My #1 Tip for Camping with Kids and It is Super Easy

Camping with Kids

We have been camping with kids for over a decade in tents, a pop-up camper and finally now our camping trailer. Throughout all of these years, we have made the BEST memories as a family while camping together. We have even gone camping when one of our children was only 2 weeks old! Granted it was child #6 so we were comfortable then, but I would have never even considered bringing our first child camping at that age. (FYI this post contains affiliate links)

Camping with kids helps to provide time to: unplug as a family, enjoy the outdoors, experience less stress and make memories. When you can escape together to go camping it provides that time to reconnect and enjoy each others company. Trust me, you will not regret it even if you hate it. One year we went camping at a place that was miserable. The bugs were ridiculous, in fact, we could barely go outside the camper. If we did, we covered ourselves in bug spray and the toddler at the time had to be wrapped in towels because the bug spray did nothing. The campsite was tiny and we were right on top of other campers. The bathrooms were cruddy and the pool was leaking. Overall, we would never return but during the camping trip, we had SO MANY laughs. We played games, moved constantly outdoors to avoid the bugs and swam in the broken pool. Every year when we go camping now, we still tell a story or two about that trip and crack up.

The same holds true for camping trips in the rain. We always bond, play cards and create crazy adventures to complete regardless of the weather. Still one of my all time favorite weeks was one that heavily rained. We fished in ponchos, hiked in the rain, explored rushing streams and appreciated the rainbow that we were graced with on the last day.

Of course, the best camping trips include gorgeous weather, no bugs, cozy campfires, good food, happy children and wonderful memories.

On to my #1 tip for going camping with kids. This suggestion requires no extra packing, no extra preparation so it is super easy. Here you go: Do not stress about dirt!

Seems kind of simple right? I am not a germ freak. I am not a clean freak at home either but yes sometimes it gets on my nerves when my little one’s hands and feet are super dirty. I’m not a huge fan of dirty clothes either for obvious reasons. BUT, when we go camping I try to let all of that go. Dirty feet? Who cares – the lake will wash them off. Dirty hands? Let it go until you need to wash up before meal time. Dirty clothes? Mud, sand or dirt – it will all get clean when you get home. Bringing a baby who is not walking yet? Let them crawl on the ground (just make sure they don’t put anything in his/her mouth of course). I have on occasion washed out clothes while camping so the kids can wear them again to lighten the load in the duffel bags.

If you need more information about camping with kids, you will LOVE The Family Camping Handbook. The ebook includes everything you need to know to go camping with kids. Written by Katie Kimball, a mother of 4, she offers advice for all stages of the camping excursion from planning, packing, arriving, menu planning and more to make the camping experience amazing for your family without all the stress.