Camping

I am pretty sure my husband and I are crazy but we are heading out for our first camping trip since the twins were born last year. Has anyone attempted camping with your twins? Mine are walking but do fall occasionally (ok maybe more than occasionally). I was wondering if anyone has any dos and/or don'ts for camping with little ones.

 

i'm jealous! i wish we could go camping this year, but unfortunately it's not in the cards. i hope you get some great ideas & suggestions though.

oh, and have a great time! take lots of pictures - even if it's a complete disaster, some day you'll look back & laugh.

 

I went camping with mine at 12 mos old for a full week but we were in a small RV. For the most part it was a success. :Clap: Are you tent camping? My suggestions would be totally different depending on whether you will be in a tent or not and also what methods of cooking you are going to be using? Let me know and I'll see what ideas I can come up with. We are going this weekend again, should be interesting at 15 mos but do-able

 

We will be in a tent but my MIL is coming too and has a small trailer. We will have access to her shower for the kids as well as the kitchen. Thanks for the reply!

 

Oh, than you're golden :banana: , the microwave is your best friend. As far as sleeping in the tent, I have noooo idea because ours have never even slept 1 night in our bed but I'm assuming it shouldn't be too bad. We had ours in individual pea pod plus tents in the back of the RV so they couldn't roam around.

I'd just take the easiest microwavable foods that you know are always a hit. Forget worrying about healthy foods and veggies for a weekend. Cheesedogs will be our go to item :good: . And i'm packing a tupperware full of mixed snacks and one full of mixed (pre-cut) fruit. And some yogurt, milk, cheese, etc... Other than that of course just take their favorite blankies and stuff. And when they are awake you are going to need activities. They will not play with leaves and rocks for too terribly long :nea: . We have baby backpacks we can hike with and we are lucky enough to have a polaris ranger (like a suped-up golf cart) that we can go on 'rides' in to fill up time. We did take a few toys when we were gone for a week but for a weekend and at this age I don't think i'm going to bother... Oh and the obvious stuff like bug spray, sunscreen, plenty of paper towels, wipes, ziplocs, etc.

Other than that take plenty of :wine: for yourselves!! And don't expect them to nap or sleep perfectly. It took 2-3 nights for us and your camping trip might be done by then anyway. I'm sure it will go fine and you'll be happy you did it even if it's a litte tough, have fun!

 

Oh and don't forget flashlights/headlamps... not that you would!

 

We have been camping three times this summer with our crew. The first was generally a success - the second not so good and the third was pretty successful. MOstly - enjoy the outdoor - get your kids as tired as possible - stick to your at-home routine and schedule as much as possible. We use a tent. For sleeping we push all the air mattresses together, lay down a fleece blanket and zip our adult sleeping bags together to use as a blanket over the 4 of us. My older son sleeps in a sleeping bag of his own with no trouble. The big issue for us was keeping the munchkins warm at night. I dressed them in thermal long-sleeve onesie and leggings with a fleece sleeper PJ over the top. If they will use a blanket - great - keep them covered. If they will sleep with a hat - great use one. One of mine does not like to snuggle - the other instantly becomes an all-night-nurser. So I give in while camping to let ther rest of the campers and family sleep.
Food is not an issue with us. I just keep them fed - cook on the camp stove - etc. I do let go on the food issues and generally let them munch out during the day since that is what everyone else is usually doing.
We brought toys for the sand and dirt. They got very very dirty - but hey - your camping! Give them a quick sponge bath before bed.
We also brought the wagon one trip and the double stroller the next. Naps seem to be more of an issue than night sleeping.
With my older son - we started camping with him when he was 6 mo old. We brought his crib mattress! He slept great! With the twins - we did not have room for 2 crib mattresses - so the solution I described above worked out pretty well. I think I even set up the pnp in the tent for my older son the first camp trip!
Have Fun!
Sheri

 

Hey thanks for posting this question, and thanks to those who gave such great BTDT advice! :good: I'm heading out of town on Sunday to spend 5 days in a box (camper) with 2 toddlers and DH, so I really appreciate the tips!

 

We are back from our trip and it went great! The twins had a wonderful, dirty time. Thanks for all the advice. We are starting to plan our next trip. We were able to fit two PNP in our tent so they slept well. We just had to watch the rock consumption for one of our LOs. Sticking to our at home schedule made all the difference.

 

We went to our friends trailer w our four just b/f the boys turned 1... we slept in a tent. It was honestly way better than I thought it would be! The only thing I wish we would've done was found room for our bike trailer instead of our peg double stroller. It was too hard to push around the camp ground. We took a big blanket for them to play on and while they wandered off of it a bit they did for the most part play there w their toys!

ETA we took two playpens but have a big tent! The one night was cool and the other hot but I just took their sleep sacks and warmer and cooler jammies for them so they were set whatever the weather!

Have fun!