The First Camping Trip With Kids Under Six

The first trip sets whether camping becomes a family thing or a thing the kids endure. Almost every family that gets this wrong got too ambitious: too far, too cold, too long, too scheduled. Aim absurdly low and you get a second trip, which is the only success metric that matters.

How to do it

1. Sleep in the yard first

   A backyard night costs nothing and surfaces every problem while the house is ten steps away. If the yard night goes badly, you have learned something cheap.

2. Pick a site under an hour from home

   Close enough to bail without it being a disaster. Knowing you can leave takes the pressure off, and that changes how the whole trip feels.

3. Overdress the sleep system

   Kids get cold much faster than adults and a cold night is the fastest way to a child who refuses to go again. Rate for well below the forecast, add a warm base layer, a hat, and an insulated pad, which matters more than the bag.

4. Give each child a headlamp and a job

   Their own light is the single most popular item on any family trip. Then give them a real task: gathering kindling, setting out plates, pumping water. Being useful is what makes them feel like they belong there.

5. Bring the food they already like

   A campground is not the place to introduce new food. One familiar dinner and something warm and sweet at night buys enormous goodwill.

6. Plan a quarter of what you think

   One short walk, and the rest unstructured time near camp. Small kids are usually happiest with a creek, sticks and dirt. The scenic hike is for you, not for them, and it can wait a few years.

Where people go wrong

• A long drive to a spectacular place. The drive is the part they will remember and not fondly.
• Under-insulating at night. One cold night can end camping for years.
• Packing a full itinerary. Unstructured time near camp is the actual attraction.
• Being visibly stressed. They read you completely. If you are relaxed about a spilled dinner, so are they.