Camping with the kids - tips and tricks to keep it fun

I'm not a natural camper and my husband certainly isn't.  Our decision to take up camping came about with the encouragement and persuasion of friends and family members who were campers and also a desire to allow our children to experience the great outdoors in a real way.  Many traditional, seasoned campers will think that my comments here are a long way from authentic DIY camping but for those who like a touch of comfort and sanity these are my thoughts on how to make a camping trip with kids fun.

Our first camping trip with Olivia aged 2, our set up has improved a lot since then.

Olivia aged 3 years 2 weeks in her camping gear

When you camp without children your tent is simply a place to lay your head, you can be spontaneous, adapt as the day or the weather changes and do things on a whim.  Whilst this is also true with little people, it is inevitable that with kids comes a element of routine and structure that might not be necessary in an all adult party.  The two key things that make a camping trip successful with kids are your kit and the way you organise yourselves.

1 Kit (This may seem an expensive list but you don't need to buy it all at once and there are lots of options for purchasing second hand camping gear or borrowing from friends/family/colleagues)

• A tent with a sewn in ground sheet and a reasonable hydrostatic head.  Having a sewn in groundsheet keeps the tent warmer and better insulated, it also reduces considerably the number of creepy crawlies that can get into your tent.  The hydrostatic head should be a minimum of 1500mm for the British weather, this is related to how waterproof the fabric is and an essential part of being weatherproof.
• Electric hook up cable.  Many sites now provide pitches that have electric hook up for tents.  Having access to electric with small people is a real bonus and one that we now consider essential.  We are able to camp with a small fridge, an electric light and in colder weather a small camping heater which is wonderful for taking the chill off while the children change into pyjamas or get dressed in the morning.
• Full set of lightweight waterproofs for each member of the family.  These keep everyone warm and dry and reduce the amount and smell of dirty washing in the tent
• A warm and comfortable bed.  Being outside all day in the fresh air is tiring and with children you need to be rested to face the next day with patience and enjoyment.  If you use an air mattress make sure it is insulated from underneath as well as what is on top of you, use layers of sheets, duvets and blankets to keep cosy and make sure your children are well wrapped up if you want them to sleep well.

Olivia at Silverdale September 2009

2 Organisation.  Planning will make your trip easier, being organised around key times in your trip will help you to stay calm and enjoy the trip.

• Plan your packing, there is a lot to pack into the car when going camping, make sure you have a system and if your children are young a safe place for them to be while you are packing the car.
• Plan your unpacking and time to set up camp.  This will depend on the age of your children, strategies we have used include, picnics in the car, portable DVD player in the car, windbreak garden small achievable tasks for them to help, camping with friends and taking it in turns to set up camp while you watch each others children.
• Plan mealtimes. Remember it can take longer to prepare a meal on a camping stove so if your children are young, say under 5, like ours are you need to make sure that meal times are planned in more detail than at home.
• Bathing and washing.  If you are going camping for longer than a weekend and you have children under 5 I would strongly recommend choosing a site where a: family bathrooms are available and also washing facilities are available.  Whilst it is possible to do without these, for the comfort of all involved it is worthwhile paying that bit extra for a site with these facilities.

Our set up summer 2010

We have camped with our children since they were very young, our eldest daughter was aged 2 on her first trip and our youngest 4 months.  With good kit and good organisation, camping is a fantastic way to spend time together, to bond as a family and to experience the great outdoors.  With poor kit and poor organisation, camping is stressful and bad for your health but it is also one of those things that improve with practice, even if your first trip doesn't go to plan, persevere and you may well find that with a bit of practice you will soon catch the bug.
Happy Camping!

Verity camping aged 4 months

Back to work

Well the blog kind of stalled as a busy Christmas and going back to work after 14 months loomed.  Both the girls had chicken pox in December followed by the usual hive of activity around Christmas.  Christmas Eve was super special this year as both girls starred in the Crib service on Christmas Eve, one as Jesus and one as an angel, they were amazing!  Being a family of four for the first time at Christmas was lovely and a good time to reflect and be thankful for all that we have been blessed with this year.

2010 will certainly be a year that we remember happily in the future, we welcomed Verity into our family and celebrated several big events, a baptism, a 40th birthday, a 10th wedding anniversary, a 4th birthday and Olivia starting at Primary School.  We also took more holidays than usual, nothing flash but time away from the day to day which gave us all chance to bond as a family and have lots of fun.

2011 started with my return to work, although I can mostly do my job standing on my head I have found it hard emotionally to be away from the children after enjoying every day with them for over a year.  As a parent who generally subscribes to the ideals of attachment parenting, working outside the home challenges me, not least with suitable childcare arrangements which has taken some settling into.  I have been lucky though to have most of Verity's first year off work and the separation from them has made me realise in a fresh way how much I appreciate them and what a blessing they are to me. 

So here I am in February 2011, now a working Mum to two girls, part of a growing family, ever aware of the challenges that lie ahead in life but trying more than ever to be positive and grateful for all that I have.