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If you’ve been following along you know we fixed up a camper and are finally getting to put it to use. We’ve only camped a few times now but I’m quickly learning there are tips and tricks you’ll be happy to know if you plan on camping with young kids.

Here are my 10 tips for camping with kids

1. Pack extra clothes

The first time we camped I packed my boys a shirt and shorts per day plus swim and pajamas. By 9:00am the first morning each kid was a walking mud puddle. I’m not being the fun police—it’s camping and they should get dirty! But eventually walking around in wet pants had my 3 year old grumpier than usual.

Considering mud, marshmallow goo (ohhh the marshmallow goo!), and how bad my kids are at handling Gatorade bottles, I think it’s best to have a small stash of play clothes in the camper. I actually went to Goodwill and bought a pile of $1 options to keep in the camper in this handy hanging storage (it zips up so clothes can’t slide out in transit.)

2. Don’t forget the comforts of home

If you want any shot at a good night of sleep with kids in the camper, try your best to recreate their sleeping environment at home. For us that means a sound machine, their favorite blankies, and blocking out as much light as possible. If they still wake up at the crack of dawn just grab your coffee and enjoy the sunrise!

3. Bring this chair

I did not have one of these for my first two babies. Since baby number three is the only one to camp as an infant, I needed something to double as a highchair, river chair, and hang out chair. This was perfect and it folds up small.

Bonus tip if you camp at a river with small rocks—set this chair up over a mat or towel, as they can reach the ground and will sneak rocks in their mouths before you know it…lesson learned.

4. Bring a few toys

This never dawned on me for our first trip. I fully expected the kids to just go be one with nature, right? “What do you mean you’re bored—this is the great outdoors!”

Actually they’ve had a great time whether it was rock collecting, catching lightning bugs, or building a dam in the river. BUT there are still a lot of hours in the day and it doesn’t hurt to be prepared. We borrowed and idea from a friend and packed a small tub of toys.

Think bubble guns, trucks and shovels to play in the rocks and dirt, and bug catcher kits. A large outdoor Memory game from Aldi was actually a huge hit.

5. Organize

Our camper is modest in size so if we don’t really focus on having things up in their place, it’s a mess. Add three kids and it’s even more of a mess! If you can’t remember where you stuck the sunscreen or you packed the diapers under the bed and now a kid is sleeping on said bed, you just won’t enjoy your trip as much.

We left in a hurry on our first trip and after getting back I bought almost every storage tub that the Dollar Tree had to be better prepared going forward. One of my favorite clutter solutions is this hanging hamper and I keep one up in each closet.

6. Shoot for easy meals

While it is fun to go all out with the grill and eat well while camping, kids aren’t always easy to please at dinner time. Sometimes food prep takes longer than planned and whining sets in. Easy mac, lunchables, or hot dogs go over well with my kids and its just way easier than being overly ambitious at meals. Think: pick your battles!

7. Have a safe place for babies

During camp set up, meal time, or anytime you need your two hands at your campsite, you’ll need a place to put a young baby. The ground is fine for a moment…until they taste test rocks or crawl under the camper. We wouldn’t survive without our go-to portable play yard. It folds up as small as a bag chair!

8. Set up a shoe station

Whether or not you are tent camping or have a 3 bedroom camper, there is nothing worse than kids running around tripping over (or a baby wanting to chew on) a pile of dirty shoes. I noticed that between tennis shoes, water shoes, flip flops, etc. (times 5) the camper floor is basically just shoes.

Set up a station outside for kids to take their shoes off, wipe their feet, and leave shoes to dry overnight on a rack (stole this idea from a friend!).

9. Don’t forget essentials and first aid

Always bring a first aid kit. Add in children’s Tylenol in case this is the weekend your baby displays a few new teeth. Pack sunscreen, bug spray, After Bite, etc. I camped without diaper cream last time and we really needed it.

I am ashamed to say we camped without an inhaler (infrequently used, but still!) because I didn’t take the time to think about emergencies. You won’t regret over packing in this department if you find yourself needing it!

10. Roll with the punches

I’ve learned from just a few trips that camping with kids is rewarding, but it’s also work. I don’t even know a thing about towing or setting up a camper, and it’s still work. It might rain, your camper might leak, and you might burn your hot dogs, but at the end of the day your kids won’t even realize.

The baby may not sleep well, siblings may argue and toddlers may throw tantrums, but at the end of their childhood all they’ll remember is growing up camping.

So just enjoy them being little, enjoy being away from busy sports schedules and homework, and enjoy all being together. Roll with the punches. (Note: this was a reminder to myself more than anything!)