Anonymous wrote:Personally I wouldn’t want to camp with kids alone if I could help it, but my kids (& their parents) love camping. We first took kid one at age 1.5 and kid 2 when she was 4 months. They are 4 & 8 now and certainly don’t get bored while camping. They would love it if we could go more often (we usually go about 4 times per year).

This is my post. As for what kids do while camping: catch bugs, play in the hammock, play in the tent, go for a hike/walk, wade in a creek, dig in the dirt, throw a ball or frisbee around, play with glow sticks, help with camp chores (even a 2 yo can help collect kindling), read/are read to, pick up rocks, play with sticks, etc etc.

Personally I wouldn’t want to camp with kids alone if I could help it, but my kids (& their parents) love camping. We first took kid one at age 1.5 and kid 2 when she was 4 months. They are 4 & 8 now and certainly don’t get bored while camping. They would love it if we could go more often (we usually go about 4 times per year).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't even care that they're girls, would you think a parent and two toddlers camping alone is strange?

I haven’t even read the thread but no, I don’t think it’s strange.


Coming from DC, I might.

You can get to the National Park Service campground at Greenbelt Park by public transportation.

Anonymous wrote:Daily Mail commenters said there were two adult chairs and two children’s chairs set at the scene. The poor wife is being blamed and it’s believed she was home studying.

Apparently they were camping with other family members.

I went with a 1.5 and 3 year old. It was not that much fun--an entire week is a bit long when both are in diapers, one got a horrible rash/eczema from all the dust, the other refused to nap in the tent and was scared to sleep at night because we had a bunch of raccoons making a racket near us the first night. and the 1.5 year old was too big for a carrier but too small to walk much and was in a really, really clingy mood so I ended up carryng her everywhere. We were with a bunch of family with older kids and pretty much everyone went hiking all day but our kids were too young to really hike.

we are going camping a second time in a few weeks--but they are now 6 an 8, so it should be a totally different experience.

I would hate it but if it is their cup of tea, why not?

Anonymous wrote:Also assuming a bunch of posts have been culled?

Not that I’ve noticed. Why do you say that?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Good for them. It sounds hard (the 2 year old) but we have family and friends that did this as well. I think its great they are enjoying nature and getting quality time together rather than sitting in front of a TV/ipad

But how do you keep young kids entertained? Do you bring a whole bin of toys? There's no playground? "Hiking" only lasts for a whopping 30 min before their legs get tired? Dirty hands, but no potable water? Going stir crazy being confined to the camping space? Sit around with wiggly 2 and 4 yr old and play cards, have great conversations, and sit still and enjoy the sounds of nature...um, yea right?

You might as well just play and spend the whole day your backyard.

How do you keep yourself entertained when you go camping?

+1 I started camping with my firstborn when they were 2ish (we actually took my 2nd born when she was 5 months). Kids don't get bored camping unless it rains and they're stuck in the tent. They find things to do that are fascinating with nature (like playing with a caterpillar or catching fireflies.) They go on long hikes and then pass out because they're so tired from the fresh air when it's time to sleep. It's nice to see.

My kids' favorite camping trip was when it poured for 2 days straight. They dug out trenches to become "rivers" for leaf boats and made mud villages for stick people. We were all crazy dirty when we got home, but that's what the bathtub/shower is for.

Also assuming a bunch of posts have been culled?

Anonymous wrote:I don't even care that they're girls, would you think a parent and two toddlers camping alone is strange?

I haven’t even read the thread but no, I don’t think it’s strange.


Coming from DC, I might.

Not that it really matters, but the post article on the incident said he was camping with additional (unnamed) family members. Helps explain how he could manage camping with two little kids, but raises a lot of questions re what happened.

Big camper here, and I regret that I didn't get my kids out when they were this age. They like it okay, one definitely more than the other, but I can't help but think it wouls be more normalized for them if I had started earlier.
#lastchildinthewoods

Eh - I had friends who took their 6 month old kid camping in the middle of the Alaskan winter. Different strokes. Sounds like many posters here are just removed from nature. Our ancestors lived out in the wilderness with newborns, and the human race seemed to survive. Our current day version of “camping” is nothing compared to that.

Most certainly an additional adult/caregiver would make things easier. With that said, there is no reason children that age should not go camping. Newsflash--Two year olds do not need special food.

I'm the oldest of five. My parents took us camping from an early age, the newest member of the family always included even if a baby. Some of my best memories are of camping as a family. Now that we are older all 5 of us are still very close as are our kids, i.e., the cousins. I truly believe it is from spending time together as we did growing up.

When we were very young my parents would choose campgrounds fairly close to home and ones that had more amenities. Such as a pool and playground. Once the younger ones passed the toddler stage we starting going further afield including camping trips to Yellowstone, Tetons, Yosemite, etc. I have fond memories of hiking, swimming, canoeing, sitting around the camp picnic table playing games into the evening by the light of camp lanterns and of course the traditional campfire after dark. My mother had "camp meals" which became staples during our trips. We all slept well. It was an adventure to be looked forward to. I wouldn't trade any of those camping trips.

Camping is a cheap way to get out of the house for the night. I have friends that would go camping with their toddlers, and just one parent -- I am not much of a camper myself but this is totally normal. I would assume people would stay in a place with potable water, like a state or national park or something, and not be bushwhacking in the backwoods.

What a horrible story! They were at a campground in a state park? Awful and how traumatizing for the little girls.