You may be understandably a little nervous at the thought of taking your children camping for the first time. Still, the experience can be a wonderful one for the entire family, filled with memories that will last a lifetime.
If you are interested in taking your kids to spend an evening or two in the great outdoors, read on for more information that will help make your trip a success. Don’t try to go too far away from home. By sticking close to your house, you have the option to head back if one of your children is just having too much trouble adjusting.
In addition, you never know when severe weather will strike. Since you probably don’t want your kids out there in a thunderstorm, staying 30 minutes or less away from your home will provide you with the options you need if something unexpected occurs. Finally, it is hard to pack for a family, and you may forget something necessary. Being close by means that one parent can jump in the car to retrieve something that was left behind.
Once you get to your campsite, look around carefully before determining where to set up. One of the best things you can do is to find a bathroom and stick close to it. Particularly if your children are young, they may have to go often, and you don’t want to run the risk of an accident occurring while you are trying to make your way back up to the restroom in the middle of the night.
If you are staying at a place without a bathroom, try to pitch your tent in a relatively flat area that is far away from rivers, streams or lakes. You don’t want one of your little ones getting hurt on rough terrain or falling into the water the minute you turn your back. Bring plenty of lanterns and flashlights.
It is going to be dark no matter where you are camping, and you need to have a little light to allow you to interact with one another before bedtime, to get on your pajamas and to find a good place to go to the bathroom. In addition, one or more of your children may be afraid of the dark.
Bringing along plenty of light will help them avoid associating fear with camping, which is the last thing that you want if you are intent on making camping a family tradition. Be comfortable. Everyone needs to get a good night’s sleep in order to have a good morning. Don’t be afraid to take along some air mattresses to sleep on; they will help you and your entire family rest better. Also, think outside the box when it comes to your sleeping arrangements.
Some kids just don’t like sleeping bags. You can make up a really nice bed using your air mattress and some blankets if necessary. Camping can be a great family vacation but only when done right. Use the information from this article to help you plan your next camping trip. You will be well on your way to creating a special family tradition that your children will always remember.
