Our sister site Wakefield Mumbler has just returned from camping and picked up some great ideas from other families to make camping with kids a little easier!!
Whether you’ve camped before or this will be your first year, take a look at our 20 tips for camping with kids.
Pack a cool box with frozen things to keep items fresh for longer e.g. freeze your milk, pack frozen bacon
Dont forget your washing up bowl (you can buy collapsible ones to save space) and more than one tea towel! The kids love to help washing up- but dont necessarily understand the importance of draining before drying!
Buy a cheap doormat or bath mat to pop wet, muddy or sandy shoes on. Tent carpet also makes the inside so much warmer and it feels cleaner too!
Buy the best bed you can afford! We ditched a blow-up bed years ago and now use self-inflated mats that are foam based and keep you much warmer instead of sleeping on a bed of cold air!
Take a couple of family games to play. We took dominoes, dobble and bingo! And dont forget the outdoor toys too!
A powered pitch is sometimes only a few £ more but it can make things a lot easier. Take a slow cooker with you so after a full day out you get back to a meal ready to dish onto plates! But remember an extension lead!!
We bought a camping loo this year and it has definitely made camping being pregnant a lot easier – no more trek across the campsite at 2am!!
A bit of light! Don’t forget a hang up lantern for inside the tent, a head torch so you’ve got free hands to do stuff and some solar/battery powered fairy lights to decorate the front of your tent!
If you have small children take a paddling pool! Perfect to bath them in at night or keep them cool and entertained during the day!
Clothes pegs are so handy for hanging up wet coats – use your guy ropes as a washing line!
I always take flip flops or crocs for shower blocks
Dust pan and brush – without fail the campsite will have just had its grass cut!
Ear plugs to block out your snoring neighbours or dawn chorus
Lots of layers
Snacks … and if you think you’ve packed enough, add some more!! Being outside in the fresh air means they’re hungry all the time!!
Freezer bags to keep food fresh or for your daily picnic
Eye mask to keep the morning sun out or buy a tent with black out bedrooms – this has been a game changer for us!
Insect repellent
Plastic bags! You can never have enough of them!!
And finally … alcohol!! Don’t forget that if you dont have a fridge you need things you dont mind drinking warm/ not cold! I pack the red wine and cider 🙂
And most important, have fun and even if it does rain keep smiling!!
Dont forget your washing up bowl (you can buy collapsible ones to save space) and more than one tea towel! The kids love to help washing up- but dont necessarily understand the importance of draining before drying!
