

Camping is a fantastic way to make memories, especially when you have young children. As a mother of three (and another on the way) I have recently come around to the idea of camping holidays with the family. Gone are the days of laying by a pool sipping cocktails. These days it’s about keeping costs down, kids happy and the general public more or less undisturbed by my offspring.
The idea of camping with children used to send me into a panic, hyperventilating in a corner. However, I’ve since realised that so long as you’re organised, camping offers families some of the best options for getting away from the ‘real world’.

Now, there are a thousand ‘Camping Essentials’ checklists available if you do a quick Google search. But here's what you really need to enjoy your camping trip:
1. Some clothes. Not many.
While you’re away camping you still do need to dress your children. Although, I guess that depends on where you go and the weather. Head somewhere really remote and you could just let them nude up and save on the packing altogether. Your choice.
If you’re not quite ready to adopt the ‘naturalist’ lifestyle (yeah, me neither) think carefully about what you need, and what you don’t. As parents, we tend to throw almost every item of clothing into their bags ‘just in case’.
But the beauty of camping is that they can wear the same t-shirt and shorts for days on end without anyone batting an eyelid. Is that stain on their shirt just from this morning, or barbecue sauce from three days ago? Who knows! Who cares! There’s dirt, sand and suncream everywhere so just accept that your kids will be filthy and vow to scrub them senseless when you get home.