The myth that tells you to leave your children while you are camping is wrong! They deserve the fun, and you only need to learn how to do hammock camping with your kids. The idea will be fun when you do it the right way. Do you want your family to have that memorable time? Maybe you want to connect and meditate together as a family? Yes, it will be interesting while you are out there for hammock camping.
The worries about the kids are valid, and you have every reason to worry about what the kids will do when you are out there in the woods. You should be well aware that you are dealing with kids, and it is not surprising when they get mischievous while they are out there. They will be ready to adventure, but of course, you can help them have the fun in the right way without unnecessary drama.
Hold on, and keep reading for ten insights that will make it easier to have fun while camping with kids.
1. Teach safety first
Safety should always come first in whatever you do. Camping is not an exception, and your kids ought to have a set of rules when you are out there for camping. Some parents find It safer when sleeping in one tent because they cannot stand the wild thoughts of a young child wandering around the woods! Of course, everyone is worried about that, and maybe it will be worth defining the boundaries when you are out with kids.
It is always a good practice to grant your kids a chance to enjoy what nature has for them. Being so hard on them will not help, but rather stay closer while they are strolling. Warn them against climbing trees and walking far beyond the camp locations. They must never get out of the tent during the night. Kids will listen, and of course, you should know your child if they are the kinds that heed to instructions, or they are the curious ones that go against any rules.
2. Get them used to the hammock!
First time experience is not always the best in all manner of matters. The first impression is always vital, and it will be a bad idea to lock out those kids in the hammock for the first time and expect them to enjoy. It will frighten them, and they will even begin feeling suffocated and abandoned.
You will want to solve this by doing something that will make acclimate them to the hammock. Make a hammock tent around your home and allow your children to play with it. Your kids should be spending their lonely hours and leisure time in the hammock. That first experience in the camp should not be the first experience inside the hammock. It will be easier dealing with kids when they have a good experience staying in the tent.
Your kids should have prior experience in the hammock to allow them to have peace and learn to feel comfortable inside the hammock. Learn how to make them safe while they are in the hammock. The article will explore more crucial tips to set up the hammock when you are camping with kids.
3. Hang low to the ground
You want your kids to have that peace of mind when they are in the hammock. It may not be possible when they know that their hammock is hanging too high up! They will be worried about falling.
The hammock must never hang higher above 6 inches from the ground. Kids are often fond of playing, and they may fall in the process. No parent will want their children to get hurt, hence worth being careful with the height.
Kids should have an easy time when they are entering and exiting the hammocks. Hanging it too high will speed up the damage, because your kids will be striving to get in, and the hammock tears in the process.
4. Have them help
Kids feel accommodated when their parents grant them a chance to work on something. They are still young, and they often yearn to learn something. They can be happy when they help you with the things that you consider unnecessary. First, allow them to pass the gear to you. Let them choose a tree for you, and explain the kind of trees best for hammock camping.
They can also help you tie the straps around the tree. Or they can help clip the straps on the hammock, and all you will be doing is to verify. Let them have fun when making a hammock, and teach them the good things about hammock camping. The fun experience that they need is also doing it their way. Let them even erect one as you watch and guide them on the best way to do it so that you don't restart it again because they will feel sad that their work was in vain.
The little things you do when you are camping are the building blocks for a memorable experience, and they will not forget that they once had a chance to make a whole hammock for the family!
5. Know your kid
Parents are the only people who better understand their kids. Some kids fear staying alone, and they will always want someone close to them. Girls, for instance, likes being with someone to feel safe. It may not be the case for the boy because they are always out for adventure, and it won't be a bad idea for them if = they will have a chance to spend the night alone in the woods. It will be a bad idea to force a child to stay in the hammock when you are sure that they do not want to be alone.
The point here is, you understand your child more than everyone else, and you will be doing good if you grant them their heart desires. If you know they won't enjoy being alone in the hammock, then it may be the right thing for you to consider a tent instead, because you will all be there, and at least they will feel safe.
6. Snug as a bug
Now, this point may not be clear to you, but the bottom line is that you ought to be sure of what you are doing. Comfort I something that you should be thinking about before setting off for camping. Do your due diligence about the weather by checking the weather forecast. You can buy a quilt for a sure comfort, or you get something that will keep you warm. Your kids also need to be comfortable. They must not suffer at night because of your carelessness. Pack the right gear basing on the weather forecast, and all else will be smooth for you.
7. Camp in the yard
We have mentioned that your first day for hammock camping should not be the first day for your kids In a hammock. How will you make this a reality Most families are lucky to have trees around their yard, but if you got none in your apartment, then maybe you can check your close neighbors. You want to make some hammocks and let your family members have some rare moments in the hammock.
Entice your kids to feel comfortable when staying in the hammocks. You can erect your hammock next to them and spend some good family time as you brainstorm about the good things you will want to do in future. Never leave your kids in a hammock alone, but rather, staying with them gives them that freedom, that they can always go home when they feel unsafe. Camping in the yard makes it a family culture, and you will not have to waste time convincing them to pack and set off for a holiday camping.
Frequent home camping will give them a good experience, and they will even enjoy it when they are someplace away from home. Be sure to make the first experience to be as good as possible. A mistake will make the whole idea to be a nightmare for them.
8. Get close
You are dealing with kids here, and they are always aggressive. They may not trust you if you tell them that some dangerous animals are out there at night. They will want to see this animal at night. They may not believe you if you tell them that climbing so high up in the trees is risky; they will want to see how it is to fall from a tree. To them, it is fun, because they want to experiment with the forbidden things, but for you, it will be sad to imagine that the kid steps on snakes while strolling around at night!
It will be devastating to end the camping holiday to take a child to the hospital because of a fall from a tree. Bad experiences are not necessary. They rarely happen, and you won't be the fast one. You only need to be vigilant, and you can achieve this by staying close to your kids. Erect your hammocks in trees that t are closer together to allow you to monitor your kids' steps.
9. Let there be light
Light is essential when we are in dark places. We are always careful not to step on sharp objects at night, that is why we carry spotlights around. Hammock camping is fun regardless of time for the elderly because they won't mind when they hear a wolf howling around in the forest. Kids are still growing, and they can easily create wild imaginations out of a falling branch. It won't surprise you to hear them screaming that a big-footed monster just hit their hammock! Of course, it is understandable for the kids, and you will always be cautious not to experience that.
You need lighting in your hammocks. It should not necessarily be electric lighting, but get some headlamps for your kids so that they can have them at a close range. Always assure them that you are around in case of anything. Make them feel like you are just out there watching over them, and they donāt have to worry even if that big branch from the nearby tree will fall.
10.Teach conservation
Finally, educating your kids on the importance of environmental conservation is crucial while camping. Camping etiquette is prudent. The campsite is a home for all other animals apart from the human visitors. Teaching your kids how to comfortable stay in the camp without interfering with the birds' habitats like nests, or even throwing stones on birds is among the things that must never miss in camping education. They should learn a āLeave no trace principleā to be able to leave the camp as good as they found it. Barks of trees must never be tampered with, neither should the waste and uses bottles be thrown anyhow. All these are the basics of environmental conservation that you should let your kids learn to have a good camping experience.
It is never challenging camping with kids if you know what it takes to have a good time with them.
