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Me and my hubby love to camp but we never took the younger kids camping and this time he camping near water can anymore give me some tips to help us we have a 10 year old and 6 years they both have been before also have 3 and 1 years old and i am pregnant
Answer
The first thing I do is establish "boundaries" with my kids: we walk the perimeter of the space around our campsite with which I'm comfortable exploring. Make it as large as you feel comfortable so they can have some exploring time without you hovering - that's part of the joy of the outdoors. I taught my two and four year old that if they hear an adult calling their names, they are to immediately freeze and shout, "Here I am." It allows us to keep tabs on them during that moment of panic when they're on the other side of the big rock or the kneeling to look at ants under a tree stump and you don't immediately see them. With the older two, I recommend walkie talkies, which work great for exploring after they've become familiar with their surroundings.
I'd definitely recommend a baby carrier/backpack that your husband can carry the one year old in so that you can hike as a family. REI has some wonderful free scavenger hunt/outdoor journals for kids. My family also loves geocaching: looking for "treasure chests" helps break up a longer hike into manageable chunks and keeps the kids going. Unless your 3 year old regularly hikes, I wouldn't plan anything longer than a 2.5 miler, unless you want to carry him back (my rule is one mile for every year they are old, but you have to plan for a little less than that because no kid hikes in a straight line). Enjoy the journey - not the destination.
Ditto on the glow sticks (they're nightlights in the tent), but cheap glow necklaces also work great for locating your kids at twilight and making them feel more secure too. For sleeping, we still bring a pack and play for my two year old. A matress pad/blanket under the sleeping bag will add to the warmth factor and we have our kids sleep in double pajama layers (long john types with socks inside of footie sleepers) and knit hats when they sleep. We always keep a little porta-potty inside the tent at night: my potty-training daughter uses her little potty seat regulary, but her older brother has been known to "borrow" it while camping when it's too cold and dark to make it to the outhouse.
The first thing I do is establish "boundaries" with my kids: we walk the perimeter of the space around our campsite with which I'm comfortable exploring. Make it as large as you feel comfortable so they can have some exploring time without you hovering - that's part of the joy of the outdoors. I taught my two and four year old that if they hear an adult calling their names, they are to immediately freeze and shout, "Here I am." It allows us to keep tabs on them during that moment of panic when they're on the other side of the big rock or the kneeling to look at ants under a tree stump and you don't immediately see them. With the older two, I recommend walkie talkies, which work great for exploring after they've become familiar with their surroundings.
I'd definitely recommend a baby carrier/backpack that your husband can carry the one year old in so that you can hike as a family. REI has some wonderful free scavenger hunt/outdoor journals for kids. My family also loves geocaching: looking for "treasure chests" helps break up a longer hike into manageable chunks and keeps the kids going. Unless your 3 year old regularly hikes, I wouldn't plan anything longer than a 2.5 miler, unless you want to carry him back (my rule is one mile for every year they are old, but you have to plan for a little less than that because no kid hikes in a straight line). Enjoy the journey - not the destination.
Ditto on the glow sticks (they're nightlights in the tent), but cheap glow necklaces also work great for locating your kids at twilight and making them feel more secure too. For sleeping, we still bring a pack and play for my two year old. A matress pad/blanket under the sleeping bag will add to the warmth factor and we have our kids sleep in double pajama layers (long john types with socks inside of footie sleepers) and knit hats when they sleep. We always keep a little porta-potty inside the tent at night: my potty-training daughter uses her little potty seat regulary, but her older brother has been known to "borrow" it while camping when it's too cold and dark to make it to the outhouse.
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Title Post: taking kids camping..?
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Rating: 96% based on 987 ratings. 4,7 user reviews.
Author: Unknown
Thanks For Coming To My Blog
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