Moms (and Dads) of little ones

[dreambound]

What's on your must-bring list for camping with little ones? Anything you take that you find particularly helpful or necessary?

Thanks!

Very Excited Meg

 

[BigDaddyRog]

As little as possible, because god knows their gonna be bringing home a ton more than they started out with. A good tip I'm gonna use this trip to give them a feeling of control and responsibility...Each of my 4 DDs gets a certain set amount of money to spend....even the five year old understands this concept. Each child gets $xx.xx to spend however they want throughout the whole vacation. If they want to spend it all on the first day, fine but then they have nothing left for the rest of the vacation, I'll tell them how much they have left after each purchase they make, but when its gone....its gone. It will cut down on the "can I get this?"syndrome that every child (and adult) suffers from when enetering the disney gates.

 

[des1954]

What's on your must-bring list for camping with little ones? Anything you take that you find particularly helpful or necessary?

Thanks!

Very Excited Meg

Lots and lots of duct tape!!! It's a much more humane way of tying them to the trees so they don't run off! (And won't leave any marks if you properly remove it!)

 

[Shannone1]

What's on your must-bring list for camping with little ones? Anything you take that you find particularly helpful or necessary?

Thanks!

Very Excited Meg

It's important to bring something to keep them busy during your down time or during not so great weather. Those "color wonder" notebooks and markers are wonderful because they don't leave colors on anything except the paper . It would be easier to help if I knew how old your kids are, and what you will be camping in....

 

[dreambound]

It's important to bring something to keep them busy during your down time or during not so great weather. Those "color wonder" notebooks and markers are wonderful because they don't leave colors on anything except the paper . It would be easier to help if I knew how old your kids are, and what you will be camping in....

Tents, 6 and 3. Actually, I just grabbed a few Color Wonder sets a while back and tossed them in one of the duffel bags we'll be taking!

 

[Shannone1]

Tents, 6 and 3. Actually, I just grabbed a few Color Wonder sets a while back and tossed them in one of the duffel bags we'll be taking!

Ok...now we are talking, lol. If you aren't bringing a tv, you may want to get one of those small portable dvd players. They sell them all over the place and they aren't that expensive anymore. We picked one up last Christmas for about $30. It has a 6 inch screen. It came with headphones too so my son can watch his cartoons and I don't have to listen to it.

Bring along a small bucket and a bug catching net. My kids (even the older ones) tried to catch those little lizards that are all over FW. It kept them busy for hours over the course of our trip even though they never did catch one !!

Glow in the dark sticks are fun for campfire programs and walking up to the comfort stations at night.

 

[mamaloya]

I second what Shannone says. The glow in the dark necklaces at walmart are quite cheap.

Also, walmart carries collapsible mesh toiletry totes where the dorm stuff is. We just got them and used them for the first time. They are only a couple of bucks and each kid gets their own. You can put their shampoo, toothbrush and toothpaste in it. A kid size towel will also fit. I put the jammies in the bottom, then the towel, then the shampoo because then it will be in the order they need it. They are so convenient. No dropping stuff on the way to the bath house.

Gotta go, my laptop battery is about to die and I am too lazy to get up and plug it in. I will post anything else I can think of tomorrow.

Happy camping!

 

[dreambound]

I second what Shannone says. The glow in the dark necklaces at walmart are quite cheap.

Also, walmart carries collapsible mesh toiletry totes where the dorm stuff is. We just got them and used them for the first time. They are only a couple of bucks and each kid gets their own. You can put their shampoo, toothbrush and toothpaste in it. A kid size towel will also fit. I put the jammies in the bottom, then the towel, then the shampoo because then it will be in the order they need it. They are so convenient. No dropping stuff on the way to the bath house.

Gotta go, my laptop battery is about to die and I am too lazy to get up and plug it in. I will post anything else I can think of tomorrow.

Happy camping!

I'm so glad you posted this because I looked for those toiletry totes at Walmart and I even looked for the dorm stuff but couldn't find it for the life of me! Granted, I had a whiny preschooler on my hands at the time. Where IS the dorm stuff at Walmart?

Thanks!

Meg

 

[Tri-circle-D]

Meg-

I have a couple of suggestions for you. We started camping at the Fort with our DD's when they were toddlers (and boy do I miss those days now that one is a teenager, and the others are about to be).

Here are some things that they loved:

1. Sand buckets and shovels- and sand toys. I can't tell you how much fun the kids used to have just digging in the sand pads at the campsite! They just had a blast doing this. Also, they would collect pine cones, air potatoes, etc. in the buckets. Sometimes we would let them have some water in the buckets to play in the sand. Yes, it would make a mess, but it sure would keep them entertained. Watch out for twisted ankles. You can also take these things down to the beach and play in the sand there.

2. Sidewalk chalk. The concrete portions of the sites are great for this. Plus you don't have to worry about them being out in traffic, etc.

3. Some type of container to hold insects/lizards. Our girls used to have these little bug keepers that were made out of mesh. You could put a caterpillar, bug, lizard or whatever in there, and they would have a blast.

4. Balls, jump ropes, etc. There are so many places for the kids to play outside at the Fort. Take advantage.

5. Bubbles. Our kids would sit out at the site, and play with bubbles for hours.

6. Flashlights. Kids love flashlights. A lot. Get everyone a cheap one. Maybe even two.

7. Get everyone a racoon hat at the trading post. Every kid should have a racoon hat.

Have fun!

TCD

 

[CyndiL]

If you are talking about stuff to keep them busy in camp we have the following for our kids.

Sidewalk chalk
bubbles
plastic trucks
Sand toys
coloring books
favorite board games
Dvd player
puzzles

We also have a small drawer that I keep little toys in for my youngest. I'm not sure how much space you have for packing things.

Also, my kids (even my 3 year old) love to go on nature hikes and look for animals. When we are camping where you can have campfires we go for a walk every evening and hunt for sticks.

They are looking forward to the pony rides at FW and visiting the horse barn. They also want to see a crocodile and lizards. YUCK! I'll have to make sure my 7 year old doesn't sneak any lizards in the trailer.

 

[dreambound]

Oh man, you guys are getting me so excited! My kids are going to love this. They're such adventurers. We're flying, so I might ship a box with a few things and I'll toss bubbles and sidewalk chalk in there. My dd is an expert lizard catcher, so if there are lizards around, she'll love that!

Thanks!

 

[ftwildernessguy]

I had a lesson in lizard catching from the kid in the campsite next to ours a couple of weeks ago. The key with these Anole lizards is go for the small ones - they aren't as fast as the bigger ones.

 

[BigDaddyRog]

If you're catching lizards with a net, it really helps to slow them down if you beat the heck out them with the net before trying to scoop them up. kids LOVE limp lizards! Adult women, however, do not especially care for limp lizards.

Maaaan....that was soooo wrong, on soooo many levels!!!!

 

[Gatordad]

There's a big lizard in the canal behind 1500, but you'll need a bigger net.

 

[dreambound]

There's a big lizard in the canal behind 1500, but you'll need a bigger net.

I hate gators.

 

[ftwildernessguy]

I hate gators.

Now now, don't pass up an opportunity to have a little natural history lesson with the little ones. Take 'em on down to the canal and show 'em a creature that has managed to survive for millions of years thanks to its incredible ability to adapt to a changing environment. Maybe you'll witness it consume a duck - circle of life and that sort of thing, you know.

 

[ntsammy5]

7. Get everyone a racoon

When I was reading through this I read it this way at first and wondered what the kids would do with a raccoon? Then I thought, Gee, those poor raccoons!

All kidding aside (and that's hard to do) FWG had a good idea sans the duck eating. Get a good nature book and walk around looking for wildlife. Rumor has it that there are otters around FW. Enjoy.

BTW my grandsons are 5 & 3 so I do have some experience, but not much.

 

[CottontailCurl]

Get a good nature book and walk around looking for wildlife.

And binoculars for bird watching.

 

[ftwildernessguy]

I always keep a bird book, tree book and binoculars in the camper. I usually spend one day at FW identifying all the trees around our campsite and the birds I see. Early morning is especially good for birds, especially owls and eagles.

 

[dreambound]

These are all excellent suggestions! Thanks!