​Tips for Preparing for Your Family Camping Trip

My family and I are preparing for our first big camping trip of the year in a copule of weeks and oh my goodness, am I excited! We have a great list of things that we are planning to do while we are there such as hiking, kayaking, paddleboarding, swimming, campfire stories, bug catching, card playing, dice playing, and ok, I really think I could go on and on, but you get the drift. We are headed to our favorite camping spot about 3 hours away and am planning in advance so that we have no issues on this trip. We are pretty seasoned campers, so I don’t anticipate any issues, but you just never know. Here are the things that I know when getting ready for a camping trip to keep us from having any major hiccups on our trip:

• Make a Checklist. Any kind of vacation planning is hectic and whether you want to admit it or not, you are likely going to forget something along the way. Make sure you create a camping trip checklist before you begin. You can create this checklist yourself, or you can simply find one on Etsy that you can print out. Just be sure to have it ready and filled out in advance of your trip.
• Start with the Basics. I know that it may seem like a dumb thing to mention, but be sure to put the basics on your list. Tent, coolers, chairs, tarps, etc. It’s easy to forget one of those things if you don’t have them written down and planned out.
• Open up your camping gear. Likely, your tent has been sitting in storage for the last year. Get it out of storage and set it up to be sure that you still have all of the parts needed and there are no issues with it. Plus, it’s nice to air it out and freshen it up before you go sleep in it.
• Double check your must-haves. Check out this great list of camping must-haves that Reserve America has posted. You might find something that you are missing.
• Meal Plan. Yep, you read that right. You need to plan out your camping meals in advance and buy all of the food you will need in advance. You don’t want to be figuring out what to cook while staring at the fire. Trust me.

Prep for the kids:

Bring overnight bags for them. It’s not as simply as packing a bag for kids. Not all kids are well versed in camping and some may be nervous. Make sure that they have all of the things that they need and have it all packed up in a fun bag that they love. Oh, and you might want to do the packing for them, or they might end up with 25 shirts and not a single article of clothing otherwise (this is how my son packs haha).

Don’t forget the Sleeping bags. Did you know that they make kids’ sleeping bags, now? They have several different sizes so your kiddo can have sleeping bags that grow with them.

Pillows. For many of us, having our own pillow helps us sleep better no matter where we are. Your kids will love to have these super fun pillow friends with them in the tent.

• frog pillow friend
• dog pillow friend
• Cat pillow friend

these ultra-soft, extra-cuddly pillows are not only cozy to curl up with, but are great for pj's, travel and reading! available in four designs.

Check out this fun selection of overnight bags that we have to choose from:

• kiddybopbags dinosaur
• kiddybopbags space monster
  • these delightful, plush bags are lightweight and cozy with plush straps for comfort -- perfect for little kids to carry treasures, pre-school projects or overnight necessities!
• meow sleepwalkers bag - meow the cat has his nightcap on ready for an overnight at grandma’s house!
• dragon magical bag
• fairy princess magical bag
  • These magical bags make a night at the grandparents particularly special! a handy inside pocket

Toys are a must! Yeah, camping is it’s own kind of fun, but that does’nt mean you should not plan ahead and bring toys to keep the kids busy. We have some fun camping friendly toys for your kiddos right here at Sassafrass.

• Bug Catching Toys. My children, along with their cousin spent hours catching and studying bugs during our camping trip. They had a blast and they had so much fun showing them off and setting them free later on. These bug-catching toys are awesome:
  • butterfly net - gently capture all sorts of flying wonders and delight in nature's beauty before setting it free!
  • bug hotel - think of your bug hotel as a rest -stop for the ladybugs, lightning bugs, and caterpillars that you find during the day!
• Water toys. Is there a swimming pond or pool at the campground you are headed to? Make sure the kids have water toys to play with.
  • stripes good time inner tube - good time tubes» are made of heavy-gauge vinyl to last through endless summers. tube measures 36" in diameter and is strong enough for adults, but great for kids too!
• Easy, Packable games. We like to bring games like dice, Uno and other card games. It’s so much fun to sit around the picnic table and play games with the family.