Blueberries for Sal

June 6, 2007 10:26 AM

Tips for camping with toddlers?

We're taking our two-year-old boy camping in a few weeks.

We've never been camping with a child before so we're not sure what kind of things we will wish we had brought along once we're there.

We'll be picking a spot in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, somewhere near the road, where we can drive up to the camp site, build a fire, set up the tent, and not worry too much about being remote. We'll pick a site where there are restrooms nearby, and hopefully there won't be too many sketchy or rowdy campers in proximity

For the parents among you, what tips do you have for camping with a toddler? What mistakes have you made that you won't make again? What essentials do we need to pack besides the diapers, the first aid kit, and the usual camping gear?

Bonus points if you can recommend the very best White Mountain campground, especially if we can pick and eat blueberries there.

posted by mds35 to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (17 answers total)

We went camping with our kids when they were small. What can I recall... You always have to keep one eye on the kid(s). Our son got a mild burn on his hand when he went to pick up a cookpot that had been sitting near the fire. No huge injury, but that ended the trip. Bring a few extra changes of clothes. THen pack one more change. Bring an extra garbage bag to put dirty diapers in, as you'll want to keep them in the trunk of your car or somewhere where animals won't smell them. Same as any garbage or food really, but more smelly, so an extra bag helps. Bring something to play with. A new toy can help get over any anxiety of being somewhere new if you kid gets anxious. Use a huge tent. if it rains, a small tent stinks. Plus kids roll around a lot when they sleep. Bring snacks, healthy stuff, like nuts or trail mix or that starchy japanese snack mix. Bring a ball. Bring a shovel because the kids are going to play in the dirt anyway. Bring a first aid kit and include stuff for bug bites and bee stings. Get some citronella-based bug repellant if you don't want DEET-based repellants on your kid. It's better than nothing. A couple of big citronella candles (the kind in tin pails) helps with bugs too and they're pretty safe - hard to tip over, etc. Make sure the firepit can keep the kids far enough from the fire. But let then help build the fire beorfe it's lit - that's fun. Bring marshmallows. Bring a sharp knife to sharpen marshmallow sticks. Supervise marshmallow roasting carefully - those things are hot! Bring a magnifying glass if you want to get into nature-exploring activities. Bring a coloring book or something for them to do while you cook.

Take a lot of pictures. You won't take very many trips with your kids as toddlers, as they grow like weeds.

My only real advice is to keep busy, as kids aren't into relaxing while camping like us old folks are.
posted by GuyZero at 10:52 AM on June 6, 2007

Take a couple of lawn chairs for sitting by the fire. My son loved the campfire and storytelling. Obviously, watch him closely; new territory offers lots of opportunities for trouble. My son loved peeing outdoors. Nature offers plenty of entertainment, so I recommend against any electronic toys.
posted by theora55 at 10:56 AM on June 6, 2007

drive-up campsites are so packed down it's hard to drive stakes into the ground. If you haven't got them, go buy the really hard metal ones that don't bend when you hammer them in. WalMart has them, I'm sure most sporting goods stores do also.

Ok, that's not really a kid tip. Here's one: bring glowsticks that you can break out right before bedtime. Include a coffee can in your food packing so you have something to put captured worms and bugs in. Also, kids love those headlamp flashlights. try ledshoppe.com for cheap ones.
posted by stupidsexyFlanders at 11:32 AM on June 6, 2007

Headlamps! How could I forget! Definitely get 'em headlamps.

My ownly tip: if the child is wearing a headlamp and you talk to them, immediately look away. They will look up at you when talking and will unintentionally blind you.
posted by GuyZero at 11:43 AM on June 6, 2007

Learn how to identify poison ivy and poison oak. You should probably encourage them to stay out of undergrowth until they're old enough to look for the telltale leaves. If the toddler gets a rash, I can definitely vouch for Zanfel (at Walgreens, etc). We battled a mess of poison oak at our property in 2005 and it's by and away the closest thing to a cure.

Also I know that deer ticks / Lyme disease might be a concern in the Northeast, and since it can become a chronic disease it's definitely not something you want your kid to get. I don't want to sound like an alarmist, though, so maybe others can run with this if its a concern. I think the minimal thing to do would be check for ticks twice a day and pick them off.
posted by rolypolyman at 11:47 AM on June 6, 2007

Do be sure to pack a good high-SPF sunscreen. Sunburned kids are not happy kids.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 11:53 AM on June 6, 2007

Peapod Travel Bed - our son is a prewalker, so we had a playpen for him, but he's going to be too big for that soon. We're totally buying a Peapod shortly to last us the rest of the summer. Keeps baby contained when needed (we slept with our son in our bed on our trip, but in about another month I suspect we'll all be too warm if we try to do that) and also keeps the bugs away.

Dealing with bugs were, by far, our biggest issue. Both Ex Officio and REI sell Buzz Off apparel for kids which works really well and is made of some kind of Chrysanthemum extract, so its not like putting Deet on your child. Both my partner and I use Buzz Off apparel ourselves, and it works (even in the buggy Maine woods) like I never would have believed a product could work.
posted by anastasiav at 12:16 PM on June 6, 2007

One thing we found very useful was to bring along one of those little blow-up swimming pools & a few toys. Babies and toddler like to sit in them and play (without water), and seem to naturally respect it's boundaries - which gives mom and dad a chance to relax without worrying too much about wandering kids.

One of our kids used to be a wanderer... would take off every chance he got. Some moments during camping can be very busy (such as cooking or tent set up) and after a scare during one trip (3yo wandered out of sight), we brought a... (dare I say it!?)... long dog leash on the next trip. Simply clipped it to his belt loop and tied the other end to something sturdy.

Kids & parents should also have a whistle. You can find them at Walmart in the sporting section.
posted by LadyBonita at 12:23 PM on June 6, 2007

Keep the zippers at the top of the tent doors overnight. We woke up one morning and out then 20-month old has decided to leave the tent early in the morning. Luckily we were camping with a group and others were up before us.
posted by pmbuko at 12:59 PM on June 6, 2007

out = our
posted by pmbuko at 1:00 PM on June 6, 2007

Be prepared to go to sleep with your toddler, or at least to pretend to. Bedtime can be difficult in a strange place - bring a favorite book or three and read it by flashlight. My kids liked those flashlight lanterns - the ones that convert when you slide them up; kind of like this one except we had the far cheaper non LED version and we just left it on in the tent all night, more or less. You can sit in the tent and read and then you might as well give up and lay down with your child until they go to sleep. If you're miraculously lucky you may be able to go out afterwards for a quiet drink with the adults. Which reminds me. Bring wine.
posted by mygothlaundry at 1:44 PM on June 6, 2007

I've done it many times. It's fun but exhausting (as is pretty much everything else I do with my kids, come to think of it). Food my son likes while camping: instant oatmeal (bring a kettle), soymilk or juice boxes, hotdogs, s'mores, corn on the cob.

Sleeping in a tent with your child is just about the coziest thing in the world.
posted by The corpse in the library at 1:58 PM on June 6, 2007

We have done this many times with our kids, in the White Mountains!

Check out Sugarloaf campground. Sugarloaf now has actual toilets instead of outhouses, but not sinks or showers , there are slow (and fast) rivers nearby to swim in. Its a nice site for people looking to avoid rowdy teenagers... the extra distance seems to discourage them. It is a longer drive, on the north side of the mountains near Mt. Washington. (your 2 year old might love the old train that runs up Mt. Washington - even if you just watch it - riding it is expensive -$50 per person?)

Also, a real kid carrier backpack helps alot - not a cheap city carrier but a real hiking carrier - its worth it. Also sturdy water sandals ...
posted by RMD at 3:42 PM on June 6, 2007

One trick with kids juice boxes, is to freeze some of them SOLID before you leave home ... they stay semi-slushy cold for days in the cooler, and work as drinkable ice packs... though in nonrecyclable evil packaging of course...
posted by RMD at 5:49 PM on June 6, 2007

I take all my kids, and friends with kids.
The only hassle we ever had was with a six month old who was determined not to sleep, so make sure you have whatever is part of your kids sleep routine available.
Get a really bright torch. One of the million candle power spotlights that recharges from the cigarette lighter is ideal. You can use it for spotlighting wildlife, and finding missing kids in the dark woods ;-)
Get your kids their own torch they can turn on/off themselves. Expect to have to replace the batteries daily ;-)
Bring a ball to kick around and any other small outdoor toys you think suitable.
I second the sunscreen recommendation.
Take some photos of you kid doing camping stuff. My bigger kids are pretty at home camping because they have been doing it since before they can remember, and have pictures of themselves climbing trees etc.
I suggest feeding the kids the same food as the adults, so maybe no chilli or curries on the menu if your little one doesn't like the spices.
The glow sticks idea is one we do, although 2yro might be a bit small. We usually take a box of 100 and send one of the teenagers around the campsite with the littler kids in tow giving sticks to any other kids around.
I notice some people suggested some sort of play-pen to contain the kids, if we need to slow them down we just zip them into the tent where they can wrestle around on sleeping bags etc.
Everyone get hungry camping, so bring snacks like nuts, potato chips etc. Shake & mix pancakes are a great breakfast too.
Take some first aid for burns - and anti-septic gel, non-stick dressing and bandage.

Accept your kid will get really dirty, but make sure hands and faces are washed before eating, you don't want to catch a bug.
Have a great time, I'm jealous.
posted by bystander at 7:08 PM on June 6, 2007

You've gotten a lot of suggestions for things that are good for kids. Here are some things I wish everyone else's kids knew about the woods/camping and the expectations of other people in this arena. (Sometimes even adults don't know these things.)

Screaming equals impending death/dismemberment or lots of blood. If I hear a child screaming I run to the source of it and assess the situation. I expect bloody stumps and am chagrined when the parents reply, "Oh, they're just being cute." Especially after I keep showing up at the same screamy campsite, breathless. If one of us screamed without reason we were reprimanded and threatened with going home. If it happened again, we packed up the car and our family ate the camping fee for the weeking.

Flashlights are not for waving. Flashlights must absolutely not ever be turned on and pointed at other tents in the dark. I am an early to bed person and it's very upsetting to be trying to sleep and discover a toddler lighting up my tent and peering in. And those flashes of light from three sites over are only slightly less awful. I have to tell my 20 something friends to only point the flashlight at the ground. Even at 20 some can't focus on this. Please do not give a two year old a flashlight. It tends to make parents feel like it's ok to let kids wander away if they have a light. It's generally unsafe enough. Likewise, always go to the bathrooms with the kids. (I know your 2 year old isn't hitting the potty alone yet, but with any luck someone with a ten year old will read this.)

Feeding wild animals is absolutely verboten and not in any way cute. It endangers other campers, as well as the animals (some folks get a kick out of poisoning trusting animals). My favorite campground has a very bad raccoon problem, they expect to be fed now, and are quite bold about it.

Ditto littering. I can't stand watching kids toss peanut shells and candy wrappers in their wake. Many adults say "Food is bio-degradable, lighten up!" but litter attracts litter, and food litter attracts animals.

Throwing toys into other people's campsites is very not polite. Especially if it's a prized toy that lands in my fire and I am thus subjected to the fallout from that loss.

Despite all of these complaints, I do very much appreciate that people take children into the woods and teach them, uh, nature. I want kids and look forward to bringing my own into the wild, and I know that some of these things can't be avoided all the time, but here they are.
posted by bilabial at 6:25 PM on June 7, 2007 [1 favorite]

Especially if it's a prized toy that lands in my fire and I am thus subjected to the fallout from that loss.

This happens often?
posted by RMD at 12:52 PM on June 8, 2007