essentials that I’d be ensuring to pack:
Nappies for the duration of the trip
Wet wipes
Nappy Cream
Spare Clothes
Wet bags and plastic bags
Sleep suit
Medications and Panadol
Picking clothes to take can always be a bit tricky, and for some trips we have always packed excess so that there are spares. We haven’t always needed them, but there have been times when we haven’t taken spare clothes and we have needed them, so it doesn’t hurt to be over prepared. Looking at the weather ahead of time and having an idea of the predicted temperatures, especially over night, will help dictate the type of wardrobe you pack. We have always favoured packing for layering if we are unsure on how cold it will be, with thermals and singlets that are easy to slip on underneath a long-sleeved t shirt, or a jumper. For nighttime we have always dressed our little on in their sleep suit and pjs like we would at home, and both are appropriate for predicted nighttime temperatures.
Nail the nighttime bag!
For us, we have found that when we are camping having a night time bag ready to go has been incredibly useful. In our nighttime bag we have our essentials for our little one that aid us in the transition from our last nighttime play, to bedtime routine that mimics that of our usual at home routine.
In our nighttime bag we are equipped with pjs, sleep suits, wet wipes, spare nappies and water bottles. It is also a great idea to have a new set of clothes for the morning, so that before you leave the tent, you can change your little one into their new clothes for the day, keeping those pjs clean for use for another night.
Picking activities that are suitable for the whole family!
Toddlerhood is filled with many fun challenges, our little humans are becoming more independent and want to be involved in any and all of the fun activities that we are taking on. Depending on what your family is interested in, it’s always good to think ahead of ways that you can include your little one, or to pick activities that they can be involved in as well.
We like to pick hikes that we know our little one can get down on the ground and have a run themselves, and it also burns some of that seemingness endless energy as well as developing a natural curiosity in the things you are interested in as well. Sometimes we enjoy going fishing, and our little one constantly wants to have a turn, so we have a little fishing rod for him to have his turn so that he is involved as well. These small adjustments mean that the whole family is able to have a go, get out there, and enjoy time together.
What every activity that you choose to do, make it fun! There’s plenty of games that you can play with your toddler that will help keep them engaged and everyone having a fun time. Some of the games we have been playing when out and about recently are running races, and hide and seek. These games keep him moving along the track, and keep him engaged in what we are doing, especially if it turns out to be a longer than anticipated hike.