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cjsbdl
member
anyone here camp with kids?
cjsbdl
member
I posted the other day that we're considering buying a travel trailer and my husband is ready to pull the trigger. I'm not entirely convinced this is a good idea for us right now. I love the idea of camping with my family, but when I stop to think about how much work it will be it gives me pause.
DH and I both camped a lot growing up and we camped together (tent camping) before we had kids. But I know it will be an entirely different experience now.
I guess if E was a little older it wouldn't be a big deal at all (read: next summer), but DH is convinced that we can do this now. FWIW, we'd probably get in 2 or 3 camping trips this year between now and November. Eleanor is a great sleeper and a pretty darn flexible baby, which I know would help.
I guess I'm just looking to hear from anyone else who has camped with babies/children. Did you find it enjoyable at all, or was it just too much effort to be worth it?
TIA!
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Re: anyone here camp with kids?
we tent camp off our boat and at campgrounds, and Ava loved it. We even had a day in the rain, where we just colored inside the tent, played with worms, etc.
We'd LOVE to get a trailer. I think it's be a LOT easier. more comfortable. ESP if it had AC. Maybe next year. (incidently, not sure how you feel about electric collars for dogs, but our dog sitter takes our crazy springer with her to HER trailer sometimes, and just puts up the wire around the paremeter of the campsite. she says it works great for all her dogs. no lines to get tangled around things)
Pretty much all of this. We tent camp quite a bit up in the mountains. I would love to have a travel trailer, but for us, more so for heat! It gets kind of chilly even in the middle of the summer up in the mtns. If we were to get one, I would just keep extras of everything in the trailer all the time, so then there wouldn't be as much to always pack, etc.
We've been camping since the kids were 6 months old. It only gets better and better -- they LOVE running around outside in the fresh air all day and are completely worn out at bedtime.
With two 6 month olds it was HARD for me (DH had more fun) but now that they are over 2 it's a total blast -- DO IT
I agree. We did car camping with tents a few times with ds when he was about 1 1/2- 2. He loved it. I realized I didn't even need to bring toys. Everything was a toy to him- the rocks, trees, leaves, worms - everything. The hardest part to me was that there was no place to keep him restrained. You always have to watch them - they can run so fast. We plan on going again this summer but I'll be looking for a campsite away from the water this time!
IUI- BFN IVF #1 -BFP! Allie is our 2nd IVF baby. Born at 36 1/2 weeks after pre-e again
We just went camping over Memorial Day weekend; it is an annual event for DH and his friends. We haven't experienced any problems...from the kids that is. We do tent camping and we have used a playpen in the tent for the babies to sleep in. DS1 went when he was 9 mo, 2 3/4 yr, and 3 3/4yr. DS2 was 5 mo.
There are a lot of people there (~25 adults ~15 kids) so everyone rotates meals and there are a lot of hands to hold babies so I have never had the pressure of making every meal for everyone and cleaning up while watching the baby. I could see how it might be more challenging if you are going alone.
The worst part for us is always who is going to hang out in the tent until the child/ren fall asleep. The first year with DS1 we were at a traditional camp site and the campfire everyone gathered at was not close to our tent so one of us had to stay there and miss out on the adult socializing. Since then we have reserved group campsites so all our tents are grouped together and there are no other campers remotely close to us. Much nicer.
I say go for it; your children will have a great time.
I should add, although I assume it is implied because I am in the PNW, that it is always rainy on our camping trips but it has still never been a problem. "There is no bad weather, just bad clothes"
And I totally agree about not needing to pack toys.
A few balls, buckets, and shovels maybe and you're set. Someone brought bug catcher sets this year and that was a super big hit with the kids.
We have tent camped with Robbie many times and overall it went really well.
When he was a little over a year we took him on a backpacking trip. My DH carried all of our gear and I carried Robbie. We did not go as far as we used to and had to make more frequent stops but it was a success. We went with another couple who had kids and they were pretty impressed by how well Robbie did (that is the proud parent talking).
As he has gotten bigger and heavier we have moved to tent camping (close to the car) without the backpacking element. Robbie loves sleeping in a tent and thinks it is a big adventure. What's nice is that all three of us fit nicely in the 2-man tent.
We decided after we had Robbie we sould continue to do the things we love and revise them a little bit to make it enjoyable for Robbie as well.
Good luck!