Taking the family camping for the first time next month. Got a 4 person tent and planning to go to a state park about 90 minutes away. Kids are 4 and 7 so not too experienced. Should I prep a ton of food or is campfire cooking the way to go? Any gear I'm forgetting? This is either going to be amazing or a total disaster and I'm lowkey nervous.
We've done a ton of camping trips and honestly the best thing I did was pack way more entertainment than I thought I'd need. Cards, books, glow sticks for the evening. Keeps them happy when they get bored around the fire.
That's awesome you're doing this. My best advice is bring way more snacks than you think you need, and let the 4yo burn off energy during the day so they actually sleep at night. The state park sounds perfect for a first trip.
We do this all the time and honestly it's one of my favorite things. Get those kids tired on bikes and trails during the day, build a nice fire, and they'll sleep like rocks. You're gonna crush it.
That's exciting! My advice: invest in a good sleeping pad or air mattress for yourself. You won't sleep well otherwise and then you're grumpy the whole trip. The kids will have fun no matter what, but a rested dad makes everything better.
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Start with a test run in the backyard if you can. Get the tent up at home, have them 'camp' there overnight so they know what to expect. Takes a lot of the weirdness out of the first night in a real tent.