From what age can you take children camping?

From babyhood in principle, as long as the sleeping place is warm and dry. It gets easier from about three, when children walk, help out and understand the pitch as a space of their own. What matters is less the age than the site you pick.

How much spare clothing does a child need for camping?

Roughly twice as much as at home. A day of water, sand and grass gets through three outfits rather than one, and on cool days nothing dries overnight. A washing line and a bag for wet things are compulsory kit for that reason.

What do you do if it rains all week?

With the right kit, rain is not a lost day: waterproof dungarees and wellies turn it into the programme, and indoors you need games, drawing things and audiobooks. More important than any single activity is somewhere under cover — an awning, a gazebo or a sun sail.

How do you keep children happy on a long drive?

Stages of no more than two hours, then a break with real movement rather than just a toilet stop. Add audiobooks, snacks within reach, and a destination the children can follow on the map themselves.

Which campsite should you choose with children?

One with a playground, shallow water and a short walk to the facilities. A site where the trip to the toilet takes five minutes at night costs more patience than any missing piece of kit.

What belongs in a first-aid kit for children?

A thermometer, infant paracetamol in the dose you are used to, plasters in children’s sizes, antiseptic cream, a cold pack, rehydration sachets and something for insect bites. Products bought abroad are often made up to different strengths, so take the familiar ones with you.

Send it to the app — then tick it off and keep planning

Family Camping Packing List with Children

Camping with children is an adventure — and with the right preparation it is one for the parents too. This family packing list covers clothing, sleeping, keeping everyone busy and the medical kit, from toddler to school age.

Open in the app

115 items · 11 categories

Before you leave

With children, preparation counts for more than kit. These points cost ten minutes at home and save hours on the road.

A site with a playground and shallow water chosenThe site is the single most important decision of the whole trip. Everything else can be corrected once you are there.
Arrival planned for daylightPitching in the dark with tired children is the most common reason a first evening goes wrong.
Tent or awning put up once at homeChildren help willingly when they know the routine, and missing parts turn up in time.
The drive split into stagesA proper break with movement every two hours is quicker than one long drive with protest.
Children’s passports and vaccination recordsEvery child needs travel documents of their own, babies included. Being named on a parent’s passport has not counted for years.
Consent letter when only one parent travelsTravelling without the other person with parental responsibility, you may well be asked for it at the border.
GHIC or EHIC cards for everyoneA GHIC or EHIC covers state healthcare only. It does not cover the flight home.
Emergency card in the child’s rucksackName, pitch number and a parent’s mobile number on paper — for the moment a child turns up alone at reception.

Clothing for the children

Children get wet, then dirty, then wet again. The adult rule of thumb does not apply here: twice the amount is realistic.

Twice the spare clothing you think you needA day by the water gets through three outfits, not one.
Waterproof dungarees and welliesWith them, rain is not a cancelled day but the best part of the trip.
Waterproof jacket with a hoodA hood rather than a cap: under a hood the back of the neck stays dry.
Warm jacket and fleeceBy the water in the evening, children cool down far faster than adults.
Long trousers against midges and sunMore effective and kinder to the skin than any extra product put on it.
Swimwear, at least two setsWet swim shorts do not dry overnight when it is cool.
Sun hat with a neck flapThe back of the neck is the first place children burn.
Sturdy shoes and sandalsSandals with a solid sole: tent pegs and pine cones are the enemy of the bare foot.
Water shoes for the shower blockFor shared showers and stony shores alike.
Warm socks and a hat for the nightChildren lose most of their warmth through the head at night.
Pyjamas warmer than the ones at homeA tent is colder at night than the day suggests.
Laundry bag for wet and dirty thingsKeeps wet apart from dry, which otherwise leaves the whole bag damp.

Sleeping with children

A child who sleeps badly shapes the whole of the next day. Effort pays off here more than anywhere else.

The favourite cuddly toyThe most important line on the whole list. Without it, the first night is a long one.
A familiar pillow or duvet cover from homeIn strange surroundings a familiar smell settles a child better than any argument.
Sleeping bag sized for the childOne that is too big does not keep a child warm, because too much air stays inside it.
Sleeping mat or children’s airbedInsulation underneath matters more than padding: the cold comes from the ground.
Night light or a small lampA campsite at night is genuinely dark, and that frightens children more than adults.
Travel cot for toddlersA separate sleeping place of their own works better than the parents’ mattress.
Hot water bottlePut in at the foot end in the evening, it makes the night bearable for a child.
Earplugs for the parentsA site is noisier at night than home, and parents sleep less anyway.
The usual bedtime routine planned inA book, a song or a story works just as well in a tent — as long as you remember to bring it.
Baby monitor for separate sleeping areasWorth it with a caravan and awning, or two tents side by side.

Food and drink

Children eat differently on a trip: more often, more simply, and preferably something they already know. That saves more arguments than any rule.

A water bottle for each childLabelled, or by the second day none of them belongs to anybody.
Snacks for the journey and for in betweenThe single most effective contribution to family peace on a long stage.
Familiar favourite meals for the first few daysThe first evening is the wrong moment to try something new.
Unbreakable children’s crockeryMelamine or enamel, because a beaker on a camping table is guaranteed to go over once.
Straws and beakers with lidsOn a wobbly camping table, the difference between a drink and a puddle.
Bibs or large napkinsWashing is more work on site than at home. Every T-shirt saved counts.
Cool box for milk and yoghurtChildren’s products cope with warmth far worse than the rest of the shop.
Lunch boxes for days outFood bought on the way is expensive and rarely what children want to eat.
Fruit and vegetables cut up in tubsPrepared, it gets eaten. Unprepared, it stays where it is.
Muesli or porridge oatsBreakfast with no refrigeration and no shopping trip on the first morning.
Marshmallows or dough for bread twistsThe high point of the day at the campfire, where open fires are allowed.

Things to do in any weather

With children, rainy days are the real test. What is in the box then decides the mood in the tent.

A pack of cards and a dice gameSmall, needs no power, and works from about four years old in any size of group.
Magnetic travel gamesEqually usable on the camping table and in the car, because nothing slides off.
Drawing things and paperThe most reliable way to pass time in the whole box.
Audiobooks with headphonesRescues long stages, and the afternoon when everyone needs some quiet.
Books or a story book to read aloudIn the tent in the evening it replaces the screen you deliberately left behind.
Magnifying glass and bug potIt turns any patch of grass by the tent into an expedition.
Binoculars for childrenBirdwatching is the easiest way to talk a child into a walk.
Craft materials and scissorsCones, sticks and stones are lying around anyway, and this turns them into something.
Children’s camera or an old digital oneChildren see the site differently, and the pictures make the best travel diary afterwards.
A torch for each childA torch of their own is equipment and toy at once.
Travel journal and pensCombines something to do with something to keep, and works in the rain too.
Blanket for the awningIt turns a rainy day into a den day.

Outdoor play and water

The reason families camp at all. Everything here belongs on top and within reach, not under the cool box.

Armbands or a buoyancy aidEven at a shallow shore: children move towards the water faster than adults can stand up.
Sand toysIn use on the beach and on the pitch alike.
Ball, frisbee or badminton setFits any gap in the boot and keeps every age group busy.
Skipping rope or chalkKeeps children busy on hard-standing pitches, where ball games are not allowed.
Snorkel and maskTurns an ordinary lake into an afternoon with a programme.
Airbed or inflatableIt needs a pump — blowing it up at home is not an option.
A towel per child on top of the beach towelOn cool days, wet towels do not dry overnight.
Spare swimwearPutting wet swimwear back on is the quickest route to a urine infection.
Trolley or beach cartFor beach kit, the shopping, and tired children on the way back.
Sun sail or beach shelterChildren need somewhere shaded during the day that is not the tent.

Babies and toddlers

For the youngest. Anyone past this stage skips the block — before it, it is the most important one here.

Folding changing matOn the camping table, in the boot and in the shower block alike.
More nappies than you have worked outThey are sold locally, but rarely in the size you use and rarely on a Sunday.
Wet wipes in quantityThe most versatile object in the family luggage, far beyond nappy changes.
Nappy bin or sealable bagsOn a site the bins are a long way off, and warmth makes a marked difference.
Bottles and a bottle brushYou can wash up at the shared sinks, but only with a brush of your own.
Vacuum flask for warm waterBoiling water in the middle of the night is not an option in a tent.
Baby food and the usual formulaBrands and varieties differ considerably abroad.
Sling or child carrierOn campsites and footpaths it gets you further than any pushchair.
Pushchair with all-terrain wheelsGrass and gravel tracks are the end of the road for narrow wheels.
Travel high chair or booster seatOtherwise a toddler sits on a lap at the camping table, and then nobody eats.
Dummies, two of everythingOne disappears into the grass on day one. Without a spare, the night is a long one.
Night light with a soft glowFor changing and settling without waking everyone else in the tent.

Hygiene and nappy changing

With children, a trip to the shower block is a family outing. Whatever does not fit in one bag stays behind.

Wash bag that hangs upShared showers rarely have a shelf, but almost always have a hook.
No-tears children’s shampooAfter a day in the sand, washing hair is unavoidable.
Toothbrushes and toothpaste for the childrenA brush of their own in a colour of their own, or you argue every evening.
High-factor sun cream for childrenFactor 50 at least, water-resistant, and reapplied several times a day.
Aftersun or cooling gelEven with good precautions, at least one child comes back with a red neck.
Insect repellent for children’s skinOnly products approved for the age in question — otherwise long clothing is the better answer.
Wet wipes and hand sanitiserThe walk to the basins is long, and hands are permanently in the sand.
Potty or toilet seat insertAt night the shower block is too far for a small child.
A towel per child in a different colourOtherwise by the third day everyone is using the same one.
Laundry bag for dirty washingKeeps wet and dirty away from the rest, which otherwise spreads through the whole bag.

Children’s first-aid kit

Children fall ill more often on a trip, and faster. The local pharmacy stocks different products and rarely opens at the weekend.

ThermometerThe first question with any listless child, and guessing does not help.
Infant paracetamol or ibuprofen by ageIn the dose you are used to, because products abroad are made up to different strengths.
Plasters in children’s sizesThe most-used item in the whole kit, by a wide margin.
Antiseptic creamGrazes become infected faster in summer and in the water.
Antiseptic spray for woundsA spray hurts less than a swab, and with children that is what counts.
Cold pack for bumpsOn a campsite, bumps are a daily matter.
Something for insect bitesIt saves the night nobody in the family would otherwise sleep through.
Rehydration sachetsWith an upset stomach and in heat, more useful than any medicine.
Something for travel sicknessWinding approach roads to mountain sites are the classic case.
Tick removerIn woods and meadows this is standard, not a precaution.
Splinter tweezersWooden tables, jetties and tent pegs produce splinters reliably.
Regular medication in its original packagingWith the leaflet, so that nobody abroad has to guess at the active ingredient.

Safety on site

For a child a campsite is a wonderful place and a confusing one at the same time.

Site rules gone through togetherWhere the boundary is, where the water starts, where cars drive — once at the beginning, not after every incident.
Pitch number learned by heartFor a child, the most reliable way back when all the tents look the same.
Emergency card in a jacket pocketName and mobile number on paper, for the moment a child stands alone at reception.
Reflective strips on the jacketIn the evening cars and bikes move around the site, and children are low down.
Guy lines markedTaut guy lines are invisible at child height and the most common thing to trip over.
Gas stove and lighter out of reachThe stove stands on the camping table, which is exactly child height.
Socket covers for the caravanIn a caravan body the sockets sit lower than they do at home.
Cycle helmetsOn the site and off it alike, and in some countries a legal requirement.
Buoyancy aid checked against the standardOnly an approved buoyancy aid actually supports a child. Inflatable toys do not.
First-aid kit in one fixed placeEvery adult has to know where it is — not only the person who packed it.

For the parents

The block that gets packed last and is the first thing missed on holiday.

Camping chairs for the adultsAfter the third evening on the ground, your back becomes the subject.
Vacuum flask for coffeeIn the morning the first child is awake before the stove is lit.
HeadphonesIn a small space, the simplest form of retreat.
Book or e-readerFor the hour in the afternoon when, for once, it is quiet.
Washing line and pegsWith children the line runs permanently, not occasionally.
Cash and coinsShowers, the laundry and ice cream at the kiosk rarely take a card.
Power bankA phone used as camera, map and audiobook player is flat by evening.
One evening with nothing plannedWith children, the day with no plan is regularly the best one.

Common questions

From what age can you take children camping?: From babyhood in principle, as long as the sleeping place is warm and dry. It gets easier from about three, when children walk, help out and understand the pitch as a space of their own. What matters is less the age than the site you pick.
How much spare clothing does a child need for camping?: Roughly twice as much as at home. A day of water, sand and grass gets through three outfits rather than one, and on cool days nothing dries overnight. A washing line and a bag for wet things are compulsory kit for that reason.
What do you do if it rains all week?: With the right kit, rain is not a lost day: waterproof dungarees and wellies turn it into the programme, and indoors you need games, drawing things and audiobooks. More important than any single activity is somewhere under cover — an awning, a gazebo or a sun sail.
How do you keep children happy on a long drive?: Stages of no more than two hours, then a break with real movement rather than just a toilet stop. Add audiobooks, snacks within reach, and a destination the children can follow on the map themselves.
Which campsite should you choose with children?: One with a playground, shallow water and a short walk to the facilities. A site where the trip to the toilet takes five minutes at night costs more patience than any missing piece of kit.
What belongs in a first-aid kit for children?: A thermometer, infant paracetamol in the dose you are used to, plasters in children’s sizes, antiseptic cream, a cold pack, rehydration sachets and something for insect bites. Products bought abroad are often made up to different strengths, so take the familiar ones with you.

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