Hello! I haven't been getting on the site lately, but I really miss it and I'm going to try to frequent it more. Toddlerdom leaves me with little time to go on the internet... I can barely even pee during the day!
Anyway, I was wondering if anyone here has ever camped with their toddlers. We're planning a trip to Buffalo River, Arkansas in the summer and I was looking for some tips early to be prepared.
My family has been going here for a long time; Landon will be the fifth generation. I am still hesitant even though I know the park very well.
It will be about a ten hour car ride and we will most likely be tent camping. There is a river that we can use to swim, canoe, etc. And of course hiking trails. There is access to water and showers.
Any tips or experiances are appreciated.
Oh yeah, and if it helps Landon will be 25 months old when we go.
Make sure to bring lots of snacks and get Landon to rest in the middle of the day, especially if it is really hot. Also, hydration is really important for young kids camping. We've camped with Cae a few times and the secret is just to not over do it. Kids get worn out pretty quickly when they camp.
i agree with adcaela, my mom takes Ciara camping with them in the summer, lol her first camping trip was when she was about 2 weeks old and she loved it! so now they take her with them every chance they get... also if its a big enough park take some of the bigger toys that you have, like a big wheels tricycle, wagon, stuff like that... lots of snacks and water/juice for L too, Ciara's about the same age as L if i read right, she's 22 months right now and will be 24months june 2nd... also take some of those lil swimmers they're swimming trunks/diapers too and that will save you alot of trouble trying to keep a diaper on L whenever you go in the water... also i would see if i could get one of those lil backpack like things that has the child leash on it for the trails and stuff, that way L don't get too far ahead of you on them (if L's anything like my C then it will be a necessity as C is go go go unless she's asleep!) i hope this helps out and i hope that yall have fun i think me and C and my husband are gonna try to go camping with my momma this summer if at all possible....
proud mama as of june 2nd 2007
I have been taking Julian camping since he was 9 months old. He really does enjoy it. Do you use a sling? I used one when Julian was a toddler, and it really helped me keep track of him. We would bring his pack and play for him to sleep in. I agree with the back-pack leash. I was terrified with loosing him on the trails. LOL. And they do keep busy!!! The outdoors really brings out the best in kids!!! I love camping in the summer!! I cant wait to go this year!
Thanks to this thread I'm suddenly feeling the need to go camping this summer! :D
___________________________
"The words are being spoken now, are being written down; the taboos are being broken, the masks of motherhood are cracking through." ~Adrienne Rich, Of Woman Born
haha same here.
With Ian we took him for the first time when he was 18 months old. He had this little couch that turned out into a bed adn we brought that for him. We also got him a baby fishing pole. He used to love to sit there with my dh and his friends and try and cast it ad sit there like he was waiting! It was the cutest thing ever. We got pretty lucky, the place were we found to camp was a little squarish meadow and we just told him to stay with in the meadow. He would just run and run in circles around it. We have pictues of him and he is completely covered in soot from one night it was soooo cute! As for hiking, we didn't do that since my health doesn't allow for it (I would love to be able to hike!) but I think either a wrap or one of those backpack leashes sound like they would work reallly well.
I've been trying o talk dh to camping this summer forever! But he doesn't think Kiara will be old enough, even tho she'll be somewhere between 9-13 months. I dont think thats too young! my parents took my brother for the first time at 8 months. . .. . although he did nearly fall out of the back of the camper trailer. . . . man that explains alot. . . . haha jk! Have fun!
I took Cae camping for the first time when he was seven months. It was beach camping, which for me feels easier than foresty mountainy camping. It was fun, but the only problem was that it was really windy at night and dangerously hot in the day. We just made sure we had a good indoor place to hang out in the day.
I took T camping and it was a disaster. She didn't want to go hiking.
Even though she's potty trained, she started refusing to use the potty and ran away from me all the time. She whined to go home all the time. She was scared of the bugs. She refused to put bug spray on (and got a tick, which she hated getting off). She refused to go anywhere and just wanted to stay in the tent - even when I offered to take her to the lake swimming. We live a mile and a half away from a lake and go all the time and she loves it. But she wouldn't do it. She was miserable. She made me miserable. We left early. I'm so disappointed. I really planned this trip to try to make it fun with her - making sure we were near a beach and bringing all her beach stuff, brining balls and glow sticks and bubbles and stuff for her to play with. And she just wanted no part of it. Ugh. If I were to try again, anyone have any tips on making it more fun for her?
Oh no that sucks! Maybe you could try hyping it up lots beforehand? And setting the tent up somewhere for her to play camping in, or like making a pretend tent at home? Get her a special camping toy, like a magnifying glass or something?
i agree with the special camping toy... maybe a magnifying glass, and a book all bout bugs, that way you can turn it into a "learning adventure"... Ciara loves to look at books, also whenever she goes camping i try to pack her favorite blankey and her sleepy time stuffed animal, which she never lets me forget cuz it goes everywhere with her... as for the hiking, if you do beach hiking then try to make it into a race or some other fun activity she likes to do... i think the potty thing has to do with it being a somewhat new place... if that's not the case then try taking a toddler potty with you (preferably one that she used to potty train with) and see if that helps... and the bug spray is something that i have a problem with C too, but i've found that if i make a game out of it then she's less likely to refuse it... and the blankey and stuffed animal would possibly help with T constantly wanting to go home, i know with C that just so long as she has something familiar from home with her she's fine... i hope this helps and if you need anything else just let us know and i'm sure we'll be able to come up with something!!!
we took ian when he was 18 months. he absolutely loved it!!! We had this little kid couch that pulled out and turned into a little bed. i think it was pretty cheap, like 15 bucks or something. and we bought him a little fishing pole. he had a blast! he was filthy dirty and stayed up super late but had sooo much fun. one thing ive learned with my kids though is that if you bring something they sleep with from home, that smells like home, they do much better. my kids at least. either their comforter from their bed or kiara uses her playpen a lot and we use that for her, plus she has lubby the lovey that is a sea horse that sings lullabys and dolly the doll that she HAS to sleep with. i think we're going to try to go camping in the next couple of weeks and we'll see how it goes. i have my fingers crossed!
we've done a lot of camping with soph over the past few years- she's almost 5. she really loves to camp, luckily. we set up her own twin inflatable mattress and she loves it. we bring way too much of her stuff, but we do car camping, so it's not like i have to hike several miles out with tons of crap.
about hiking, sometimes we hit really difficult patches with her. we hike a lot outside of camping because we live 5 minutes from several land preserves. one thing i have tried, which often0 but not always- helps, is to get her super engaged in the scenery. i ask her tons of questions "do you hear that Bird? where do you think it lives? what do birds like that eat?" or we talk about the flora, or the rocks we are stepping over. she has to be kept entertained this way, but has a really good time once she's into it. we got her her own water bottle with a character she loves. we take frequent stops and always pack light snacks.
before she could do even short hikes, we threw her in a kelty backpack which i found for cheap at a yardsale and then resold on craigslist.