Spring is here - and Summer is not far behind! For families with young children, camping can provide a fun and economical vacation or getaway weekend. It's never too early to instill a love of nature in children, and camping also provides an opportunity to teach kids about environmental responsibility. There are so many new things for children to explore outdoors, including plants, trees, flowers and critters. Simply sleeping out in the "wilderness," in a sleeping bag in a tent or cabin can be a wonderful new experience. But the newness of camping can also be a fearful thing for young children too. One good thing parents, family members, caregivers and babysitters can do is to preview the camping experience with a child before the family camping trip.

Talking to children, even toddlers, about what they can expect while camping--hearing different noises in the night, seeing different animals and birds, sleeping in a sleeping bag instead of on a bed, explaining to them why not to touch poison ivy and especially why not to wander away from the campsite-- can make the experience a little more familiar, easier and safer for all concerned.

When planning your family camping trip, it is very helpful to have a checklist to make sure you're not stuck in the woods without necessary equipment or provisions, such as sunscreen, sunglasses, a cell phone, mosquito repellent, a map and comfortable shoes. Both Koa and Coleman have good checklists that can be printed out.

Just as there are a lot of things to remember to bring on the trip, there are a lot of things to remember as far as safety is concerned. Before your trip, make sure a trusted family member or friend knows where you and your children are going camping, how to reach you and which children are along for the trip. Make sure that you have a charged cell phone and, when traveling with young children, that it works where you are going. As parents, it's also good to know the details of your campsite and how far you are from the local hospital.

AmazingMoms.com advises that if you are bringing little ones who are first-time campers, you may want to keep the travel time to the camp to a minimum (stay close to home) and possibly camp at a State park where there are bathrooms with running water (for obvious reasons!) Also, bring healthy, easy-to-consume snacks and keep your menus simple.

Make sure to purchase and bring a first aid kit on the trip. The kit should include at a minimum: Sterile adhesive bandages in different sizes, gauze rolls and pads in different sizes, adhesive tape, safety pins, scissors, tweezers (for splinters and ticks), a needle (splinters, thorns, etc.), latex gloves, cotton swabs, and tongue depressors-- and don't forget to bring whatever prescription medications you or your child must have while on the trip. It's also a good idea to bring some type of ointment your family doctor advises you use if your child comes into contact with poison ivy or poison oak (i.e., calamine lotion, Caladryl, etc.) to minimize itching and encourage drying of poison ivy or other rash. Anti-bacterial spray and/or wipes are also handy to have along on the camping trip. Also, make sure to bring a flashlight for every family member and a battery-operated (no flame) lantern with batteries that work.

Camping outdoors presents endless opportunities for young children to discover and experience the world around them. We hope this post has given people ideas as to how to do it more safely.