Get ready for summer! The Big Itch Blog Series is hosted by Benadryl. Share your stories about camping with kids in the comments below for your chance to win a fabulous camping kit, and be prepared for the unexpected this summer thanks to the itch specialists at Benadryl.
Summer is here! Finally! For me, I always think that summer starts when I buy my Hillside ticket. What’s Hillside? Picture the Bonnarro Music Festival and divide it by 100. It’s a small, amazing music festival near Guelph, Ontario. We’ve been going for years and when I got pregnant, I vowed that this particular tradition wouldn’t change.
Last year, just before Will’s first birthday I packed up the car and headed to Hillside…and more specifically to set up our campsite. Camping. With a one year old. Yes, I am insane. I wasn’t ready to commit whole hog so Will did spend the Friday night with my cousins.
I had some trepidation about the whole thing…
a. How would I fit my queen size double thick air mattress in my tent with a pack and play? (look I camp…but I like to be comfy)
b. How could I contain the kid while setting up said tent?
c. Bug bites! So many freaking rules around babies, bug spray and suntan lotion – how would I manage to remember all the rules while trying to have a good time?? Plus, babies & bug bites do not make for a fun, relaxing, and nap-happy weekend. I know from experience, a few bad bites, and unexpected allergic reactions, can ruin a weekend.
d. The ogling of the hippies. Look, for a single girl who loves her hippies – Hillside is like a smorgasbord of hot.
Anyway – apparently, like with many parenting adventures, I actually had little to worry about! I downsized to a single bed mat – but Will didn’t sleep anyway so what difference did it make. My friend Clark showed up just in time to distract Will while I set up my tent. I followed all of the baby bug spray rules and took every preparation for the potential itch-fest – and, treated every itch with an antihistamine before it got too bad which meant the bugs didn’t ruin a thing!! Unfortunately, neither did the sun – but it was a great time with great friends and, despite my stressing beforehand, having Will there just made it better…all was good. And the ogling? Funny how looking after a one year old will cut into your ‘checking out the dudes’ time.
Regardless – we had an awesome Saturday! We ate, swam, drank, napped (well Will did) and listened to some great music.
In our pre-kid days, the fun wouldn’t end and we’d host all night campfires with multiple amateur musicians stopping by to jam. We’d eat 400 bags of chips and hit the hay when the sun was coming up.
But priorities changed and last year, we all ended up back at the campsite early – before the music ended! We swapped tales of the day while our kids slept (for a few hours anyway) in the tents surrounding us.
The next morning, I drove into town to get coffee and donuts (I own a tent, not an outdoor stove yet) and thought about the previous day.
I used to look at the little kids and their parents at Hillside and think – ‘that will never be me’ and I can admit it now, that thought made me sad. Oh Will – it’s amazing how many things you’ve changed for me!
Who knows, maybe this year – you’ll actually sleep in the tent and your mother might make her own coffee. And I hope you can keep the freaking bug-bite itching away again!!! All three would be miraculous…a girl can dream!
Before heading out on your next camping trip check out these great camping tips!
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