Before kids, my husband and I loved to camp, and both of us have embarked on short-term (a week or less) backpacking trips. We aren’t the most hardcore campers by any stretch of the imagination, but we do both love waking up outside and cooking meals over a fire. I’ve camped multiple times while pregnant, and we’ve taken our son camping every year since he was born. There are so many beautiful places to camp in New England (most less than two hours from Boston) that it seems silly to wait until our children are older to get back out there. Here are a few tips we’ve gleaned from our family camping excursions.
Appetizers for every meal
There is nothing like being outside and playing all day in the woods to make you HUNGRY. Pair that with the excitement of new experiences that often make children forget to eat, and when meal times roll around you can have a HANGRY family on your hands. Unfortunately, while camp food tastes amazing and cooking over a fire satisfies a primal need in us, it can also take awhile. We combat this by packing easy appetizers for every meal (not just dinner). A bunch of bananas eaten first thing in the morning while collecting kindling for the fire or some carrots with hummus while waiting for hot dogs to roast goes a long way to ensure mealtime happiness. And always pack more snacks than you think you need. Now’s the time to make a huge batch of granola, pick up some dried apples, and mix up some gorp.
Stay put
Regular vacations are fun for going and doing, but the appeal of camping is slowing down and staying put. Book a campsite with access to a lake, beach, or playground (ReserveAmerica.com is great for this), and settle in for the long weekend. Pinterest is full of cute ideas for camping games like bingo in the woods, but we prefer to just wander around our site, take hikes on adjoining trails, and find new bugs, plants, and views to take in.
Relax on sleep
I’ll say it: It’s hard to get a kid to nap while camping. Tents are hot during the day, and excitement abounds. If your kids are small enough, have them nap in a carrier while you wear them during a hike, or snuggle together in a backpacking hammock for a quick snooze. For older kids who can squeeze by on skipping a nap here or there, let them. They will (hopefully) go to bed all the earlier, leaving some quality time for the adults to sit and chat around the fire.
Everybody helps
Camping requires a lot of juggling logistics that just don’t come up at home. To spread the burden and occupy all little hands, we make sure everyone has a task. Even a very young toddler can gather pine straw for fires or carry around a child-sized lantern while walking through the woods with a parent. Full hands make it less likely your little one will try to explore the fire or wander off, and this teaches the basics of camping starting at a very young age.
Lower expectations
As with all things with kids, it’s helpful to slow down by at least 50% and reduce expectations to make sure no one is harried and stressed. So what if everyone eats hot dogs for dinner chased by s’mores two nights in a row? Who cares if early risers mean you catch the sunrise every morning of your trip? It’s OK if a one-mile hike takes two hours. This is the point of camping — just being out together in the woods as a family. The time will come when they are older and you can try out zip lining, long hikes, or mountain biking. The foundation of learning to love camping will last their lives.
