A Mom’s Top Tips for Camping with Toddlers

Camping with kids between the ages of 2 and 5 is an art.

The kind of art that splatters everywhere, involves a lot of emotions, and needs practice to develop skill. It’s also the kind of art that can produce both joy and wonder when the magic happens.

Okay, I admit—it’s also scary. Every time my husband and I plan a camping trip with our two boys (a 14-month-old and a 3-year-old), I have a mini-panic attack. Will they sleep? Do we have everything we need? What time should we leave the house to avoid traffic? These are all things that parent campers get to stress about—things the kid-free never really consider.

But here’s the thing: Toddler camping is SO worth it. Snuggling in your sleeping bags, telling stories by the campfire, checking out bugs, seeing a river, an ocean, or a lake for the first time through the eyes of a toddler. The first time your kid says, “WOW! Look at all the stars!” and you know the immensity of the universe is dawning on them—you will never again regret one minute of planning and preparing. This is why you made the trip.

I can’t give you a recipe for success, but I can help you lay the foundation for an awesome camping experience. In my opinion, these are five must-dos to enjoy a family camping trip with young kids.

1. Camp close to home to arrive before dark.

I don’t care how gorgeous Yosemite National Park is—or any bucket-list camping destination is, for that matter. If you can’t get there within three hours, I’m telling you it likely isn’t the right spot for your first camping trip with the family. Arriving at camp in the dark with exhausted and cranky kiddos after a long road trip may just be the worst way to start a vacation. Kids are notoriously bad at transitions, so asking them to adjust to a new environment under those conditions is just too much. If you’re heading out on a Friday evening with a long drive ahead of you, consider booking a motel halfway through the drive and arriving at your camping destination early Saturday morning. Alternatively, hit the road early on Friday or Saturday morning, and plan for a break for lunch and play.

2. Check the weather in advance, and consider a Weather Guarantee to play it safe.

This is not the time for anyone to be tough or hardcore. Sure, maybe you and your spouse climbed Kilimanjaro in a blizzard in 1989, but guess what? Preschool homies don’t play that. Little kids are the biggest wimps in the world about weather. The only character you will be building by taking your little guy out in bad weather is your own, because you will be the one trying to survive while your whole family whines, cries, fights sleep, and then refuses to ever camp again with you. A heavy rainstorm, snow, or high winds? Skip it. A cool forecast of 60°F, or a 20% chance of rain? Still worth the trip so long as you’re prepared with the right gear.

Worried about the forecast changing on you? Add a Hipcamp Weather Guarantee to your booking. With this, you’ll get automatically reimbursed up to 100% of your trip cost if rain is in the forecast during your stay. Even if you do decide to brave the elements, you’ll still get reimbursed. Win-win.

3. Invite another family.

Misery loves company. (Wait, did I say that out loud?) Here’s the thing: If you go camping with another family, the tough times are easier, the funny times are funnier, and everyone in the family has a peer to empathize with. You’ll get support—and extra points if your friends have done a lot of family camping and are skilled in cooking camp meals, making a campfire, preparing a tent camping setup, etc. Even if not, you’re in this together and you’ll learn a whole bunch!

4. Pack strategically.

Start with snacks—lots and lots of snacks. Aside from those, it’ll be no surprise to anyone who has been a parent for more than five minutes that kids require quite a bit of gear. Camping gear is no different. Essentials for camping with toddlers may include:

• A Pack ‘n Play or other playpen, if not for nap time, at least for a spot to park your young children safely and temporarily.
• Pint-sized camping chairs are cute, and they’ll keep your toddler from stealing your seat.
• A toddler carrier or hiking backpack may be a better option than a stroller when little legs get tired.
• A portable white noise machine can help keep some semblance of your bedtime routine.
• Cozy bedding and PJs can make all the difference in the middle of the night. You’ll want an air mattress or sleeping pad, a child-sized sleeping bag, and maybe a favorite stuffed animal.
• Potty gear is important depending on your kids’ ages. Diapers, a toddler potty, whatever your kids are used to.
• Marshmallows and other s’mores supplies for the fire pit—enough said.

And of course, don’t forget your usual camping supply staples—think a first aid kit with bandaids, sunscreen, bug spray.

5. Let go of all schedules and rules (except safety).

This is important. Listen to Elsa and Let. It. Go. If you can’t do this part, you will have a bad time. Naps might not happen (or you might just have to put your kid in a car seat and go for a little spin if you really want/need it to happen). Bedtime is pushed waaaaay back (like to whenever it gets dark). Nutrition is a very long word with lots of syllables signifying nothing. Just feed your kids pounds of junk food so they love being outside. And, in general, allow them to behave like the savages they are.

Did I mention they will get dirty? Wait, dirty is not a strong enough word. Absolutely Filthy. Dress them in rags and bring plenty of them because you will have to change those rags every so often to make sure there is still a kid under there.

6. Stay at least two nights.

Hear me out. It is very possible that you will wake up after night one and want nothing more than to pack up the car and leave immediately. If you were up all night, a downpour has started, and your kid barfed all over the tent, okay, feel free, no judgment whatsoever. But if you made it through the night relatively unscathed, do everything you can to stick it out! You can hunt me down and find me if it turns out that I am wrong, but I am willing to take that risk to tell you: the second night is ALWAYS better. Everybody acclimates to the new surroundings, time starts to flow by like the stream next to your site; and the relaxing and not-caring about the “real” world sinks-in. Trust me.

The rest is pretty much up to luck. But hey! I believe that’s what the folks at Hipcamp call ADVENTURE! Go have one with your toddlers. We’ll see you out there.