Camping with kids

Camping sure makes you enjoy your own home when you arrive back! 

But just in case you want to break your ‘I am never camping’ silence and want to experience it this festive season, I have done some homework so that your life becomes easier – especially if you want to camp with children.  

Sounds like heaven, right? Camping with CHILDREN. I can promise you this: They will have a lot of fun, and you will be tired.

Here are some tips and tricks that I’ve picked up along the way.

Duration

-       Camping is a bit more work than the weekend away. We tried 4 nights – which is a reasonable time to practise before the 3-day weekend started and all the other people arrived. 

-       Any more than that would have just made us miss home, so I recommend a short stay with children unless you have extra families who can help with daily tasks or even meals.

Transport

-       Decide whether you want to go for the tent experience or the glamping experience because that will help you select which vehicle to use, if you are going in one or two cars, or in our case, what you call a motorhome or camper van.   

-       I believe there are a few companies that do adventure caravans, caravan options, trailer options that fold into a temporary home for your family, and even campervan and motorhome options. Literally, Google all of them, research them, check out their reviews, and ask who their competitors are. They are quite open to talk about your experience.

-       In our case, a good friend of mine went to check out the campervan before we put a deposit down to make sure that the company was legit and that it is something that our family would want to stay in and make the most of on our weekends away.

Food

-       Plan meals you would do for any other holiday or for Christmas. I put a 4-day menu together using basic things. One day the ordinary hot dog and processed food, the other day some fruit for breakfast and some snacks. Always keep in mind that the children might make a friend or that there will be other children that will be coming with, so pack enough.  If you have two children, don’t just pack for two, pack for four or five.

-       When it comes to children and camping, I have found that you can’t just hand another child a fruit. Sometimes parents have got dietary requirements, so it’s best to ask “What would your mommy want you to eat?” or, before offering a child sugar, ask if they are allowed to have a pancake with sugar on it or even an apple.

-       Most of the motorhome options and the rented trailers come with packed knives, cutlery and even plates, but I find that if you taking some from home will help the children to eat because it is something that they know and are familiar with.  So try to take their favorites with, including their blankies.

Preparation

-       Believe it or not, most campsites don’t have mosquitos. But take some good old bug-spray with in case, and don’t forget to stock up on wet wipes. Sometimes it’s easier to grab bugs with a wet wipe and let them go back into the wild, rather than trying to spray them.

-       Even if your motorhome comes with a bathroom, rather use the ablutions. Most of the campsites have great showers, hot water, and even baths – all you need is your flip-flops and your pre-packed toiletry bag. Yes, prepacked, so that it is not hard to find something in the van or even in your car. Make sure there is enough soap, moisturizer (after a nice chlorine swim), shampoo, conditioner, and combs or brushes. I always forget to actually pack the towel in the bag that you are going to the bathroom with! 

-       Moms, if you are going to do tents, please make sure that you practice setting up the tent at home first. Take one Saturday and put together a mock camp and put together a list of things you are going to need. You will find that if you stage the camp at home with your mock camping session, you will actually remember a lot of things that you would have forgotten in the first place.   

-       Have change with you if your car is not tagged so that you can pay for e-tolls. Alternatively, use it for ice-cream or even vending machines that you find at campsites.

-       On a recent podcast that we were working on, I learnt about safety first – even though we think we are already very safe. When arriving at the campsite, tell your children what rules you want to put in place. For instance: You are not allowed to wander off without Mommy or Daddy, no-one walks to the pool by themselves, etc. 

-       This even applies to going to the bathroom. I don’t let my children walk to the bathroom by themselves. Just remember, you are not the only ones camping. Something which was suggested to me and I thought worked quite well is that we take an armband with us and whoever is wearing the armband minds the children for that time.

To simplify your preparation and packing, follow the list below. I also packed extra cooler bags – even if they are not stacked with food, it helps turn leftovers into a great breakfast the very next day.

Camping

Shelter

·      Tent

·      Ground heat

·      Sandbags

·      Hammer

·      Mat for tent entrance

·      Dustpan/brush

Bedding

·      Sleeping bag

·      Sheets/blankets

·      Pillows

·      Black bags

·      Utility bags for storage

Cooking & Cleaning

·      Large water jug & water bucket

·      Coolers & ice/ice packs

·      Flask

·      Skottelbraai/portable gas stove – for lekker breakfast. Pack eggs!

·      Matches/lighter

·      Charcoal/firewood/buddy burner (you can buy there)

·      Dutch oven/tin can stove/box oven/etc.

·      Campfire grill/Braai grill

·      Firestarters/newspaper

·      Tablecloth & thumb tacks/clips

·      Plates/paper plates & bowls

·      Silverware/plastic cutlery

·      Measuring cups

·      Heavy-duty aluminum foil

·      Paper towels

·      Trash bags

·      Dish soap

·      Clothes pins

·      Cooking oil/spray

·      Containers for food storage

·      Potholders/oven mitts

·      Pots and frying pans with lids

·      Soap for outside of pots and pans

·      Cooking utensils – spatula, knife, spoon, etc.

·      Tongs

·      Hooks

·      Skewers/grill forks

·      Can opener/bottle opener

·      Folding table

·      Mugs/paper cups

·      Real coffee and grinder

·      Mixing bowl

·      Cutting board

·      Zip-lock bags

·      Napkins

·      Dishpan

·      Dish rags/towels

·      Scrubbing/scouring pad

·      Seasonings/condiments/sugar

·      Potato peeler

Clothes

·      Shoes/boots

·      Jeans/pants & belt

·      Shorts

·      T-shirts

·      Socks & extra socks

·      Hat

·      Bandana

·      Sweatshirt/jacket

·      Underwear

·      Sleepwear

·      Rain gear

·      Swimsuit & towel

·      Laundry bag

Personal

·      Shower shoes/flip-flops

·      Towels & washcloth

·      Soap in a plastic case

·      Shampoo & conditioner

·      Tooth brush & toothpaste

·      Deodorant

·      Comb/brush

·      Razor

·      Feminine products

·      Toilet paper

·      Other personal items

·      Personal medications – take extra

Miscellaneous

·      Sunscreen & lip balm

·      Lightbulb for your lamp – take extras

·      Lantern with fuel/mantles

·      Extra batteries

·      Compass/GPS… or a smartphone 

·      Bug repellent/candles

·      Whistle

·      Books/magazines (a Kindle would be better) AAAAND COLOURING-IN BOOKS AND CRAYONS!

·      Candles

·      Miscellaneous tools

·      Backpack & beach bag (take both!)

·      Radio/boombox

·      Musical instruments/songbooks

·      Camp chairs

·      Children’s tent

·      Sunglasses

Glamping

·      First-aid kit including your child’s daily medication (We were the only family with one. We became the ambulance.)

·      Tissues

·      Brooms

·      Park map/guidebooks/trail maps

·      Lantern pole or hanger

·      Drying rack

·      Popcorn (Our campervan had a microwave – score!)

·      Smores ingredients (marshmallows, Marie biscuits, etc.)

·      Dry rack

·      Cell phone & charger

·      2-way radios/walkie-talkies

·      Safety pins

·      Money, ID & credit card

·      Bikes & helmets

·      Umbrella

·      Hand wipes

·      Drinks & snacks

·      Teabags/coffee & hot chocolate

·      Scissors

·      Watch

MENU

This was my menu:

Thursday: 

LUNCH:

·      Microwave meals with girls

·      Curry from Jan 

Friday:

BREAKFAST:

·      Weetbix

·      Eggs, bacon, baked beans, corn, tomatoes

·      Apples, pears, grapes, strawberries, berries

LUNCH:

·      Cheese sandwiches

·      Chips, snacks, crackers 

DINNER:

·      Burgers, lettuce, tomato, fries, rolls

·      Ice-cream and cones

Saturday:

BREAKFAST:

·      Frozen pancakes (These work well because they defrost on the way), cinnamon & sugar

·      Eggs, bacon, baked beans

LUNCH:

·      Braai (meats bought on site)

·      Cheese board

DINNER

·      Viennas, hotdog rolls

·      Corn, broccoli

Sunday – Leftover Day!

Extras

·      Bread

·      Butter

·      Nutella

·      Cookies

·      Biltong

·      Tomato sauce

CLOSING THOUGHTS

Instead of the ordinary camping as we know it in the days of Kumba Ya or what we see on television, I have often chosen to go on glamping options. But I don’t really know if there is a difference between camping and glamping because regardless of which option you choose, shining a light in the dark does not avoid the biggest moths I have ever seen, or even a dung beetle reaching your tent, motorhome, chalet or grass cabin when you arrive at your destination. Call it what you want, you will have extra visitors. 

So maybe make a list beforehand of what you might see or find to prepare your little family. Although, we had a kudu steal our boerewors at night. I have never seen a kudu eating boerewors and he certainly wasn’t on my list of ‘things that I would see’ either. 