The Hotdish Mom: Camping with Toddlers & Camping Craft

This last weekend we went camping for the first time as a family of 4 in Wisconsin. We had a great time and am happy to announce it was a success! Yes, we went camping with a 2 year old and a 1 year old and survived. Yes, it was in a tent, but we also like a few luxuries when we camp...air mattresses, 1-minute easy set up Coleman tent and we have a battery operated fan. For Logan (1yr) we brought his pack n' play and for Roman (2 yr) we used a twin air mattress.

Tips for camping with little ones:
* Prep all food and make foods that are easy to prepare -think pasta salads, sandwiches, hot dogs

* Bring lots of snacks
* Accept that your kids will be up later than normal
* Bring a bucket - have them collect different things (like a scavenger hunt).
* Bring all their favorites - blankie, beloved stuffed animal, etc.

* Bring a travel high chair - this was great for eating
and confinement when you no longer want to chase!
* Bring long pants, long shirt, socks (so at dusk you
can change them to help prevent mosquitoes)
* Bring a flashlight/lantern - kids love to play with it and great for bedtime

It was such a success that we are already planning our next camping trip. Roman hasn't stopped talking about it. This morning I asked him what he wanted to do today and he said "go camping!" So I told him we coudln't go camping today, but we could pretend. I helped him make a tent, sleeping bag, and trail mix.

CAMPING CRAFT: