My first time camping with my toddler in Ireland - this is what I learned

When it comes to planning a weekend away with a toddler, “relaxing” wouldn’t be the first word that comes to mind. But making the effort remains important. With life being so busy, I found I was relying on the television, not only to entertain my toddler, but to soothe her in certain circumstances.

In an attempt to bring my 20-month-old daughter outside more, I started taking her on child-friendly hikes. My favourites are the Bohernabreena Reservoir Upper Loop and Cruagh Wood. Both are buggy-accessible, but I prefer to carry my toddler in the Ergobaby carrier, which can be worn on your chest or back.

When starting out hiking, I expected tantrums, fatigue or boredom from my toddler, but to my surprise she took every hike in her stride. Stopping to point out insects, animals, flowers and trees, I was confronted with my own ignorance and disconnect from the nature . I downloaded the app PictureThis – Plant Identifier, which has been invaluable in our adventures.

After the success of our hikes, I wanted to plan a weekend away that was fun for me and for her, involving as little stress as possible. I’ve never been camping outside of a festival, so this was a completely new venture for me.

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Finding a place to camp

When it comes to camping, planning is important and location is everything. You have two choices: wild camping or a campsite. As it was our first time camping, we opted for a campsite to give ourselves the best chance of getting it right for ourselves and our toddler. On a site you have access to showers, toilets, hot water and other people to help if something goes wrong.

But which site to choose? I wanted to be near a beach or a lake to swim in, with a town within easy reach. The Lough Ree Caravan & Campsite in Athlone was recommended by a friend: it has a lake for swimming or sailing and a pub, The Dog & Duck, in walking distance from the site. It cost €44 for two adults and a toddler to camp for one night.

Across the site, there was a healthy mix of couples and families camping in tents and caravans.

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Equipment

We’re all familiar with the saying “There is no bad weather, only bad clothing”, and I was determined to get equipment that would last us.

We were recommended by friends to get a tent that fits a few more people than you need, so you have space for your stuff. At Decathlon, which has equipment to suit all budgets, we bought the Quechua MH100 four-person tent, at €65. It was compact but still gave us enough space for our things and was easy to assemble. It’s small enough to hike with or bring to a festival too. We also bought the Quechua 140 double basic air mattress, €30, and a hand pump, €16.50.

The only big investment was the double sleeping bag, which was €65, but worth it. Even though we were advised to pack extra socks, jumpers and tracksuit bottoms for the night time, this sleeping bag kept us warm. For my daughter, I made sure to pack a teddy and her comfort blanket from home. One thing I wish I had packed was pillows, but we used folded up jumpers instead, which did us fine.

We also bought two camping chairs for €16.50 each and a low camping chair for our daughter, which cost €18. We bought two lamps for €13 each, one hung up in the tent as a night light (it had a red setting) and one was used outside to play cards while our daughter slept. I bought the Extra Smart Kemper Stove for €36, a four-pack of gas cartridges for €14 and a stainless steel cookset for €18.

Entertainment

When it comes to entertaining a toddler, it can be quite hit or miss. I bought her a scooter recently but she only wanted to play with the box, so I was unsure of what to pack for a camping trip. She slept for the duration of the car journey so I didn’t need to worry about that, but I usually pack a sensory popper toy and some stickers to put on a piece of card.

For camping, I brought two different animal puzzles, crayons, a colouring book, stacking cups and a bubble machine. Although the bubble machine was a winner, she barely looked at the other toys and was instead entertained by pulling up daisies, blowing dandelions and counting stones. I was surprised at how content she was with the freedom to explore.

We packed her crocs so she could go paddling in the lake, which was full of other kids doing the same. For the adults, we had a speaker and a deck of cards.

How it went

The anticipation of this trip was a lot more daunting than the reality of it. I expected to forget something crucial, or have wasted money on something we never ended up using, but that wasn’t the case. I’m glad we went with a campsite, we had warm water to wash our bowls and pots in, something I would have missed in the wild.

If it were to rain, the tent we bought would not be as suitable, since it’s not tall enough to stand in or big enough to put a chair in, so I will probably invest in a larger tent with a covered porch attached if regular camping trips become part of our lives. I definitely want to try out a campsite on the beach: the Clifden Eco Beach Caravan & Camping site is next on my list, and we’ll probably stay for two nights, to make the long drive worth it.