Camping with Kids

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My husband and I enjoy camping and I really want to camp as a family this year.  We tried it last year and had J sleep in a pack n' play but for some reason, things just didn't work out.  This year though, I really want to give it a go, perhaps in our own back yard.

We don't camp very often, and we are lucky if we go more than once.  But there should be a disclaimer to new parents when camping with kids.  I still haven't figured out what we'll need and what to leave behind.  I'm currently looking for a good family tent, and I'm undecided about having one with a screen room option or just the multiroom option.  I think J would enjoy camping, especially in our backyard.  The one thing that worries me is that he has become a creature of habit.

Maybe taking a vacation to our backyard is as far as we need to travel.  We'll be able to create all the camping activities that we'd do at an actual campground.  So who knows, maybe we'll have some new fun and crazy habits to add with the old ones.

But I'm curious of how other families have started out with their camping traditions.  What were their best and worst moments?