My husband and I love to camp. Our first trip together was to the North Georgia mountains in November of 1997. I thought it was cold then, but at least it did not freeze. Now 10 years and 4 kids later we can still enjoy our hobby with the kids due to its low cost. Believe me it is not because of the low cost that we like it, that is only a perk.

As you can imagine the stresses of camping have been magnified in taking the kids along. So, I thought I would share with all you camping lovers what has made our trips successful with kids on board.

1. A good attitude. Don’t expect things to go smoothly with your children in toe. They are people too and will affect the out come of the trip.

2. Plan to have fun. If you have bikes for them and can take them along, do so. Bicycling kept our kids occupied while we set up and broke camp. We also took along our canoe and took many walks.

3. Tell stories. The camping atmosphere is a great place to share with your kids thier ancestry. Since much of our history involves pioneering, camping is a great way for kids to connect with the past.

4. Pack the 1st aid kit. Kids will still be kids. They are going to get bumps and scratches, hopefully nothing worse. I always carry in the diaper bag:

ANTIBIOTIC OINTMENT
HYDROCORTISONE CREAM
BUG SPRAY
SUN BLOCK

These are my 4 essentials. Don’t go camping without them.

5. Remember, a successful trip may only be that you all got home in one piece. Don’t give up. I am already planning our next trip in spite of freezing temps and our 7 month old baby.

By the way, all you ladies who think I’m super woman…my husband does all the cooking when we go camping. This ensures that we go!