The “Must- Have” Camping Checklist for Your Young Children

The “Must Have” Camping Checklist

I absolutely love taking my son camping. Our first camping trip was when he was as young as six months old. There is nothing like getting out of town and enjoying nature with a child and seeing my son play truly makes me appreciate the outdoors over and over again. I totally understand that camping is not for everyone! Camping with a toddler can seem like a fun idea, but also semi terrifying idea due to all the organizing that comes along with it. Let me tell you, from experience, that a kid is never too young to start camping! I am not going to lie, taking a baby or toddler camping is a little more on the difficult side but not in the way that it is inconvenient! You just need to know what to bring. I will give you a few tips to make it as easy and fun as possible! I will give tips, by age, on the “must haves” on your weekend camping trips to keep your kiddos occupied!

The “Must Haves”:

• Plenty of extra clothes! You’re camping in the woods, let your kids get dirty and have fun!
• Lots and lots of wipes
• Extra diapers/ pull-ups, and undies
• Bathing suit (even if you are not expecting there to be water, it’s nice to have just in case!)
• A lifejacket- this is a “must have”! It’s a little bit of comfort just in case there is water around the campsite.
• Child hiking backpack carrier
• Play shoes! (Bring a couple pairs of shoes so your kids can get them dirty)
  • I also always like to have a water shoe of some sort
• First Aid Kit
• S’mores (marshmallows, gram crackers, chocolate)

Tips by age:

• 3-6 months:
  • “Beach” blanket to lay out on the floor
  • Pack n Play
  • Portable Bassinet to place by you in the tent for the baby to sleep
  • Easy traveling toys- the ones that hook onto car seats are great
  • Teething toys
  • Bubbles
  • Plenty of snacks that are easy to pack and keep out (no refrigeration)
• 6-12 months:
  • “Beach” blanket
  • Sand toys! (I promise this is an absolute MUST) this is the best way to keep your little mover busy
  • Bubbles
• 12- Toddlers
  • “Beach” blanket
  • Bubbles
  • Sand toys! (I found that this keeps my toddler more than busy)
  • Toy trucks/ cars (my son loves to pretend his trucks are off-roading)
  • Baseball, Football, Soccer ball
• Any kids Toddler and older
  • Sand toys
  • Bike to ride around a campsite
  • Kids fishing rod/ gear

These are all easy things to pack, and you most likely already have everything laying around the house. I like to keep my son’s “camping toys” together so that it makes it easy to just pick up and go on a last minute weekend trip! Honestly, the best way to figure out what to bring on camping trips with your children is just trial and error! But above lists some of my favorite things to bring camping. If you get your child used to being outdoors and camping, they will enjoy it more and more each time!