Tips for Camping with a Special Needs Child
As a kid whose family was heavily involved in Scouting, I grew up camping. We literally would go camping once a month. If it wasn’t at our local Boy Scout Camp (Camp Ocklawaha in Sebastian, FL) it would be somewhere else. We’ve traveled all over the state of Florida and even up to Virginia.
Once my husband and I had started our own family, I knew that this was an experience I would want to pass on to my kids. However, once we received our child’s formal diagnosis of Autism, Sensory Process Disorder and High Functioning Anxiety, we weren’t sure if it was for us. We took the leap anyway and bought a travel trailer. After all, I wasn’t going to sleep on the ground, I grew up doing that. It was the best decision we ever made!
Our son, Eli, LOVES to go camping. With our travel trailer, he has the comfort of his own space, which is one of his needs. He also loves to explore nature and appreciates the quiet that comes along with it. He has also made some pretty amazing life long friends on our adventures, and we have too.
Here are some helpful tips that make camping a smooth trip for our family that you may find useful as well….
RESEARCH
Make sure you research before you go! While we camp often at Disney’s Fort Wilderness, Recreation.gov is a great go to for National Parks. YouTube is also a wonderful resource to check out almost anywhere you’d like to travel to. We use it quite often to help prepare Eli with what to expect wherever we travel.
RULES
We try to make sure all of our kids know the rules. We have them clearly written and we go over them with Eli and his siblings before we leave. We also ensure that they all understand that the rules are there to help keep them safe. We also go over them when we arrive at the campground because they’re usually pretty excited by then.
SAFETY
This kind of goes with rules, but things happen. We have always told our kids if they get lost in public places, look for a mom. Eli has known his phone number since he was 3, and I understand that isn’t the case for all kids, whether they’re special needs or neurotypical. They make some handy paper Travel Id Bands (like the kind you get at the fair) that are a great idea!
JOBS
Give everyone a job! Make them feel useful and not in the way. I usually have my 3 and 6 year old collect pine cones while I set up outside. This gives us kindling for a fire and they’re happy finding things and exploring close by. Eli enjoys helping dad stabilize the camper and unloading the truck.
LIST
We all have the list of basic supplies, but also make a list of important “can’t leave at home without it” items and let your kiddos be involved with making this list. A few items we can’t leave home are :
Noise canceling headphones / Earplugs
Weighted Blanket, Lovies (stuffed animals) and other sleeping needs
Flashlight and favorite book
These help keep my son’s bedtime routine as close as possible to when we’re at home and pretty much ensure he has a good night's sleep.
ACTIVITES
Make sure you bring activities to help alleviate boredom! You know your child best, but here are some things we bring to help keep our kiddos busy.
Outdoor games (balls, gloves, cornhole, jenga, etc)
Bikes and Bike Trailer
Walkie Talkies
Sidewalk Chalk
Sand Toys
Board games / cards / indoor games (incase of rain)
Coloring Books and Crayons
EXPERIENCE SOMETHING NEW
We always do our best to incorporate something new for all the kids. Maybe a new experience or a new food. Last trip we decided to make smores with the kiddos and they had a blast! I think they just liked eating the marshmallows though. We used the Marshmallow Bamboo Sticks, which were convenient to just toss in the fire when we were done. Easy clean up!
I hope these tips help someone’s trip go a little smoother than it could have!
J. Fitzpatrick
