Camping with Children

Taking children camping is a great way to spend family time and introduce your children to nature. However, keeping your children safe and comfortable is crucial to making your stay enjoyable.

Remember the small things! Make sure children have on bug spray and sunscreen. Although evening is the worst time for bugs, the woods are generally cooler during the day and keep the threat of bugs consistently throughout the afternoon. Make sure you bring anti-itch cream and a basic first aid kit.

It may be easy for you to find your way back to camp, but a large area or many different campsites close together may be confusing for a little one. Make sure your site is well lit and easily identifiable. It may be beneficial to have children assist you in making a "fort sign" or other banner that will distinguish your campsite from the surrounding area.

At night, make sure you can tell if your child leaves the area. An ideal camping situation would be a large family tent, but if this is not an option it is easy to make the openings of two tents face each other for easy access. Even if your child is used to sleeping alone, the noises and unfamiliarity can be scary. Easy access to each other is very important. Make sure your child knows not to wander alone. It may be helpful to have a list of rules posted somewhere as a reminder.

Camping is a great way to bring families closer together and instill adventure into a child. With careful planning, many dangers can easily be avoided.