Well, we survived.

Holy jeez, was this an interesting camping trip. I'm still trying to determine if it was a success or not. Either way, I have learned a lot for future trips when it comes to camping with a toddler.



My initial concerns and assumptions were right on. He wanted to play and touch EVERY thing that was totally unsuitable for a little person. This includes bottles of beer, cups of wine, cans of beer, lighters, percolators, cartons of eggs, can openers, cameras, bottles of lighter fluid, lanterns, bottles of propane and axes. Note to self: do not store, set or leave any of the previously mentioned items in reaching distance of little people. This is kind of hard to accomplish when the only storage space higher than 2 feet off the ground is only a 2 by 3 foot table.



We did go on a small hike and he enjoyed it while riding on my back. He also got to fly a kite, play in some bubbles from a bubble machine, play guitar, chew - I mean play with a fan, stack blocks of fire pit wood, chase the dog and play a bit with his sand toys. Unfortunately none of these things were nearly as interesting as those previously mentioned items above. Obviously.





For next time, I think having more tables to store the not kid friendly items would be incredibly helpful. It might also help to actually put things away when not in use. He is pretty good about not grabbing at items anymore once it is explained that it can be "hot" "ouch" or "yuck". But it's exhausting chasing after him full time shouting "HOT" "OUCH" YUCK" over and over and over and over. Plus, I'm sure it got kind of old for him too. Next time, we'll be out in the woods and not the desert so I think it will also be easier to play in nature a bit more. There is only so much a toddler can do with sand, rocks and cactus.





But, seriously, even though I was completely worn out within 5 hours of our arrival, he seemed to really be having a good time and he was never seriously injured. In all honesty, there was not a single meltdown within those 24 hours. So, I guess by just using that single assessment, I can call it a success.