Thursday, October 14, 2010

Camping with a toddler must-haves

I continue to reflect on our time camping up in Michigan a few weeks ago.  I posted a full trip report here, as well as some advice on camping with a toddler here. I'm by no means an expert (this being our first camping trip and all), but with each trip we take as a family, I learn more and more.

There were some products that we found really useful during our trip that I wanted to share.

  • Ella's Kitchen Organic Baby Food      Ella's Kitchen Organic Baby Food Carrots, Apples and Parsnips (4+months), 3.5-Ounce Pouches (Pack of 7)
The arrow is way too old for baby food these days, but he is crazy about these squeezable pouches.  At home, I use them as a treat at restaurants, but they were particularly helpful when camping because they were easy, didn't need to be refridgerated, and didn't create dirty dishes.  Plus, it was a good way to ensure he still got some veggies in each day even though our eating habits were a little "off."

  • Fisher-Price Portable Booster Seat    Fisher-Price Healthy Care Deluxe Booster Seat - Blue/Green/Gray
I love this booster seat.  We used it all summer long on our back patio so that we didn't have to keep dragging our high chair outside.  I almost didn't bring it on the trip to save on space.  But I'm so glad we brought it.  It was nice to have a place to contain him so we could do other little chores around the camp site.

  • Waterproof picnic blanket   Fleece Blanket with Water Repellent Backing 5 Feet x 4.1 Feet
We picked up a blanket this spring that had a waterproof side to it, and that folded and zipped up.  It wasn't the same as the one pictured above, but same concept.  It was awesome when we were camping.  Perfect for the beach, around our site, and we used it like a tarp to cover a few things in the evening.  Very versatile.

  • "Pat" books Pat the Bunny Classic Boxed Gift Set   Pat the Puppy (Pat the Bunny) (Touch-and-Feel)
The arrow got these books as a gift and I remember flipping through them while pregnant and thinking they had this cute, retro look to them.  And then they sat on his bookshelf.  When I was packing up for our trip, I threw them in the toy bag because they were small.  He LOVED them and they occupied much of his time around the camp site and on the train to Chicago.  I'll definitely be packing them for our upcoming flight.

Any products you recommend for camping with young kids?  Please share!

This post is a part of Things I Love Thursday at Diaper Diaries.

3 comments:

  1. That portable booster seat is a Godsend! We didn't use it for our backyard camp out & definitely paid the price! Cards were a big hit w/ our 2 year old, too, who enjoyed taking them out of the container & putting them back in. Just be sure to use a deck you don't mind losing! :)

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  2. Awww, thanks so much for your sweet comment on my blog! Gotta love Panera Bread - LOL! I'm so interested in the first thing on your camping list. I swear I just saw something like this at Super Target the other day. I just passed by, not giving it much thought. Next time I go, I'm going to see what it's all about - thanks for the tip! :-)

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  3. We just came back camping for 4 days and 3 nights with all 7 of our kids and 1 extra (niece), and I won't leave the house without their roll up pads to go under their sleeping bags. It gets them off the ground, keeps them much more comfortable and warm. Glow sticks are also a huge must! The kids have a blast with them and the glow sticks help give them just enough light at night to feel better. :)
    I am loving the waterproof picnic table cover. I am tired of us all scraping our arms on the concrete picnic table!

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