Toddler camping food and activity hints

Let me start off by saying that I am not the biggest fan of camping. When Corry and I first met I remember telling him that if he wanted to camp then he could go without me. I camped a lot when I was younger in Girl Scouts and I think that it just burned me out on it. Plus I don’t love the heat or the bugs. I end up having fun while I am there but I dread going.
With that being said, I never imagined that Corry and I would be a camping family, especially with our small children. My children are completely the opposite – they love camping. L-O-V-E it. They love it so much that we can not even mention that we are going camping until the day that we go or else Isabella will bug you every 5 minutes about when are we going, when are we leaving, what are we taking, etc. They love being outside and they love spending time with their Nana and Pawpaw, Gecca (Jessica), and Null (Neal).

Now that we have camped for over a year with toddlers, allow me to share these three pieces of advice:

Toddlers need routine, especially with their food.
As I will cover in my camping meal planning blog I tailor a lot of my meal ideas for camping around what my kids are guaranteed to eat. Thus we end up having hot dogs, chips, breakfast burritos, ranch dip and veggies, fruit, cereal, and cereal bars a lot while we are camping. My children tend to be decent eaters at home. Usually they are willing to at least try new foods. This is less likely to happen when we are out, either out to eat or camping. I also know that they are burning more calories while we are camping because they are go go go the entire time that we are there, so they definitely need to eat well while we are camping.

KISS (keep it simple, stupid) applies to feeding kids while camping as well.
If you know that your children will not eat brussell sprouts, don’t pack them and expect any different results. While shopping for our trip, I include various healthy (or healthier) snack options for those times when they are whiney and need something to snack on. I normally take an entire Tuperware-like container full of fruit like mandarin oranges, grapes, blueberries, strawberries, etc all mixed together. I cut everything up ahead of time and mix it all together. That way, when they are melting, I can pull this container out and it’s easy, quick, and ready for them when they want it. They love this mix, no matter what is in it, because it is cold and sweet when they are extra hot from playing all day outside. I also buy cereal bars, like Nutri-Grain bars before we go. Silas LOVES these. I think that he is single-handedly keeping this company in business right now. These are easy to grab and eat on the go and they like them because they are a bit sweet and filling.

Keeping your toddler entertained, even while camping, is a full time job.
I learned early on in our ‘camping with toddlers’ experience that bringing items from home makes them not only more comfortable but also made them happier during the day. My parents have a Choo Choo Wagon and we always bring that because the kids absolutely can not live without that wagon. We usually bring at least one other big toy with us, like the plastic rocking horse, or other outside toys to give them something to play with. We have found, however, that it is also a plus to have some toys specifically brought out when you camp. We buy glow sticks in bulk from a dollar store that come out while we are camping. The kids love these, they are cheap and they play with them the entire time that we are away from home. We also learned last time that both kids love to play in a sandbox. We bought several items from Target dollar section like buckets, shovels, sand cars, etc and they played with these for hours straight while we were out there. It helps to have a variety of toys for your toddler to play with. Remember that you can keep yourself entertained by just enjoying the time to relax; it is doubtful that your toddler will enjoy the same thing.

Camping with toddlers does take more planning than going only with adults, but if you just remember a few simple hints, it can be significantly less stressful.