One of the most enjoyable ways to bond with your kids is to go out in a camping trip. The breath of fresh air, getting close to nature, engaging in the adventures of camping, the great line of kids camping gear all make camping exciting and enjoyable for any family.
But going out with your kids on a camping trip requires careful planning and preparation of their kids camping gear to ensure that the trip is a safe and enjoyable for your little ones. Here are some tips for a safe and fun-filled camping experience with your kids:
1. Create a checklist of everything to bring so that you don’t forget anything. Finding out that you forget an important kids camping gear like a lantern or tent just when you’re in the middle of nowhere may spoil the trip somehow. Be sure you have everything you need by checking your luggage with your complete checklist.
2. Protect your kids from the sun. Apply sunscreen on your kids’ skin with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 15 15-30 minutes before going out into the sun. Make sure that you carefully read the label to know if it has protection against harmful UVA and UVB rays. You should still use sunscreen even though it’s cloudy because clouds won’t be able to block all of the sun’s rays. Make your kids wear a hat or sunglasses to further protect them from sunburn. Remember, a camping trip will be more enjoyable without those painful stinging sunburn.
3. Protect your kids against insects. In a camping area, it’s inevitable to have all those unwanted insects like mosquitoes flying around, looking for a victim to bite. Protect your kids against these which can cause serious health problems by applying insect repellent lotion or spray onto your kid’s clothes. Just be sure that the repellent is made for kids because most insect repellent contain more than 30% of the concentration of DEET, more than what is recommended for children. If you’re not sure, what you can do is to apply the repellent on the clothes of your child and not on the skin. Never use insect repellent for infants under 2 months old.
4. Prepare a complete first aid kit. This is as important as your kids camping gear. Your first aid kit should include antiseptic wipes, bandages, antibiotic ointment, instant cold pack, medical tape, tweezers and medications for fever, stomach pain, head ache, and colds. It’s also advisable that you carry your first aid manual for the trip so that you’ll know what to do in case of any injury.
5. Line up some fun activities and games for your kids. Kids of all ages love to play. And this will surely make their camping experience even more fun and enjoyable. You can play hide and seek, monkey in the middle or the classic game of tag or some other game that is appropriate for your kids’ ages and are safe to play with. This is an amusing way to bond with your kids. Also there are kids camping gear you can use to play some games. Use the Coleman for Kids Illumistick for a funny variation of sharades by doing the game in the dark.
6. Engage in traditional camping activities. What’s a camping trip without the traditional story-telling around the bonfire? But since most people perceive the traditional bonfire as dangerous, what you can do is use the Coleman 4D Lantern w/ Mood Light in place of the campfire. Not only is it safe, it’s just as fun. So before you hit the sack, gather your kids around and tell them stories about legendary tales or whatever story you can think of. You can also engage in other fun camping activities like trekking, fishing, boating and swimming in the lake. Just don’t forget to have your kids don their life jackets before jumping into the water.
7. Take photos. Any camping trip is fun to reminisce especially if there are photos to remember it by. Your kids will also definitely enjoy taking some pictures of the scenery around them. Encourage the little photographers in them by allowing them to click away.
Always make your kids’ camping trip fun and enjoyable so when they grow up they’ll have wonderful childhood memories they can reminisce and eventually pass on to their own children. |