Canoe Camping with a Toddler

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Canoe camping with a toddler was… surprisingly easy! As I write this, the gear from last weekend’s backpacking trip with a toddler in Algonquin Provincial Park is still spread out, drying. So I may have a slightly rosier memory of our canoe camping trip than I would have otherwise. But still, I thought it was pretty great!

Early in August, we took our daughter to Big Gull Lake for her first ever canoe camping trip. She was just over 21 months old at the time. We went with another family who has a daughter around the same age, and it worked out super well!

Here are my best tips for taking your toddler canoe camping, designed to make you brave enough to try it too.

Canoe camping with toddlers. Kind of challenging, but DEFINITELY adorable!

Planning

For our first trip, we planned a route that we knew was definitely within our capabilities. We wanted the trip to be enjoyable for our daughter (and us!). So we found a site that wasn’t too far away, and didn’t require any portaging. North Frontenac Parklands is great for these types of campsites! Starting small, especially when you’re dragging a toddler along, is usually the best way to have a successful adventure. At least in my experience!

Also, don’t put your toddler in a canoe for the first time the day of your camping trip. Or do I guess, but I’m pretty sure that would be a recipe for disaster. We took our daughter out on three different trips before the camping trip, to get her used to the idea of the canoe. We increased the length of our trips each time to make sure she could handle it, and actually paddled further than we knew we would need to paddle to get to the campsite. This helped us practice boat safety (please stop leaning your head over the side!), wearing her life jacket, and napping in the canoe.

Packing

I keep a list of things that we need to pack on my phone, and add to it as I think of things throughout the day. I also have a special section of things that will need to be packed last minute to make sure we won’t forget them (like her lovey and her potty).

The great thing about canoe camping is that you have SO much space to bring stuff, so you can bring what you think you’ll need to keep everyone comfortable and happy. Unlike backpacking, ugh (lol!).

We were fortunate to be able to borrow gear from our friends to make sure everything stayed dry. There are massive dry bags that you can get, and special barrels designed for canoe trips that make sure no matter what happens (rain or falling out of the canoe), your stuff will stay dry. Having this level of protection for all our stuff helped us to feel a lot more confident that things would still go well even if there was a water related incident.

We’ve planned, we’ve packed, we’re on our way!

Eating

Planning meals for a short canoe camping trip like this one felt a lot like planning for car camping. We had the space to bring tons of food, wine, and all the usual cooking gear, like a Coleman stove.

In the spirit of bringing as much gear as you think you need, I actually brought my daughter’s high chair along. And I would do it again! Her Phil & Ted’s high chair comes apart really quickly, and helped her stay in one place during meals and focus on eating. The other toddler that was with us decided she loved the chair too, and often hopped into it once our daughter was done eating.

Our friends brought along a camp table too, which was super convenient for cooking on.

The one massive mistake we made was not talking about our daughter’s allergy with the family that came with us! Our daughter has FPIES, and is allergis to sweet potato. So not talking about this with our friends was a total rookie mistake. But because of COVID we hadn’t really been spending any time with anyone except family, who already knew about her allergy so we honestly just didn’t think about it. Your kid might have more restraint than mine, but just in case, make sure you discuss any allergies ahead of time with people who will be joining you! Our daughter sniped one tiny cracker from her friend, and the sweet potato had her throwing up just a few hours later. Not fun for her.

We brought a ton of stuff and it was great! High chair for the win.

Sleeping

Have I mentioned how much I love canoe camping without a portage because of how much gear you can bring? We took advantage of this in the sleep department too, bringing everything our daughter needed to have bedtime feel like home.

We have a Phil & Ted travel crib that we’ve been using with our daughter ever since she was a newborn. Now that she’s almost two, it’s still a hugely helpful piece of gear. She sleeps in it when she goes to visit her Ouma, so she’s totally used to the idea of it being somewhere that she sleeps. When we’re camping, the travel crib lets us just do the usual bedtime routine of a book and a cuddle, and pop her in there. We also bring along her white noise, lovey and paci.

Every time we’ve gone out with her in the canoe, we’ve had her nap in it. The first few times she refused to lie down, and napped sitting up between my legs. It made it a bit awkward to paddle, but she still had a great nap! On our way back from this canoe camping trip, she decided to lay down for the first time. She actually ended up sleeping through most of the paddle, and slept through us unloading the canoe at the dock too! We give her all her sleep stuff in the canoe as well, but I think even without it she might not be able to resist the gentle movement of the canoe on the water.

Helping to get the Travel Crib set up.

Pottying

Did I bring a full on potty canoe camping? Yes, yes I did. Most sites have a privy, but I didn’t know how my daughter would respond to that idea. Plus, I had no plan for if she wanted to pee while we were in the canoe, so a potty seemed like a good idea all around. We made sure to always dump her potty into the thunderbox to make sure we were Leaving No Trace.

Clothing

This part was pretty simple, we just packed her some long sleeve PJs, and a change of clothes. This summer I’ve been putting her in her Pika Layers Adventure Shirt a lot because there’s usually not much shade in a canoe, and this shirt protects her form the sun. But it’s also a great light, long sleeve option for when the temperature drops slightly so I find myself bringing it just about everywhere.

We also brought a handful of blankets for her to nap on in the bottom of the canoe, including a larger muslin nursing blanket. This came in handy twice on our trip. Once, when she was being sick and it wasn’t worth redressing her but I wanted her to have a bit of extra warmth while I cuddled her. And then on the way back while it was raining and she was napping, I put it over my knees above her to help keep her dry. It could also act as a sun shade in a similar manner.

Canoe naps look pretty comfy!