Camping With Kids - Michaela Misikova, Outdoor Enthusiast
Michaela Misikova
Steveston mom shares her experience and pro tips on camping with a baby and toddler
About Michaela’s family
Originally from the city of Martin, Slovakia, Michaela moved to Vancouver, BC Canada in 2017. Here in BC, she met her husband Jan in through mutual friends in the local and tight knit Czech community. “We were both camping at Garibaldi Lake,” she recalls, “and there was a party later in the woods with a few DJs. After that we encountered each other again on a hiking trip.” Michaela and Jabn quickly fell in love, and now they have two kids, Elliot, who is 4 years old, and Matteo who is 10 months old.
Describe your kids’ first camping trips.
Michaela: Since camping was a natural part of our lives before we became parents, we decided with Elliot, “Let’s see if he will like it too, and if he’s unhappy with camping, then we’ll decide to do something else instead.” Just go with the flow. And so far, he loves camping! I think kids are naturally happy in the forest.
Elliot was three months old when we took him on his first camping trip to Jones Lake. In the back of our van, we had a queen mattress on a bed frame that my husband built out of wood. Elliot slept beside us in a bassinet where he was very cozy in his baby bunting suit. Eventually we invested in a rooftop tent where we could all sleep on a king mattress above our van.
Miraculously, on his first camping trip, Elliot slept through the night for the first time! Maybe because of the fresh air and the little forest sounds such as frogs and rustling breezes—like nature’s white noise machine. I did wake up several times in the night to check on Elliot. Was he too warm? Was he too cold? But he was fine! After we returned home though, he went back to waking up at 3am for feedings.
As for Matteo, he was only seven weeks old and it was summertime. My mom came and we all spent two weeks camping in the Canadian Rockies at a campsite. We thought, “Let’s go and try, and if Matteo is not ready, there are still hotels and motels in the area.”
What about camping and hiking during the potty training stages?
Michaela: When Elliot was still potty training, we took his potty with us to the campsite. But I remember when we went on a back country hike, Elliot was at the end stages of his potty training. At that time, I brought more clothes and took some diapers in case it wasn’t going to work. It was a four-day hike, so we had to pack everything with us for the 30km hike.
When Elliot was out of diapers, we packed several extra waterproof covers for our mattress to deal with accidents in the night. And honestly, that stage was not convenient because of all the laundry by the time we got home.
Can you give us some packing tips for camping with kids?
Michaela: For kids, I usually pack one good light jacket and one good warm jacket. If you’re able to invest—choose merino wool clothing. Normally Elliot could wear his one good merino wool shirt for three days. We fold clothes in a nice organized way and place them into a tight bag so that it’s compact inside our backpacks. Waterproof bags are also handy to fill with what we need, and attach to the exterior of the backpack.
What kinds of toddler or baby-friendly foods do you usually pack?
Michaela: On our first backcountry trip in Cape Scott, my husband was dying from how heavy his backpack was. I also thought I was going to die by the time we were half way through the hike—my shoulders were so sore! In addition to Elliot’s footmuff and diapers which added weight, we packed fresh carrots and rice. Those fresh foods were so heavy, but unlike adults, babies can’t eat protein bars all day!
We have learned that lentils are much lighter to carry—and they are packed with protein. So bringing lentils to make lentil soup, and adding carrots and sausages is a good option. Nowadays we can buy freeze dried “backcountry food” meals for camping. We just need to add boiling water. I usually like curry style meals. We all really enjoy Rio Mare Insalatissime Cous Cous and Light Tuna Salad as well, which is very handy to carry in the backcountry.
We also buy pre-washed, pre-shucked fresh peas from the grocery store. They are lightweight, healthy and can be eaten raw as a snack, or tossed into a hot meal. Elliot is a big fan of dried fruit such as apples and mango (without added sugar). Like most kids, Elliot loves to “snack around”. When he got older, we gave him nuts to snack on as well.
For cooking, we keep things simple and have invested in lightweight pots and pans, and a Jetboil stove.
How do you prevent your baby or toddler from getting restless and cranky in the baby carrier?
Michaela: Even when Elliot was eight months old, he couldn’t walk yet—but at the same time, he didn’t want to sit still for long periods of time. We would stop every two hours during our hikes for breaks to have water and snacks, and let Elliot crawl around.
While he sat in the carrier, we would often tell him stories and sing songs—I remember once we sang “The Wheels on the Bus” continuously for an hour! Picking off little pieces from the trees for Elliot to fiddle with was helpful too. And he loved blowing on dandelions.
When Elliot got bigger and more aware, we played a game that my dad used to play with me, that involved looking out for hiking trail signs and markers. The person who noticed the most signs would be the winner.
How do you educate your kids about nature and wildlife?
Michaela: My husband has a huge passion for trees. He can estimate the age of trees and recognize pretty much every type of tree. Elliot shares his dad’s passion for trees too.
Regarding animals, Elliot usually grabs those little free activity books for kids available at provincial campgrounds. They have colouring pages, wildlife facts, and fun quizzes inside.
These days Elliot is very much into maps. So we keep printed maps of the BC west coast in the car all the time. He’s starting to know how to identify rivers, lakes and trails.
What are your go-to activities for toddler and kids when camping?
Michaela: We usually keep our phones on airplane mode to avoid distractions, but we use them to play audio books, which helps to calm Elliot down inside the tent before naptime. We started with downloading stories that he was already familiar with—ones where he’d seen the picture books before. That made it easier for him to imagine what was happening in the stories. Elliot’s current favourites are The Gruffalo, and other tales written by the same author Julia Donaldson.
Doing arts and crafts in nature is also lots fun! We usually pack a few natural paints and brushes to paint rocks, wood and leaves that we find. When we forget to bring our paints, we even use pieces of cooled down charcoal leftover from the fire to draw and paint! Elliot loves creating art in the forest and he’s always so happy to take his artworks home—like a souvenir. Our backyard is full of painted rocks from our camping trips.
Matching games are also another great way to keep toddlers entertained. I look forward to the future when Elliot will be old enough to understand how to play board games.
Thank you Michaela for sharing your expert advice on camping with kids, as well as those beautiful photos of your family enjoying nature here in British Columbia!
Did you know what Michaela also runs a local business?
You can buy her amazing Gingeraki Ginger Turmeric Elixir online and at local markets including the Steveston Farmers & Artisans Market
