Before having kids, one of my favorite past times was packing up the Jeep with the bare minimum and heading out to Buckhorn Lakes in Colorado with my husband. We were free to bring a couple blankets, some firewood, and a box of wine and be good for the night. Fast-forward 5 years, and we have considered bringing two vehicles on a one night camping trip because we couldn't fit all of our gear in one. (more on Less is More: Camping with Kids at a later date, cause YIKES that's a lot of stuff.) Between kids not sleeping and the insane overpacking, we kind of let family time in the woods fall to the wayside the last couple years. This summer I vowed to get out at least few times and I'm happy to report that we have. Let's face it though, it's still tough sometimes! I decided to ask friends on my Facebook page (a good mix of seasoned outdoorsy parents and the opposite) as well as members of our Seek Outside Adventures page if they had any tips to make camping easier with my mini monsters. Here's what they came up with!
1.) Eva S. of Ouray, Colorado says, "Wet wipes, lots of them, for the whole family :)"
2.) Alan N. recommends to "Take a glow stick for each night. For my kids, who are used to having street lights outside their room, it provided some reassurance the first few nights." They make for pretty rad photo opportunities, too
3.) Many parents say that going for walks or hikes that little legs can handle is not only a great way to pass time, bond with your babe and teach them to love the outdoors, but that it also exhausts them and gives you a better chance of sleep when bedtime comes around.
4.) Bringing along extra activities to keep everyone occupied during down time is a great way to get some time to hang out by the fire or throw together some camp treats while the kiddos aren't looking (don't forget the s'mores!)
5.) "Food. Lots of food, they'll be starving the entire time." is Serena M.'s biggest tip. I know my kids are always feelin' snacky and a trailside apple always improves morale
Sound off more tips and tricks on our Facebook page, Seek Outside Adventures or on Instagram @seekoutside with the hashtags #kidsoutside #seekoutside