Last weekend I had my first lesson in camping with kids… Actually, my own kid. I’ve camped with other people’s children before where I have ‘helped’ feed, organise and entertain them, but the responsibility for them was never really mine.
So we decided to take the plunge and bring our 18-month old daughter to one of our favourite Victorian nature sanctuaries… Wilsons Promontory. I’ve been coming here since I was a child. My memories include wombats invading the campsite looking for food (awesome as a child, not so great as an adult). Rosellas perching on my arm nibbling at bits of bread I would save for them. Sheltering in the tent playing UNO when the weather would turn on us.
As adults, my husband and I have been coming down here regularly with our best friends Jen, Clint and Charli. We’ve also filmed there once for the show. Pitching tents on our favourite campsite, side by side. Playing poker at night. Going for walks. Not going for walks. Playing beach cricket. Warding off wombats.
I wanted to start creating the same memories for our daughter. I know at 18 months, there is little (to no) chance she would actually remember the trip, but I wanted to start getting her familiar with camping and set the ‘foundation’ so to speak. I was also itching to get back to the ‘Prom’, having missed out last year because she was only a little baby. Ambitious? Not sure. A bit silly? Perhaps…
I was worried she was still too young. In an environment where there are NO barriers between your campsite, your neighbours campsite, the road and the bush, I was very nervous. At 18 months, little ones are wanderers. Their aim is to get as far away from you within as little time as possible. I knew we wouldn’t be able to take our eyes off her for a second.
So the day before we left I found myself in Baby Bunting staring at the wall that displayed the child ‘leashes’. I believe they are called ‘safety harnesses’… cough cough. I rang my sister. ‘I am seriously considering a leash. Help me’. My sister, mother to another tiny tearaway, tried to reassure me. ‘Emma, it will be stressful 75% of the time. But as long as everyone there watches her, you should manage’. She also mentioned something about maintaining a steady state of inebriation as a coping mechanism… Hmmmm…
Not exactly reassured but nevertheless determined, we packed up the car (sans leash) and left. Packing to camp with a child is a whole other level of headache. You have to prepare for every ‘what if’. Wilsons Prom is the bush. We camp on non-powered sites. Kids need a million different foods, toys and clothes. We were left with tiny corners of the car to squeeze in a few things of our own.
Of course we got there as the sun was setting and had to set up our tent by torchlight. It’s pretty much a tradition. One we try to break each year but never manage to.
And with an 18-month old escape artist on the loose, surrounded by bush that is home to feral wombats and snakes, and a road directly in front of our site, and with NO FENCES, BOUNDARIES or BARRIERS I found myself questioning my decision.
Of course I had known what to expect. I knew she was a runner. I knew the set up of the campground. I knew I would rarely get to sit down. And now I know the exhaustion.
Here is what I learned about camping with kids:
– Always take other people. Friends, family, whatever. You need someone to help you pitch the tent, do the dishes and make lunch and that person cannot be your partner because they will be watching your child.
– Don’t be afraid to take an iPad or other device capable of rendering your child immobile for longer than 30 seconds. You will need to bring it out just to have five minutes to drink a cup of tea.
– Kids aged six and above are ideal campers. They know the rules. They can help dry dishes. And they look after smaller kids because they actually like to. Charli was a godsend on the weekend.
– I brought my kindle and a magazine to read. Needn’t have bothered.
– If you can, book a powered site. It means you can put a fan in the tent for daytime naps. Our little one pretty much just missed out. The tent was roasting and there was no relief.
– Don’t get precious with dirt. Most campers wouldn’t but it goes without saying that dust, sand etc will get into cracks you never thought possible. Their clothes will be grey, their nostrils black and that’s just the way it is.
– You can not expect to relax (until they go to sleep). With kids this little, you are constantly chasing them, entertaining them or ensuring they keep away from dangerous camp equipment.
So the big question is, was it worth it? Definitely YES.
I barely sat down. But the memories were priceless. Watching her in her little hoodie try to ‘help’ put the poles into the tent. Her in her little beach towel dancing to ‘Happy’ on beautiful Norman Beach with Charli. Feeling the cold Bass Strait waters on her toes as she charged into the sea. Watching the rosellas perch on my husband’s hand with big, wide eyes. Jumping on the airbed like a giant trampoline and squealing with glee. Using the dustpan and broom to ‘clean’ the dirt off the ground. Walking hand in hand with each of us up and down the campground avenue while she pointed out all of the different ‘birdies’. Showing her to the wallaby that dropped by our campsite for a visit then wouldn’t leave. And bonding with her in a beautiful, pristine natural environment, some of the best our beautiful country has to offer.
Travelling with kids can be hard. Camping, slightly tougher. However in the end the exhaustion fades, but the amazing memories don’t. I know I’ll be finding dirt in her clothes, toys, bags and colouring books for months. And every time I do, I will smile.
What has your experience been camping with kids? I’d love to know your tips and stories.
Just spent four wonderful days in the last week of the school holidays camping with our 7yr old on Rottnest Island – 20km off the Perth coastline. Awesome place – no cars allowed so v.safe for Tom on his bike. We were on an unpowered site and must admit that the three man tent was challenge in the heat and with 3 of us clamering all over each other. The memories will stay forever though – breakfast on the beach, tennis matches in the evening, snorkelling in the crystal clear blue waters – not to mention the Australia day picnic on the rocks while watching the fireworks across the water in Perth and off course the Quokkas ! Just four nights but an eternity of memories for the three of us. Looking forward to our next adventure
Sounds wonderful Jane! Ahh the thought of there being no cars just makes it sound so much more relaxing, it was such a big fear for us as our daughter was trying to run out onto the road every 3 seconds! Perhaps next time Rottnest Island should be our destination. And I agree, four days doesn’t sound a lot (we only went for 3) but it feels like much longer when you are camping, as you literally just switch off from civilisation! Thanks for replying 🙂
Dear Emma,
Your article really made me smile, particularly the comment about the dirt, and the memories came rolling back!
I raised my two girls as a sole parent so camping holidays were the only kind I could afford.
Yes, I was always exhausted and the girls overexcited by the time the tent was up. As my children got older, I learned that was inevitable – but once sitting down with cuppa in hand and paracetamol taking effect, I could then relax and watch the outdoors take us over, the girls settle in after a good nights sleep and by the next day, I could pick up my book while keeping an eye outwards. I always tried to choose sites where the girls could range while still being within sight, eg close to water or funnest play areas.
However, don’t dismiss the benefits of camping grounds – they provide other kids to make friends and play with and other adults around if you don’t have any in your own party. Rules were needed though as sometimes this worked too well and I wouldn’t see them for hours!
My best (and worst) memories involve friends and their offspring. One memorable camp was with a friend and her 2 children, and my two aged 5years and the baby aged 4 months. Among the highs – baby coming along for walks and canoeing in her front carrier, and having her bath in the wash bowl- she could sit up by then. The lows – having to rapidly pack up the camp and move to the other side of the river due to a bushfire. And baby getting an ear infection which was on the improve by the time we got to find and see a doctor, more than 24 hours later. Yes, 2 adults and 4 kids, and yes we did camp together again, many times!!
So – Absolutely take other people. And other children. It worked well to have a friend or sibling for each child. But I also did many trips on my own, just the three of us, usually to a campground that had play areas or other attractions like trees to climb, hills with trails and a creek, or a close safe swimming beach, or simply the ability to gather wood and build a campfire. No technology was missed or needed! But this was way before mobile phones and I couldn’t afford electronic games, so we were used to that.In later years I even took our dinghy on the roof rack!
Also keep it simple. Don’t get carried away with too much camping equipment – the less you have to pack and keep maintained the better. Back then I had 1 chair (for me), a cardtable, a gas stove, gaslight, 1 box of pots plates and utensils and a plastic wash bowl.
It really is worth it – keep it up, push through the barriers each time the camping bug puts its hand up, and say YES 🙂
OOOOHHHH what memories!!! It was many years ago now and our 1st attempt it took my husband 3hours to pitch the tent, which I now do on my own in 30 mins! I now know that “less is more”. We took our collapsible camp table but the kids preferred to us the bush table that they built which then became their daytime cubby house with the addition of beach towels. The ice in the esky lasts much longer with a damp towel draped across it and of course in shade. We became inventive with EVERYTHING, food, washing clothes, drying clothes (a piece of rope with knots tied at intervals and a coathanger(can peg 6 socks on it but takes only minimal space on clothes line). The birds, animals, clouds, sea, beach, caves(Wombeyan Caves is an AMAZING place to stay)the stars, the moon look so different away from the city. Just do it, exhausting…yes but so worthwhile and it’s a good exhausted, not the dreary dull exhaustion.
Hi Elizabeth, such fantastic tips! We all live and learn don’t we… but not if we don’t get out and try it in the first place! I love the thought of kids growing up in the great outdoors, without all of the trappings of normal life every now and again. Thanks so much for sharing, Emma 🙂