Tips for Camping with Toddlers

We’ve gotten a lot of questions about how to actually have fun while tent camping with toddlers so here are some of our best tips and tricks!

We’ve only gone a couple times so far with our two kiddos ages 1 and 3, but they’re absolutely hooked and always have an amazing time. Our oldest now talks about going camping all the time and asks when we can sleep in a tent again.

Camping with toddlers gear

Here are some of the additional items you’ll need to pack when going camping with toddlers, aside from the usual camping packing list:

Sleeping bag for kids. Nights get *really* cold, especially in the mountains. A proper fitting sleeping bag is incredibly important to ensure kids are warm, and there are actually not that many kid sized sleeping bags out there. Our personal favorite is the Morrison Outdoor’s child sleeping bag

Travel cot if your child usually sleeps in their own crib. These are easy to set up and provide a firm and flat surface for your child to sleep in! Make sure they have a warm sleeping bag if you choose this option.

Camping chairs for toddlers might seem a bit extra, but there’s nothing like having a SEATED toddler while they’re eating their dinner. I thought having a picnic blanket would be enough, but that does encourage a lot more roaming than I’d like during meals and things get.. well.. everywhere. Having chairs helps with the whole sitting down situation and prevents free-range toddlers during meals 🙂

We always take our portable potty no matter where we go. You can use it as either a seat cover for a regular toilet, or as a standalone potty and it’s extremely small. We store it under the seat in the car for easy access and pulling over on the side of the road during emergencies 🙂 Make sure you read up on proper potty etiquette!

If you don’t already have one, invest in a compact camping cookset. These are generally really functional and barely take up any space due to the way they stack into each other. They’re also not breakable and very toddler-proof!

We usually bring a camp stove with us so that we can easily reheat meals or boil water.

How to ensure sleep when camping with toddlers

Whatever your current bar is for sleeping at home – lower it. Now lower it a little more.

And a little more.

Ok, now we can chat 🙂

Whether you co-sleep at home or have the kids next to you in a crib, or in a different room – camping will be different and a little (or A LOT) uncomfortable. But we don’t go camping so that we can get a good night’s sleep. Having the right mindset here will go a long way!

I would highly recommend to try and keep your sleeping arrangements as close to what you have at home as possible. If you co-sleep, get an air mattress that will fit all of you. If your child sleeps in a crib, bring a pack-n-play and set it up inside the tent. Most tents should be able to fit 1-3 travel cots easily as well as a queen mattress.

If you use a pack-n-play, and your child usually sleeps in a separate room, you could try using a crib cover. We used to bring this with us on every trip (not just camping) so that our 1 year old didn’t see us when we were in the same room since that would completely distract her from going to bed.

Where to go camping with toddlers

There are two types of campsites around the US – paid and dispersed. Paid campsites usually require reservations, have a few spots that are first-come-first-serve and have at least some amenities. Dispersed campsites are free designated camping areas usually in National Forests that do not have amenities and are a little harder to get to.

Pros of Serviced Camping

If you managed to get a reservation at recreation.gov, you have a guaranteed spot and do not need to worry about getting to a campsite early in order to secure a spot. This is often my biggest worry when going camping so it’s a huge weight off if you already know you have a place to stay. The other benefit of paid camping is the amenities. Depending on the campsite, that means water, bathrooms, shower and a trash bin.

Pros of Dispersed Camping

Dispersed camping is free! It’s often a lot less crowded, campsites are a lot more spread out, and you’re usually completely on your own in nature. These spots are often only accessible by 4×4 roads which makes it harder, if not impossible to get to for regular cars. This also means the campsite is a lot more wild and untouched, and can get you to some of the less touristy locations. This is a good website for finding dispersed campsites.

Leave No Trace

As usual, when going out to nature it’s important to adhere to the principles of Leave No Trace.

That means

• Plan ahead (research weather, terrain, regulations, group size)
• Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces
• Dispose of Waste Properly
• Leave What You Find
• Minimize Campfire Impacts
• Respect Wildlife
• Be Considerate of Other Visitors

We hope you found this post useful, and would love to hear from you in the comments! If you enjoyed reading about tent camping with toddlers, you might also like our post on jeep camping with kids!