Packing for camping with kids ....

We love camping , we don't mind getting down and dirty in a field with a load of strangers . Camping is great fun once we are there and set up , the bit before is hell .

The whole getting the kit out of the loft a few weeks before so we are prepared . Parenting needs a lot of preparation we seem to spend a lot of our time preparing for stuff. Tents , tables , air beds you name it has now been getting under my feet for a good few weeks and Ozzy has thought it all to be great & used the tent bags as a mountain , the pots and pans have cooked me a plastic lunch most days and the whole pile of stuff is just gathering dust. 

I'm a list maker (part of the preparation parenting thing) doesn't mean I'm any more organised or know what the hell I am doing but I like lists , I have done a list of all the stuff we need to survive a week with 3 kids , it is a long list & also needs to fit into our car . I scribble stuff off only the essentials I mutter to myself , yeah but I'm not getting rid of my phone charger or pillows . They are essentials to me anyway. 

There are some items we have picked up along the way after a few years of camping that may not seem essentials but we certainly find they are , we have got the ideas from other families we speak to when camping . The best thing we found is walkie talkies . When the girls want to go off to the play area they take one and we keep the other , no more shouting them for dinner a quick "dinners ready" & they come back , we can also check in with each other , the campsite we use is all enclosed and there isn't anywhere really to go other than the play area or watch the horses in the field so we are happy for them to have that independence that I remember from camping holidays when I was a child. It won't be long until Ozzy is off with them exploring . The other thing we wouldn't be without is fairy lights for inside the tent , so many shops do the lovely battery operated lights , perfect for younger ones if they wake up in the night and panic about where they are . I think the worry about having a child crying at night when your in a thin tent is pretty high up on a parents nightmare , no one wants to be the one that keeps the campsite awake . It does happen , has happened to us and we have heard other children crying during the night so found the soft gentle light really helps especially as they can find mummy or daddy or you can see where they are without tripping over things in the tent to go give cuddles and reassurance . They also look super pretty and add a glamping feel to our tent !  

So right now we are at the stage where we are running down the fridge to the basics , we are getting experts at clambering over stuff piled up , the lists are getting crossed off slowly & i have started to utter the words only wear what clothes you don't want to take with you!!!! 

You just know we are bound to forget something as long as it isn't one of the children I would say that is a success. 

#Parenting #organisation #camping #holiday #kids