5 Things I Learned Solo Camping for the First Time with my 3-Year Old

Tori Baird
Jun 10
4 min read

This year for the May long weekend I decided try drive-up camping with my 3-year old and a friend and her son, so I booked us a campsite at Killbear Provincial Park. This was my first time camping with either of my kids without the help of my husband and my first time doing drive-up camping in a very long time!

And let's just say... I learned a lot.

1 - If It Fits in the Car - Bring It

I've gotten used to making those hard decisions between bringing certain luxury items or leaving them behind to save space in the canoe that I've forgotten how much freedom you have with drive-up camping. Here's what I wish I brought - and what I'm glad I did:

🧹 Things I Wish I Brought:

A small broom & dust pan

By the end of the weekend the inside of our tent was a sandbox. I gave up on asking Hudson to remove his shoes because his feet were likely to get dirtier inside than out.

An entry rug and/or shoe mat

A rug to dust the dirt off your shoes a mat to hold your shoes inside your tent would make a huge difference. I don't want my shoes to sleep outside because, well, you know... spiders. So if my shoes had a designated spot inside the tent it would feel much more like a "home".

Extra clothes and blankets

Naturally, because it was the May long weekend, it was hot and sunny one day, rainy & buggy the next and almost freezing overnight. We were warm enough with our sleeping bags but a few extra blankets would have made it cozier. The same goes for extra layers of clothing!

✅ What I'm Glad I Brought

Toys

Yes, "nature is your playground" blah blah blah... but my son really loves his Hot Wheels - so I brought them. Along with some colouring books, his bike, his beach toys and even our iPad with some downloaded movies for emergencies. And by emergencies I mean for when everyone needs a little down time in the tent and your 3 year old won't sit still for anything else.

Tablecloths & clips

I decided last minute to grab a few from the dollar store and I'm glad I did. It makes it so much easier to keep things clean because it's not easy to sanitize a picnic table.

Printable Scavenger Hunt

I created a Campground Scavenger Hunt and it turned out to be a big hit. Hudson has since asked to do a scavenger hunt multiple times. I've made it available as a free download here.

Solar Generator

We didn't have electricity on our site so I decided to bring our Bluetti AC70P to run lights and charge batteries. I'd bring it even if we did have an electric site because it's so portable and the battery life was more than we needed for the whole weekend.

Campground Scavenger Hunt Printable for Kids

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2 - Maintain Your Schedules & Routines

Hudson is at the age where he is independent, defiant and pushing boundaries. On top of that, he has a lot of energy and can be go-go-go from morning to night without a break. At home we use a token system that works for his attention span. He earns puzzle pieces (tokens) for good behaviour and once he's completed the puzzle he gets to pick from a "treasure chest". This has been working so well at home that I will be sure to bring it with me on my next camping trip. If your child does well with routines, be sure to maintain them as best you can to reduce meltdowns (from you or your little one).

3 - Pre-cook Whatever You Can

We all know that kids can go from not hungry to STARVING in a matter of seconds so the less prep time - the better. We pre-cooked spaghetti sauce, burgers, burritos and even pancakes to make the days go a bit smoother.

4 - Make a Schedule but Don't Get Too Attached

It's helpful to know what's available in the park and to create a rough schedule to keep kids entertained. For example, Killbear has a really awesome Discovery Centre that was perfect for escaping the cold & rain. Knowing the hours & location ahead of time helped us pivot when needed. There were also a few different hikes available but not all of them were kid friendly. It doesn't hurt to make a bit of a schedule for the weekend just so your not fumbling to find things to do when they suddenly don't like any of the things you've brought for them. But at the same time, if you don't end up doing any of the things you had planned, don't get too disappointed - as long as the kids are enjoying themselves, you're doing something right.

5 - Put Your Food Away, Even When You're Awake

After the kids had gone to bed my friend and I stayed up by the fire. We hadn't put away the marshmallows because we were still toying with the idea of roasting a few more when an audacious racoon swiped the bag right off the picnic table. He was alarmingly bold and not at all threatened by our attempts to scare him off. Even after we wrestled the bag back and packed everything into the car, he lingered longer than we would’ve liked.

So even if you're not done snacking - put your food away, especially as the sun starts to set. The racoons are watching... and waiting.