This weekend we went on our first camping trip as a family. The older boys and daddy have been by themselves, but the whole family has never been together. We took along Papa and Nana, and boy were they a big help.

Overall, it was a great time, just a bit chilly at night. It’s never easy sleeping away from home with babies. It is something we will do again, and it will be great fun to do as a family when the babies are older.

Nana having hot cocoa with Samuel and Jordan.

Elijah is ready to eat!

Joshua playing in the fire pit. Don’t worry it wasn’t the one we used for our campfire. 🙂

The whole family on a hike!

For those of you considering camping with toddlers I have a few suggestions.

1. Accept dirt to be apart of your everyday experience with camping. There are levels to dirty, and you have to accept that the toddlers, and especially crawling babies, will be dirty constantly! But hey, it’s fun!

2. Take a pack-n-play for each toddler. These will provide somewhere safe to sleep at night and also somewhere safe to stash a toddler when you are cooking or doing something you don’t want them into. And it gives you a much-needed break from chasing them all day long.

3. Take more clothes than you think you will need. There are no laundry machines in the woods, so take plenty of clothes.

4. Try to keep their schedule the same, but realize that nap times will be difficult due to a new environment and often hot tents. If you they really won’t nap, consider a car ride in the A/C. It’s well worth the time and gas.

5. Do easy foods for meal times. Those are the most difficult times to keep up with toddlers.

6. If possible, take along some help in the form of grandparents. They are a lifesaver!

7. Don’t camp to far away from home, that way you can make a quick getaway if things get ugly.

When camping with toddlers you have to hold things loosely. My little ones had a blast and it was well worth the headaches of nap time. You just can’t expect things to go exactly as you plan, but that is life with toddlers. If you family is like ours, you can’t wait until everyone is school aged to camp, otherwise your oldest will be a teenager. Seize the moment and try something new. It’s worth it.