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Autumn Camping With Children - A Parent's Guide

Camping is a wonderful activity to enjoy year round with friends and family. If you’re thinking of taking your little one camping for the first time we hope you find our guide very helpful!

Find out what perks your campsite has to offer for families with young children

Even if you’re heading to a campsite you’ve been to many times before, if you have only ever visited without children, you could be missing out on an array of extra facilities and activities exclusively available for families. Some campsites provide family only wash facilities and toilets, as well as activities and entertainment designed with children and families in mind.

You Have Our Permisson to 'Over-Pack'

Read through any article with tips and advice on camping, and one of the first tips you’ll come across is ‘don’t over-pack’. However, when it comes to your first camping trip with children, it’s fine to be a little bit over-prepared. Children like to get messy after all, and all the extra time they’ll be spending outside, will mean it’s necessary to pack extra clothing for them. If you’re toilet training your youngster, spare clothes become even more necessary. Pack plenty of layers that can easily be taken on and off both throughout the day and night, including waterproofs. You want to make sure they will be comfortable in the change of climate, and the best way to do this is by packing layers they can easily take on and off. Knowing that you have everything you need will help you to relax and enjoy yourself, however if you do forget something, don’t panic! Most onsite shops or even nearby shops will stock everything you need.

From camping trailers to roof bars and roof boxes, we have a range of equipment available that will make it even easier to bring that extra cargo.

Thule roof bar



Plan Meals and Bring snack options

You can never have too many snack options when camping with toddlers and young children. Bring plenty of non perishable snacks, and plan ahead with the meals you’re going to make.

Bring your own entertainment

Get your child excited about their new environment, by helping them to engage in it through fun and games. No one knows your child better than you, and you know how well they will respond to certain games and activities. If the campsite activities available don’t take your fancy, you can easily make your own family fun! Nature trails are a great way to engage interest in their new environment. Give them a list of things to find and explore with them, for children who are too young to read, you can print pictures off for them. You can also bring some simple and classic outdoor toys like bats and balls.

Start off Small

For your first camping trip with children in tow, we recommend staying fairly close to home. Less travel time to your destination won’t be as daunting for your little one. It will also mean you’re close to home if you need to get back for any (unlikely) reason. We also recommend camping for around 2-3 nights, any more than this and your youngster may go from having fun, to feeling fed up.