Camping with a 2 year old

[Squishy123]

Hi everyone

My teenagers want to go camping in 2021 and I’m totally up for it but also have a baby who will be 2 by the time we go. Does anyone have any hints or tips for camping with such a young child? Are we mad? We’ve been camping a couple of times before a few years ago and we all really enjoyed it but that was just for 2 nights. This time they want to go for 4 nights and make it their main holiday. Also, when we went camping before it was with friends who provided everything! This time it will be me, my hubby our two teenagers and the baby... we have a tent and I have a basic idea of what we need and obv have plenty of time to get our stuff together so could anyone advise on anything that they really couldn’t live without when they take their young children? Lol

Any advice/ help would be wonderful please xx many thanks in Advance xx

We started when our youngest was 2 and it was great fun - she loved being given some independence around the camping area.

Still in nappies is probably easier to handle than newly toilet trained - I'd look at taking a few but then adding a pack to a top up shop once you are pitched so they don't take up all the room in the car!

Make sure you have a mat / blankets under the sleeping bag and plenty of fleecey PJs and a onesie / hat. The main aim is to keep then toasty warm to help with sleep.

The biggest pain is that as it gets light so early the little darlings will be awake from 5am - if there's any option of a proper black out bedroom canopy in the tent - do it!! We also got into the routine of giving them an iPad with headphones for an hour to get a bit more sleep in...

Lots of instant snacks - brioche are good to throw at them to keep energy up or to give you a 5 minute breather as they are distracted and eating.

Balloons are amazing fun to play with and take up zero space.

Good luck it will be awesome!!

Hi we want camping last summer for 3 nights with our just turned 2 and 4 year old. It was great fun both kids loved it. I bought a tent on eBay which came with some camping equipment. They both went to bed without any real fuss because they were worn out. Hopefully 🤞we will get to go again this year.

Top tip is to take roll mats or those floor foam tiles for flooring of tent as you will spend more time kneeling doing nappies or sitting on the otherwise cold +hard floor than you expect.

Depending on the quality of the shower block where you go it is probably worth just taking loads of wet wipes for a quick wash down rather than a too hot/cold shower. Lots of layers for night time. Infinite snacks you can keep at room temp on hand. We always get through so many juice boxes, pom bears, fruit puree pots instead of yogurt, brioche buns.

Oh and glow sticks! Fun to play with at dusk and also makes it easier to keep an eye on where they are in a dark field!

If you have any kind of garden, practise putting the tent up regularly. Mark any poles etc so you can easily see what fits where.

Once it's up, have a practice to walk through doing things from the moment you wake up til you fall back asleep.

Do you want to have a table to sit at ? If so (when the time comes) get the largest piece of 'wood' that will fit flat in the boot of your car and add attachment points for legs load it into the car first (and don't forget to include the legs).

Lists are your friend, to keep track of what you really need. Probably less than you think You need so long as you have the essential luxuries. Only you know which is which for you.

Wipes, and more wipes.
Good lanterns.
Picnic rug / low chair for the two year old to sit at.
Wellies and waterproof trousers for the wet dewy morning grass. Or plastic shows and bare legs.
Insect repellent
Nappy sacks and bin liners.
If your tent does not have a porch before you get inside the door, get a tarp - somewhere covered to undress a wet / grassy child before they bring soaking wet clothes / footwear into the tent.
Zip the zips to the top of the sleeping pod / tent door, to prevent adventurous toddler escape early in the morning.

Don't take bubbles.

How old are your teenagers? Basically they should be able to look after themselves leaving you with only the two year old. Take turns at that with your husband as well as some family activities your sorted.

Did people find their toddlers slept better, worse or the same really when they camped?

Same really. Daylight is the main challenge, so keep them up until sundown but be ready or them to wake up at sunrise! Tablet+headphones time is key then to stop them waking up the rest of the campsite at 5am! If you don't have electric hook up then buy a powerbank you can charge in the car and draw on in the tent.

Introduce yourself and the child to the neighbours, so they know where to return the child if s/he wanders too far!

Don't forget some indoor toys (small world play/animals/duplo/trains, etc) for when it rains.

Shoes such as crocs that the child can wear without sock. (Possibly wellies if it's wet) our biggest problem was they would constantly leave the tent wearing socks. Socks would last 10 mins then be wet.

Get an all-in-one rain suit, so if it's wet, (and remember, even in beautiful weather the grass has dew in the mornings) or cold, there is no problem with crawling/falling over/rolling around and getting wet clothes.

We went camping from when our daughter was 11m old. Echo what other people have said...

• waterproofs and wellies (and a warm hat!) for morning time.
• cosy socks, onesie on top of pjs for sleeping. Plenty of blankets. iPad / books for calming down!
• we’ve got a ‘play and go’ play mat / toy storage which is useful! Outdoor picnic rug and chairs is a must.
• if you’re worried about the showers with a 2yr old, we have also used a water sprayer. Stand them on a towel, spray with water, lather with soap etc, spray and wash off!
• food: plenty of snacks. I have also frozen a couple of meals when she a smaller toddler and kept them in cool box so they’re ready and defrosted for the first two nights.
• if it’s roasting hot you might benefit from one of those pop up tents for some shade. We’ve now got an event shelter. We also have a very small paddling pool - Around 40cm wide that is useful to sit them in and cool off (think it was for dogs - from Poundland!)
• a wind break is good for privacy and keeping your 2yr old in sight with a play area inside it.
• one of those collapsible boxes are good to keep out of main living area for shoes etc.

In the evening Enjoy it!!!