camping with a toddler

My husband is trying to convince me that going car camping (that is,
camping with not much hiking) with our baby would be fun. I am, to put
it mildly, skeptical.

Ollie would be just shy of 2 years old when we go. I imagine spending
most of my time saying "no" to him as he tried to chew rocks, run
away, and play with the camp fire; not having a place to shower or
deal with messy diapers; not having anywhere babyproofed for us all to
relax in.

Tell me I'm wrong. Tell me about your good times camping with your
very very very active 20-month-old. There must be some positive side
to it...

--
Sara, accompanied by the baby barnacle

We've camped with the kids for a long time, including when they were babies
and toddlers, once in a camper and after that in an RV. Next time we're
taking a tent for the kids (they are a lot bigger now and we all want some
privacy!)
They love it, and one plus is that they are *very* tired at the end of the
day. I once kept our 3-yr-old occupied for a whole morning picking
blueberries!
Is your DH planning to go to an actual campground or to a national park ?
Campgrounds are very family-friendly, and even some parks have playgrounds,
showers, pools etc. Chances are you'll run into a lot of other families with
small children. Sure , he'll need supervision but it'll be better than
sitting in a stroller all day as he might be on some other vacations.
You could always save the campfire for after he's asleep!


"Sara" wrote in message
...
My husband is trying to convince me that going car camping (that is,
camping with not much hiking) with our baby would be fun. I am, to put
it mildly, skeptical.

Ollie would be just shy of 2 years old when we go. I imagine spending
most of my time saying "no" to him as he tried to chew rocks, run
away, and play with the camp fire; not having a place to shower or
deal with messy diapers; not having anywhere babyproofed for us all to
relax in.

Tell me I'm wrong. Tell me about your good times camping with your
very very very active 20-month-old. There must be some positive side
to it...

--
Sara, accompanied by the baby barnacle

"Sara" wrote in message
...
My husband is trying to convince me that going car camping (that is,
camping with not much hiking) with our baby would be fun. I am, to put
it mildly, skeptical.

Sorry, I'm with you. I'm not a camper type of person to begin with, but IMO,
it would be a nightmare with a toddler for the reasons you describe.

My neighbors do go camping though and they just took their nearly 5 year old
for an overnight for the first time. They tried it when she was younger and
the nighttime/bedtime stuff was a nightmare apparently.

I'm thinking of, and talking about tent camping though. Is this what you are
talking about?
--
JennP. (no offense to those who do enjoy camping

mom to Matthew 10/11/00
EDD #2 10/24/04
remove "no........spam" to reply

"Sara" wrote in message
...
My husband is trying to convince me that going car camping (that is,
camping with not much hiking) with our baby would be fun. I am, to put
it mildly, skeptical.

Ollie would be just shy of 2 years old when we go. I imagine spending
most of my time saying "no" to him as he tried to chew rocks, run
away, and play with the camp fire; not having a place to shower or
deal with messy diapers; not having anywhere babyproofed for us all to
relax in.

Tell me I'm wrong. Tell me about your good times camping with your
very very very active 20-month-old. There must be some positive side
to it...


You are not wrong so much. But some people would think it was fun despite
this or because of this or something. My mom and dad took us camping every
year from when we were tiny up. And there were 7 of us! Imagine a baby, a 1
yo and 3 yo, a 4 yo... What nuts! But they thought the kids needed
vacations. They could not send the bigguns off without taking the littuns
too. So off they all went. (Well we went, but I was small when these trips
stopped and barely remember them.)



--
Sara, accompanied by the baby barnacle

"Sara" wrote in message
...
My husband is trying to convince me that going car camping (that is,
camping with not much hiking) with our baby would be fun. I am, to put
it mildly, skeptical.

Ollie would be just shy of 2 years old when we go. I imagine spending
most of my time saying "no" to him as he tried to chew rocks, run
away, and play with the camp fire; not having a place to shower or
deal with messy diapers; not having anywhere babyproofed for us all to
relax in.

Tell me I'm wrong. Tell me about your good times camping with your
very very very active 20-month-old. There must be some positive side
to it...

--
Sara, accompanied by the baby barnacle

Well...to be honest, it was easier when DD was 8 months old. But we've
car-camped by going to the campgrounds of a state or national park or
someplace like Jellystone Campgrounds. We found those to be appropriate for
families with young children. They have bathrooms with showers (and hot
water), swimming pools, and even a restaurant. Have you considered looking
at state parks? Some of them have cabins stocked with linen, cookware. (At
least the ones in Virginia do) You can hike and enjoy nature and still have
a fairly civilized stay.

Jeanne

Tell me I'm wrong. Tell me about your good times camping with your
very very very active 20-month-old. There must be some positive side
to it...

If there is, I can't think of what it would be, lol!

Sorry, I have to agree whole heartedly with you. Camping, especially with a
toddler, sounds like a nightmare to me!

I think I'd stick to some kind of a vacation that had a nice Hilton very
close by.

Good luck!!

Sue

"Sara" wrote in message
...
My husband is trying to convince me that going car camping (that is,
camping with not much hiking) with our baby would be fun. I am, to put
it mildly, skeptical.

Ollie would be just shy of 2 years old when we go. I imagine spending
most of my time saying "no" to him as he tried to chew rocks, run
away, and play with the camp fire; not having a place to shower or
deal with messy diapers; not having anywhere babyproofed for us all to
relax in.

Tell me I'm wrong. Tell me about your good times camping with your
very very very active 20-month-old. There must be some positive side
to it...

--
Sara, accompanied by the baby barnacle

We go camping 3-4 times a year, and have done so for the past 10 years or
so. Camping is easy with babies and kids. Plan well and you will have a good
time.
It's an inexpensive way to travel and have a vacation.

We are campers to begin with, so perhaps my view is a bit more positive than
other noncampers or ones that don't do it very often may have. We didn't
camp when the girls were babies. It was too hard to comprehend. We didn't
have an RV at that time either. However, when dd3 was 2 years old, we did go
camping for the first time with the girls. The two other girls were 6 and 3.
We had a blast. DD3 decided to potty train on that long weekend, so it was a
very positive experience, lol. We often go to family friendly camp grounds,
Jellystone (Yogi) camps are very family friendly and fun for the kids. My
girls were not the kind of kids to put everything in their mouths, so that
really wasn't a worry at all. They swam, collected rocks, ran around until
they fell into bed each night. They roasted marshmellows and sat around the
fire. Basically, it wasn't as bad as we were anticipating. We did fudge a
bit and bring a little TV so that if they had problems falling asleep at
night, they could watch a movie. We only did that the first time though, we
don't need it now. It may be tiring for you, if your son is the type to be
running all over and putting everything in his mouth, but if there is a
beach or a swimming pool or a playground on the site, then I really think
you will be able to occupy your little one without too much trouble.
--
Sue (mom to three girls)

Sara wrote in message
...
My husband is trying to convince me that going car camping (that is,
camping with not much hiking) with our baby would be fun. I am, to put
it mildly, skeptical.

Ollie would be just shy of 2 years old when we go. I imagine spending
most of my time saying "no" to him as he tried to chew rocks, run
away, and play with the camp fire; not having a place to shower or
deal with messy diapers; not having anywhere babyproofed for us all to
relax in.

Tell me I'm wrong. Tell me about your good times camping with your
very very very active 20-month-old. There must be some positive side
to it...

--
Sara, accompanied by the baby barnacle

"Sara" wrote in message
...
My husband is trying to convince me that going car camping (that is,
camping with not much hiking) with our baby would be fun. I am, to put
it mildly, skeptical.

--
Sara, accompanied by the baby barnacle

I'm a British camper - and I think our campsites are less "back to nature"
than on the other side of the pond!

We first took the girls when they were 6 and just over 2, and it was fine.
I think you need to think about how much attention your little one pays to
you - and I personally wouldn't take a child until they are old enough to
understand rules, and abide by them (don't go into other people's tents,
don't go outside set area without Mummy or Daddy etc) I certainly
wouldn't go anywhere that didn't have washing facilities, and with a 20
month old I'd avoid anywhere with real fires!

Having said all that though - we love camping - and are going again in a
week's time - but to an organised site with showers, washing up facilities
etc! :-)

Have fun whatever you decide to do :-) And if you don't go this year,
definitely give it a whirl next year or the year after!

Katie
Mummy to Rhian (8) and Kira (4)

"Stephanie Stowe" wrote:


"Sara" wrote in message
...
My husband is trying to convince me that going car camping (that is,
camping with not much hiking) with our baby would be fun. I am, to put
it mildly, skeptical.

Ollie would be just shy of 2 years old when we go. I imagine spending
most of my time saying "no" to him as he tried to chew rocks, run
away, and play with the camp fire; not having a place to shower or
deal with messy diapers; not having anywhere babyproofed for us all to
relax in.

Tell me I'm wrong. Tell me about your good times camping with your
very very very active 20-month-old. There must be some positive side
to it...


We did this (car camping) when we lived in California, but I had two
children then (4 and 2 to 5 and 3). We had a VW bus, and we got a
tent from MWR and we had sleeping bags. I had all the food in the
back of the VW (away from bears) and we had a grille to cook on at the
campground, and it was fun. But my dad and mom camped with us when we
were small, and I enjoy camping.

DH watched to be sure they didn't fall in the pond, chew on rocks etc.
And we also did a lot of hiking which tired them out so they took
their naps (they walked too). I also had a portable playpen to put
any child into that was getting into too much stuff.

There were showers at the campground. I don't remember having any
problem with messy diapers any more than anywhere else. We also did a
lot of visiting parks on day trips and hiking etc.

You are not wrong so much. But some people would think it was fun despite
this or because of this or something. My mom and dad took us camping every
year from when we were tiny up. And there were 7 of us! Imagine a baby, a 1
yo and 3 yo, a 4 yo... What nuts! But they thought the kids needed
vacations. They could not send the bigguns off without taking the littuns
too. So off they all went. (Well we went, but I was small when these trips
stopped and barely remember them.)

We also went camping in a pick-up camper after #4 was born - #3 was a
toddler of about 3. The girls slept in the tent and dh and I and the
baby slept in the camper. The oldest was then about 10. It is really
easier with more of them, as they look out for and play with each
other.



grandma Rosalie