The thought of camping with kids can feel like way too much work! Our tips for camping with kids will help you gather what you need, pack for true comfort, and plan a successful camping trip! You can even start a wishlist of gear to start accumulating over the years. Here is a list of our favorites for a family-friendly, COMFORTABLE camping weekend!
We love getting into nature and COVID-19 has only pushed us to do so more! During a recent beach camping adventure, friends wanted more info on some of our gear and setup. They kept encouraging me to write a post full of our tips for camping with kids! So, here it all is! Our ultimate guide to camping with kids. For families that are not comfortable with their camping flow, do not be discouraged! We started with a few key pieces and grew from there. We add a few things to our packing list every trip. Most importantly, comfort is key!
Please note, our tips for camping with kids are more for those families looking to camp in comfort, not families looking to carry the load in a backpack! Packing light is not my strong suit! Camping requires more than a hotel stay, but is sure to give your kids lifelong memories! Isn’t that what we really want? I can only hope my kids will look back and talk fondly about all of the fun things we shared while they were growing up.
Table of Contents
OUR TENT SETUP
This is Part 1 of our Ultimate Guide to Camping with Kids!
A TENT WITH THE COMFORTS OF HOME
I absolutely love our tent! At 10 x 14ft, it gives us all the additional space we need with the baby and a little more room to grow. In addition, it pops right up! No messing around with poles, or trying to connect poles where the inside wire has lost its elasticity! During our last camping trip to the beach, it did drip some marine layer dew through the roof, so I definitely want to pick up the rainfly soon for added protection in inclement weather! You can click the pictures for more details and specs about our tent!
Don’t forget a rubber mallet to hammer down your stakes, as well as a tarp to protect the bottom of your tent. We also love putting down a large mat outside of the tent to use as a doormat for shoes, toys, etc. We always have a Swiss Army Knife for whatever may come up, and it always is great to lift the stakes out of the ground when packing up.
COMFORTABLE TENT CAMPING SLEEP IS A KEY TO SUCCESS
We set up the tent to feel like a bedroom. Our air mattresses have built-in pumps that fill quickly. When you are packing up, you can reverse the pump to pull all of the air out of the mattress to make rolling them up for storage super fast. The air mattresses are extra tall which makes them super cozy.
Our sleeping bags keep us super warm down to 20 degrees and are easily pushed back into the storage bags. They also have straps that will hook to a backpack if you are doing something more adventurous. We also love a big flat sheet under our sleeping bags and a big cozy blanket over them for early morning snuggles with the kids! For baby, we are currently using our pack and play, but this toddler airbed will be in the mix before we know it! Our son used this all the time from ages 2-6 and we loved it!
OTHER COMFORTS OF HOME TO CONSIDER
I love having a small fold-up table that acts as a nightstand for phones, water, and our lantern next to our air mattress. Our lantern charges our phones through USB too which is awesome because my battery is always dying. Our son is sometimes nervous going to sleep alone in the tent, so carabiner flashlights are great for him to clip to the window zipper by his bed. I also love hanging clip lightbulbs from the center of our tent just to have a quick light I can find fast if someone needs something during the night.
A FEW WAYS TO KEEP THINGS AS CLEAN AS POSSIBLE… HA!
In my quest for comfort, I love a cozy tent. Obviously clean and camping do not go hand-and-hand, but here are a few things that make it a little cozier with kids. Our pop-up hamper comes with us whenever we travel, but it was especially great to catch all of the sand from our last beach adventure. I love a big, thick blanket on the floor for added warmth and comfort when you first step in. This is also a great help when you are breaking down and can shake out most of the sand/dirt, etc before sweeping the rest up with a mini broom and dustpan. I love carabiners for hanging anything, and I always have a mini garbage bag in the tent for diapers or wipes and all of the random things that end up in the tent!
ADDED SECURITY
Some of these suggestions are not relevant depending on where you are. Some campgrounds (like our Southern California beaches) have high theft rates, so I like to do what we can to secure our belongings. We try to store expensive items in the car (our generator, our son’s medical equipment, and meds) to prevent a loss that would be difficult to remedy. We keep bikes locked or in the car as well. I love to use a small carabiner to “lock” our tent from the inside when we are sleeping. This is an especially great tip for camping with kids you are worried about wandering off to explore in the early morning hours. If necessary, you can also use suitcase locks to “lock” your tent when you are gone during the day.
UP NEXT…
OUR CAMPING KITCHEN
OR SKIP TO…
FIRESIDE RELAXING
KIDS CORNER
We took a while to get into camping when our son was born due to Cystic Fibrosis needs. As we became more comfortable with his diagnosis and routine, we began to explore how to meet these needs out in nature. He needs to take over 17 medications every day. The medications are administered through over 40 pills, sterile saline rinses, nebulizer breathing treatments, and multiple vest therapies a day that requires electricity.
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