26 Paddling and Camping Tips for Families and New Parents

We’re now five years into the adventure of parenting. While it has slowed down the number of extended trips — I haven’t done a trip longer than 20 days since our kid was born — it hasn’t stopped us completely. Camping with our little one has gotten much easier as he has gotten older. This is especially true looking back at his first nine-day camping trip when he was six months old. Over the years, we’ve learned a few paddling and camping trips for families and new parents that made our trips much easier. I’ll share some that we’ve learned.

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1. Trip prep and camp chores take twice as long when you add one two-year-old kid to the family. Account for this so you don’t feel overwhelmed. When paddling make your days shorter so you have more time in camp to complete the chores.
2. Before the trip pay attention to the number of diapers you use each day. This will give you a good idea how many you’ll need to pack for your paddling trip. Bring extra and bring plastic bags for the dirty diapers.
3. With diapers, your pack never gets lighter as you eat food, because there are full diapers to carry out.
4. You are on their time. Try to stick to their home schedule for naps, snacks and food.
5. Take care of yourself by eating well and staying hydrated. Without self-care, you can’t take care of your little one.
6. Bring food you know they’ll eat, especially for picky eaters. Make it exact. You don’t want a meltdown over mac & cheese, because they usually eat it with Parmesan cheese on top and you don’t have any with.
7. After a couple of days of pushing into the wilderness and hiking across portages take a day for them to play at camp.
8. Discipline like at home. If they aren’t behaving make them take a timeout.
9. Clothing: PJs work as long underwear on colder days. Rain pants work well as all-around pants.
10. Before the trip read books about canoeing and camping to them.
11. After the trip make a picture book about the trip to remind them it was fun.
12. Two- and three-year-old kids can’t carry anything on the portage. Don’t count on them to carry their toys in a small backpack or even their lifevest.
13. Expect lots of falls when portaging.
14. Don’t pack the pacifier or security items inside the bottom of a portage pack.
15. Giving them control of where they sit in the canoe can help them feel part of the trip.
16. Allow them to move around in the canoe. They can walk to mom or to dad during the paddling.
17. Give them a small and lightweight paddle to use.
18. Make sure that they get exactly the same gear as you use. They’ll want a cup, spoon and bowl that looks exactly the same as your cup, spoon and bowl. Let them select the color. This helps them feel included and gives them ownership over the trip.
19. Let them help with the camp chores.
20. Keep your nightly routine the same, bring books.
21. Have 2-3 familiar toys to play with in the tent for rest time or rainy days.
22. Walk around camp during the day so they are familiar with it.
23. Practice going to the bathroom outside before you go and show them where they can go so they are comfortable with going to the bathroom, if your child is potty trained.
24. Your child is excited, and over stimulated at the same time. They will have no clue how to handle this so talking to them and helping them to experience things will help them to be comfortable and have fun and make it easier on the parent.
25. Practice wearing a life vest before the trip. If they aren’t used to it, they aren’t going to like it. We use NRS kid’s vests.
26. Pick a low portage route, but a long enough route to feel like you did something. You have to reward yourself.

Do you have any tips? If so, add them in the comments.