5 Essentials for Camping with Kids

Camping has always been a big part of my family’s summer activities. We worked through tents, pop-ups and eventually an RV. I learned all about setting up the perfect site and the essentials for a good camping experience. THEN, I started camping with my own little ones! Camping with kids, like adding kids to anything else, changes everything!!

Kids are already a handful when they are in the confines of your safe home. Where you have baby proofed and approved of their limited surroundings. Then you take them camping. There are no boundaries, a plethora of tiny killer insects, endless amounts of dirt, and we willing throw in a tiny human who becomes cranky at the slightest provocation.

It has been my experience that there is a right and a wrong way of camping with kids. The wrong way is to go about it the same way as before kids and expect the same experience. While you may enjoy sitting for hours around a campfire with your feet propped up, they are not so easily entertained. And we might understand the complexities of time management when it comes to walking (what may seem like miles) to the nearest bath house, they will continue to wait until the last possible moment.

So, with everything that can go wrong, what is the right way? If I’m being honest, I still don’t have it totally figured out. But, I have learned a few ways to help make it a more enjoyable experience. Here are my top five essentials for camping with kids.

Large Plastic Tub

This was a huge breakthrough for us! One of the hardest parts of camping is dealing with the temperature. I’m a major heat wimp who starts to get cranky at the slightest indication of a temperature spike. My kids have acquired this trait from me.

I discovered that even a little cold water to splash around in goes a long way in heat and entertainment relief! Kids pools (plastic or blow up), though, are bulky and obnoxious. They take up a ton of storage space, and are time consuming to set up.

During one of my thrifting adventures, I happened upon a large plastic storage tub. You know, the round ones you use for toy bins or garage storage? It was only a dollar and I thought to myself “surely, I’ll be able to find a good use for this!” Later, I was throwing things together for a camping trip and couldn’t find anything to put the toys/outdoor games in, so I grabbed the tub and made do.

(If you’re not a thrifter yet, and this has piqued your interest, be sure to check out my other post How to Thrift Like a Pro)

While at the campground, my smallest camper who was around seven months old, was not handling the heat well. My mama brain frantically searched for a way to cool him down in the 90+ degree weather. My eyes panned the camp site and landed on the tub, it was perfect! I dumped out all the toys, filled it with a couple inches of water, and plopped his naked butt down in it. It was like an angel had come down from heaven and kissed happiness into his heart!!! He splashed and played in that bucket for the rest of the trip, and it has become a camping necessity.

Not only does the tub serve as a packing aid, but doubles for entertainment. We are all about multitasking here! My oldest son uses it as a water sensory bin with floating boats, pouring cups, sinking experiments, etc. Smaller campers will splash for hours. And mommies get to enjoy a few minutes of contentment before the next camping crisis presents itself!

Mosquito Stickers

For centuries, man has waged war against the forces of evil that seek to destroy camping happiness! Much blood has been shed in our attempt to conquer the enemy of outdoor entertainment, mosquitoes.

I have never been a fan of bug spray. I’ve always used it as a last resort and only out of desperation. It makes everything sticky and smelly. You end up tasting it whenever you eat or drink anything. And it’s not even super effective! Even worse, is using it on kids. I was always paranoid about spraying them in chemicals from head to toe. And usually we ended up in the bath house washing out one or both of the eyes they rubbed it into.

Last year, a family member introduced me to mosquito stickers. They are literally stickers that you peel off and stick onto clothes. Many are deet free with natural mosquito repellents. I was apprehensive at first, but now I’m an enthusiastic supporter!!

There are a couple of things that make them so amazing. You don’t have to apply it to their skin which means no nasty tasting food, no chemical absorption, and no traumatizing eye washes. You can stick them anywhere on their clothes, like the back of their shirt away from tiny curious hands. They last all day. And they are pretty much water proof (shirts come off and back on for pools, and it wont wash off from bathroom visits or mud puddles).

If the mosquito population is higher than normal, you just slap on another sticker or two with no added danger for your little ones. These are seriously AMAZING for camping with kids, and should definitely make it onto your packing list!

Potty Training Chair

Even if all your young campers are potty trained, I would recommend this one. Unless your camp ground has a bath house every few hundred feet or you were lucky enough to get a sight right next to one, you will most likely be doing a few potty dashes during your camping trip.

Kids are easily distracted by the joys of camping, and leaving the fun for a potty break are the lowest of their priorities! Having a backup potty chair prevents neighbors from enjoying the cute back sides of your kiddos while you try to shield them behind the camper during a potty crisis.

Potty training chairs can easily be set in a tent or camper and used in an emergency.

Igloo Water Dispenser

Drinks are a given for camping. It’s important to keep everyone hydrated in the heat, especially little ones who haven’t yet learned how to interpret what their bodies are telling them. HOWEVER, this is not a suggestion for drinking.

During recent camping trips, we have brought two water dispensers. One for drinking, and one for rinsing. “Rinsing what?” you may be thinking. Remember my earlier comment about endless amounts of dirt? Inevitably, it will attempt to find a new home on your children or belongings.

A rinsing station is great for washing hands before meals or feet before bed. You can also use it to clean dropped food or toys. And you’ll be amazed how often a quick rinse comes in handy while cooking or cleaning the site.

Glow Sticks!

These might seem more entertaining than essential, but I beg to differ! Those of you with early sleepers may not understand the value just yet. But, if you’re kiddos are anything like mine and enjoy a later bed time, especially during camping trips when they don’t want to miss out on a single moment, glow sticks are necessary!

When the sun starts to go down, and energy levels are no longer tempered by the heat, keeping track of little ones can be a challenge. Que the glow sticks! They will think it’s a special camping treat, while the glowing light secretly acts as a homing beacon!

I have been able to avoid many mommy anxiety moments this way. Most kids won’t turn down a glowing light up toy, and you can even fasten them to the clothes of younger campers who may lose interest quickly. You can track their location and movement with ease, and make camping with kids less stressful!

Well, there you have it. All of my top secret insider info for making your camping with kids experience a success!! I’m giving you years of insight and lessons learned from traumatic experiences haha!

My 5 Essentials for Camping with Kids!

1. Large Plastic Tub

2. Mosquito Stickers

3. Potty Training Chair

4. Igloo Water Dispenser

5. Glow Sticks

Is there anything you would add to this list that I haven’t discovered yet?! I would love for you to leave a comment to help me and other mamas with this camping thing!!

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