Outdoor Kids: Tips for camping with your little ones

Caleb (with Abby) and his morning coffee on a camping trip at Horseshoe Canyon Ranch in Arkansas.

This is the final post in a three-part series on getting outdoors with babies and toddlers. We’ve already talked about expectations and planning. Today, I will share tips specific to camping. Let’s get right to it!

Me, showing how spacious the Kingdom 8 Tent is.

Get a bigger tent. I know, your two-man MSR Hubba Hubba has seen you through many adventures and you hate to “retire” it. But trust me… Sleeping face-to-face with your toddler while she does baby acrobatics is going to drive you bonkers. At my urging, we broke down and bought a Kingdom 8 from REI. It has changed our camping lives! The two rooms are perfect for separating you from the kiddos. Now everyone gets a better night sleep.

Bring the potty with you. One major problem with heading outdoors with toddlers is their incessant need to go to the bathroom. Problem solved, thanks to the Potette Plus travel potty. This potty seat not only folds into a squatty-potty for the ground, but can also fold out for use on regular toilets. Just bring a few of those doggie poo bags and you are all set! Our toddler uses this outdoors all the time… At the climbing wall, on the trail, or whenever nature calls.

Bring a nap tent. Yes, you heard me right. We have two of these amazing Pea Pod nap tents and they are by far one of our top outdoor essentials. We use them everywhere in leu of a traditional pack-n-play. They pop-up instantly, weigh next to nothing, provide a shaded place to sleep and fold up easily when you are done. Both our toddler and our newborn can nap anywhere in these. We bring them out to festivals, on climbing excursions and camping trips. We set them up inside our tent for overnight sleeping too.

Pick the most remote campingsite, preferably with shade. This will spare you a lot of grief when trying to get your little one to sleep at their usual bedtime. Noise from other campsites and cars can be very distracting for kids. Try bringing a portable sound machine to help lull them to sleep. We love this one by myBaby. We have two that we use in the kid sleeping “room” of our tent. Works wonders! Best part: They run on AAA batteries and last for several weeks of all night use.

Expect more night waking. In our experience, our children wake up a bit more during the night while camping. Who can blame them? I usually don’t sleep that great either. I recommend doing whatever you normally do at home. Do you nurse them back to sleep? Do you let them fuss a little? Just do what you normally do and they will usually settle back down. Here’s my tip: bring coffee! You will probably wake up tired and bitter – Nothing a cup of joe won’t solve! There are plenty of awesome french press style coffee makers made specifically for camping. Crisis averted!

Bring some beers. There is something wonderful about relaxing around the campfire with a cold one, right? Well, after a day of family fun, you are really going to need one! Seriously, relaxing by the fire after the kids go to sleep is a great treat and something we always look forward to. Bonus points if you share some with your neighbors who didn’t even complain when your baby cried for 20 minutes straight last night.

I hope this series encourages you to enjoy the outdoors with your family. I’d love to hear any tips you have learned along your journey. And of course, funny stories are always welcome!

Read Part 1: Outdoor Kids: Expectations for camping, hiking, and climbing trips
Read Part 2: Outdoor Kids: Tips for planning your outdoor adventure