Okay, here’s my personal account of camping with my 2-year-old, written in the style you requested:
So, we decided to take the plunge and go camping with our little terror, I mean, toddler. He’s two, and full of, shall we say, energy. I was a bit nervous, not gonna lie. Camping with a baby is one thing, but a toddler? That’s a whole different ballgame.
Preparation is Key (Or So I Thought)
First, we made a list. A ridiculously long list. Diapers, wipes, snacks (so many snacks), extra clothes, toys, sunscreen, bug spray…you name it, we packed it. We even got a little pop-up tent just for him, thinking he’d love having his own space. Spoiler alert: he didn’t.
We picked a campsite that was fairly close to home, just in case we needed to bail. I also made sure it had flush toilets. Because, priorities. We practiced putting them tent up in our backyard. It was a good time when we practiced.
The Actual Camping Trip
- Day 1: We arrived, set up the tent (which took way longer than it should have), and immediately realized we’d forgotten the matches. Thankfully, a nice couple nearby lent us some. Crisis averted! The little guy spent most of the afternoon running around, picking up sticks, and trying to eat dirt. We managed to get a fire going, cooked some hot dogs, and made s’mores. Bedtime was…interesting. He refused to sleep in his mini-tent and ended up sandwiched between us in our sleeping bag.
- Day 2: We woke up early (thanks, toddler alarm clock). We went for a short hike, which mostly consisted of me carrying him on my shoulders. He loved throwing rocks into the lake and pointing at every single bird he saw. We played in the dirt, built a “fort” out of sticks, and generally just let him run wild. He napped surprisingly well in the tent (go figure). We had another campfire dinner and tried to get him to sleep a little earlier. Slightly more successful than the night before.
- Day 3: We packed up everything (which, again, took forever), said goodbye to our temporary home, and headed back to civilization.
The Verdict
It was exhausting, messy, and definitely not relaxing. But…it was also kind of amazing. Seeing his face light up at the simplest things, like a butterfly or a cool-looking rock, made it all worthwhile. Would I do it again? Absolutely. But maybe next time, we’ll bring Grandma along for backup.
