How young is too young to go camping?

“It’s one of the biggest questions people are searching for,” says Brooke Stephens.

“If the men are searching, it’s usually ‘how can I convince my wife it’s OK?’” she says. “And if it’s the women, they want to make sure they’re being a good mom and not doing anything that will inhibit their child’s growth.”

Brooke and her husband, Mark, publish AdventureParents.com where they document their outdoor activities and the outings of other families.

When Brooke got pregnant, it was like people started warning them with ominous prophecy, she says.

The in-laws, even their friends, they were telling Mark, it’s a good thing you’re getting all this climbing and backpacking out of your system now.

They were telling Brooke, it’ll be 18 years before you get your freedom back.

Not completely true. The key, Brooke says, is adapting.

Kids make you plan out all the little details, she says. There’s no picking up and taking off at the spur of the moment.

The activities change a bit, too. They transitioned from backpacking to more car-based camping and sight-seeing.

They often take trips with the grandparents, or Mark’s brother, who also brings along his daughter. A few more people on the trip can help, and more kids means more fun for them, Brooke says.

“There’s no definite answer,” she says. “But from people we’ve interviewed, if you start before first grade, the kids grow up thinking of camping trips as something fun and special.”

 (Photos courtesty of Mark Stephens/AdventureParents.com)