I was pregnant with my first child when I booked her first camping trip. Now that she’s 5—and her younger siblings are 3 and 1—my husband and I camp a bit less than we did before kids. But with some preparation and mindset-shifting, camping with young kids is totally doable—and occasionally even enjoyable, too.
It all starts with reserving a campsite. For a kid’s first camping trip, no more than an hour from home is still a grand adventure. Lucky for us here in Missoula, there are plenty of nearby options, including Beavertail Hill State Park along I-90, or Salmon or Flathead Lake farther north, and many more. This close, if you truly need to bail in the middle of the night, you can. Similarly, we only camp in summer and early fall, and still we left Glacier early because of a winter storm warning last year around the summer solstice. Looking out the window at gently falling snow while the fireplace glows is one thing. Being zipped inside your tent with your kids due to cold, wet weather is quite another!
For packing, I keep a Google doc with our list of essentials, and each trip we load the car in roughly the same layout so we know where everything is. We have a tote we call the “camping box” that is never unpacked and contains must-haves like headlamps and camp cooking utensils, meaning less we have to gather up each time we hit the road.
Once on the trip, we find it useful to have a loose itinerary so we’re not scrambling, but deviations are inevitable. Maybe we dreamed of two (short) hikes in one day, but the kids just don’t have it in them. So, we go back to the campsite early and let the older two play with trucks in the dirt while the baby supervises from her high chair. We make dinner with less time pressure and enjoy the luxury of a beverage while sitting down.
Eventually, it’s time for bed. One option is that by 8 p.m. at least one parent is stuck in the tent trying to shush the kids into submission. Another option is to simply…relax. We love camping and we want our kids to love it too, so we let them stay up—roasting marshmallows over the fire, watching the stars come out, hearing the unfamiliar nature sounds, and simply being together in the magic of their childhood.
1. Pack toys—not too many.
Trucks and sand toys make the campsite a mini construction site. The tent only needs a couple books for bedtime and quiet play.
2. Pack snacks—you can’t have too many.
I would much rather go home with excess food than have hangry kids when rain delays dinner. We rely on peanut butter, nuts, chips, carrot sticks, apples, and M&Ms.
3. Prep meals in advance.
A go-to breakfast for us is bacon, potato, and leek hash with eggs cooked on top. We cut the bacon and leek together into one container before it goes in the cooler. The potato gets pre-baked nestled in the previous night’s fire.
4. Have at least one container for an infant.
While setting up camp and cooking meals, it’s crucial to have a place to set the baby. A high chair and a pack-and-play work well.
5. Don’t expect bedtime to be as early as it is at home.
Kids will not quietly go to bed in the tent while the sun is still up. Embrace it! Build a campfire and have s’mores and let them run around until they are tired enough—and it’s dark enough—to sleep without protest.
We love camping and we want our kids to love it too, so we let them stay up – roasting marshmallows over the fire, watching the stars come out, hearing the unfamiliar nature sounds, and simply being together in the magic of their childhood.