Camping Ideas

Fiona - posted on 06/26/2010

Sounds like everything is covered. We went with our boys when our youngest was 3 months old and it was interesting but great fun. A couple of things that may not have been on the lists above,
Band Aids
Torch for kids
Kids paracetemol/asprin
plastic bags for wet/dirty clothes or nappies.
Depends where you are going but maybe gumboots?

Toni - posted on 06/25/2010

Make lists! For everyday, every meal, every person. That is how I do everything, including camping, lists, lists, and more lists. I have had pragnancy brain since child #1 and it has yet to go away. ;) Good luck

Chelle - posted on 06/25/2010

Hehe i think most of us can relate to pregnancy brain at one time or another.

Definitely make a list. Kids love camping our little soon to be 20 mth old has been now 4 times i think, loved his last visit the most. Things we pack for him:

blankets to put under porta-cot
portacot
blankets for him to sleep with
sleeping bag
beanie
his favourite toys to sleep with
books to read
toothbrush
teething gel
portable potty
his bowls, forks, spoons
bibs
highchair
muck mat
cups
some hardy outside toys
clothes that you can layer depending on weather- some long sleeved t/shirts, singlets, onsies if really cold to put underneath, long pants (a number of spares of each), jumpers, tshirts and some shorts (if warmer during the day)
shoes
socks
nice warm all in one jarmies- gets really cold at night when camping
night light
night time book
container that can use as bath
towel
moisturiser
plenty of disposable nappies
nappy wipes
nappy covers
face washer
sun hat
sunscreen
ball
bike
bucket & shovel
his chair
I think thats all we'd take for him?

Us: we have lots of camping stuff hehe- we dont rough it, we camp in style:
chairs
table
camping kitchen
gazebo
tarps
playpen (very handy with younger children, esp when setting up or cooking)
camping cupboards
collapsible laundry basket
plastic bags/rubblish bags
eski
coat hangers
pegs
rope
burner
billy & cookware
plates, cups, bowls & utensils
washing gloves & basin
tea towels
detergent
plenty of drinking water
snacks
meals-preplanned before hand
gas cyclinders
broom & dustpan
hmm trying to picture ,if there is anything else?

then its just our clothes and bedding to worry about i think.

I am sure i have also forgotten something but hopefully this list makes you think of some things you might have not remembered otherwise.

Above all, have a great trip, camping is AWESOME!

Jennifer - posted on 06/22/2010

Great lists! We do SCA (medieval recreation) camping every year.
Invaluable - a rubbermaid tub. Fill it with water on a hot day and add crabby toddler.
Also, Avon's Bug 'n Sun has been great! It's Deet-free and comes in a "disappearing blue" color so you don't miss anything.
A tick remover and basic first-aid kit. Ours is in a lockable tackle box.
We froze most of our evening meals in the FoodSaver bags and had good, familiar food for dinner.
The wagon has also been a huge help. Ours has a canopy and several different configurations. The only complaint I have is turning on the grass.
Have fun!

Kate - posted on 06/20/2010

l cook the meat, chicken and sausage, a few day before we go. l then freeze them individually in freezer bags. l also bake potatoes and cook flavored noodles before we go. Then when we are camping, l just have to heat some water and drop in the bag with the meat, being careful not to melt the bag to heat it. The potatoes or noodles l can heat in another pan, or the same pan after the meat is hot. lt cuts down on a lot of cooking time when we are outside. Or maybe you cook on a fire? We use a camp stove.

Good Day! - posted on 06/19/2010

This is basically our list:

1. Clothes and extra underwear

2. biodegradable toilet paper if you won't be near a bathroom

3. diapers and lots of wipes

4. LOTS of water, we bring two gallons, plus bottled water

5. Toothbrushes and other hygiene items

6. Camping stove and pots, pans and skillet

7. Striker for starting the fire

8. paper towels and paper plates

9. tent, sleeping bags, extra blankets and pillows (we've never brought the pack n play, our daughter sleeps in my sleeping bag with me)

10. bathing suit or jackets or whatever is appropriate for this particular trip

11. sunscreen, bug spray

12. bikes

13. ice chest and ice with food

14. chairs



Food List

1. hot dogs, buns, condiments (roast over fire)

2. sausage for breakfast

3. sandwich bread, lunch meat, condiments

4. apples and bananas

5. homemade bread for snacking (or chips or snack crackers if you prefer)

6. bottled water (also listed above)

7. coffee and sugar (make with camping coffee pot, don't forget a filter)

8. canned soup or canned meals to heat on camping stove in a pot

Angie - posted on 06/19/2010

Wow! The food saver is a great idea! I feel sometimes like I spend half the trip prepping food!
And I think it is funny, I was going to put clothing but felt like I was probably the only person in the world that forgot that kind of stuff, lol.... Clothes are important... and yes, Tahoe is cold this time of year.. we live just out side of it. About 45 min or so North of Tahoe on 395 is another beautiful place to camp called Frenchmans. The water is crystal clear and the campgrounds are quiet and clean. Anyway.. off on my tangent... lol..
I have to share my biggest 'pregnancy brain' issue I ever had with camping... because I feel I am among friends, lol.... My oldest was only a few months old and it was our anniversary. My MIL was supposed to watch our son so that we could go camping. So we loaded everything up in our lil car and drove to her house. Unloaded all the babies things and went in... only to have her back out (typical for her)... so we visited so as not to leave in a huff and when we left we loaded up the baby and got on the road. Well, that weekend is the 'art in the park' in the area of Colorado that we lived in so there wasn't a stinking camp site available anywhere ... so we drove on... 9 hours of driving through the Rockies looking for any available camp sites we finally find one... it is cold and dark, we get half way set up when some guy tells us that we are in his spot, so we have to move, we finally get the tent up, wake the baby up to change him and get him a fresh bottle (I was not breastfeeding) and I get him out and into the cold tent and realize that we left ALL his stuff at my MIL's house. On the trip he had his bottle that took those plastic bags and I was rinsing and reusing it, of coarse to be diligent when I put him in the tent I took the bag out and threw it in the fire thinking I would grab another bag.. and on the drive I used the two diapers in the glove box figuring I would restock them when I got his bag of diapers out... so here we were... no diapers... no bottle... no change of clothes... no baby blankets... it was awful... so we just lulled him back to sleep with nothing and kept him between us in the sleeping bag for heat and got up in the morning packed up and went to the closest store 2 hours away. Then we went home cause we were done, lol....
Worst worst camping trip ever, lol...

Angie - posted on 06/19/2010

Angie Nutter's list was great...
I have a 21 month old and we just did two back to back camping trips, Lake Tahoe and Lake Almanor (Northern CA)

But dont forget
Snacks
layers for Jammies (We just went to Lake Tahoe, it was cold)
Different climate clothes (I had to dig them out)
if you are potty training, the potty seat or go get the bucket that has a seat.
Bucket and Shovel (hours of entertainment)
Chairs, including one for the little one
I have forgotten the CLOTHES!!
Do as much food prep before you leave as you can. We have a FoodSaver, we cut up meats, veggies and cheeses before we leave that way it is all done.
Silverware (not plastic for baby) they can get dangerous when broken

The one major piece of advice that I can give you is

MAKE A LIST (or more than one)
I make one for each person and then one for the tent, stove, bags, coolers, ect. that way you are less likely to forget something. Oh and I have a 12 week old too. Mommy Brain is very real at my house right now.

Angie - posted on 06/18/2010

Ok, so some of these might be obvious, but I have been known to forget them, lol...
playpen - for baby while they sleep
towels
lots and lots of wipes
tick spray
lots of blankets
lil swimmers for the 2 yr old cause they don't get the droopy drawers like they will with diapers - if you plan on going to a lake that is
toilet paper, you would be amazed at the places that run out of it
flashlight/batteries
favorite nighttime toy or anything that will help bring 'home' to your 2 yr old to help them sleep
lots of water because it can be easy to get dehydrated when sitting by the campfire and breathing in all the soot and dirt from the outdoors
your typical 'dirt' toys -- also bubbles and camping are great fun for lil ones!
first aid kit to include extra band aids, lol.. funny how the boo boo rate climbs on a camp out.

--- we too are trying to gear up for camping season, I am trying to think of anything that I might be missing... lol, I may refer back to this in a couple weeks so I don't forget anything LOL! Have fun!!!! I hope this helped some. Just try to invision your trip step by step and think of what they might need. A definate 'don't' is sticky sweet treats that a lot of people give their kids at home. It only takes a kid dropping a couple of those things outside and you will have a serious bug problem. We also bring bottled sodas or drinks so that we cut down on the chances of getting our lips or mouths stung by a bee (you would be amazed how many times that has happened, lol)... I would also dress my toddler in jeans and put the socks over the bottoms of the legs to help with bugs so they didn't get bit as much. That way too they can climb on the rocks and walk on their knees through the pine needles without it hurting :)
Our son collected a ton of rocks in a pail one time (at about 2 yrs old) and spent about an entire hour washing them with an old wash cloth and the lake water. LOL... to be that easily amused...