Scouts learn essential outdoor skills and how to prioritize safety in all activities from day hikes or week long portage tours. Prepare for your next camping trip – whether it’s the first of fiftieth – just like a Scout with Scouts Canada’s Ultimate Summer Camping Guide to make your adventure both memorable and safe.

Campfire Construction

For many, a campfire is a beloved tradition and the first thing that comes to mind when thinking of camping: laughing, roasting hot dogs and sharing stories around crackling flames. The best fires are made up of three things:

Tinder: Small twigs, dry leaves, needles, bark, wood shavings, paper or even dryer lint. These burn immediately and are a crucial element to spark the fire.

Kindling: Sticks as thick as fingers help to build a strong foundation.

Firewood:  Logs of wood keep the fire burning long into the night.

Collect plenty of dry wood before striking a match so the fire isn’t left unattended to gather more fuel. If the campsite has a designated fire pit, use it to keep the flames contained. If it doesn’t, build the fire away from brush, branches, and tents on a durable surface like a rock, dirt or sand to prevent scorching the earth. Always have water close by to extinguish the fire.

Animal Encounters

You’re venturing into animal territory while camping. Knowing in advance what types of wildlife reside in the area will help prepare for and avoid animal encounters. Check for reports of recent sightings and keep an eye out for signs of wildlife nearby such as tracks, fresh droppings, scratches on tree trunks, or animal homes.

Be particularly cautious to protect against ticks, tiny bugs typically found in grassy, wooded areas or along shorelines and in parks – all places campers like to go! Some ticks can be carriers of illnesses like Lyme disease.

To prevent a tick bite, wear long sleeves and pants tucked into socks so they can’t crawl in, use bug spray that has DEET, and wear light clothing so ticks are easier to spot. Before heading back to camp do a thorough check all over your body – and continue to check because ticks can stay attached for five or more days.

If you are bitten by a tick, remove it carefully with tweezers by pulling upward with steady even pressure, clean the area well, and watch for symptoms including a bulls-eye shaped rash. Seeing a doctor is recommended, as early detection is key. Symptoms of Lyme disease may not appear for weeks or even months after being bitten! Make sure to save ticks in a clean container and contact a local public health unit. As Lyme disease spreads to more ticks, it is increasingly important that ticks be identified and tested.

First Ow, First-Aid

Before heading out on any camping adventure, make sure your supplies include a fully-stocked first-aid kit. Scouts use the below checklist of items, so they’re prepared for anything!

• Antiseptic wipes
• Antibacterial ointment
• Compound tincture of benzoin (bandage adhesive)
• Assorted adhesive bandage (fabric)
• Butterfly bandages / adhesive wound-closure strips
• Gauze pads (various sizes)
• Non-stick sterile pads
• Medical adhesive tape
• Blister treatment
• Ibuprofen / other pain-relief medication
• Antihistamine
• Insect strong relief treatment
• Tweezers (for splinters)
• Safety pins
• First-aid manual or information cards
• Whistle

Scout-Recommended Adventure Activities

Adventurous activities go hand-in-hand with camping, and prioritizing safety is essential to a great trip. A few Scout favourites are:

Canoeing, kayaking and paddleboarding provide stunning views of nature, but even on a clear day, safety is key. Always paddle within your capabilities, wear a life jacket, bring an emergency kit, tell someone where you’re going and stay close to land when possible. Also, there is a difference between a lifejacket and PFD (personal flotation device): a lifejacket will turn most people over to keep their faces out of the water even if they lose consciousness. A PFD will not.

Stargazing is of the most beautiful parts of going camping and a perfect opportunity to learn about constellations and the mysteries of the night sky!

Swimming is the best way to cool off on a hot sunny day. Always swim in a group, avoid rough water and strong currents, and wear a PFD if you’re not a strong swimmer. Don’t forget to reapply sunscreen!

Hiking Watch out for hazardous plants like poison ivy. Remember: leaves of three, let it be! No one plans to get lost, but it can happen even on a short walk so always bring a daypack with emergency supplies including extra water, snacks, a headlamp, first aid kit and emergency blanket.

Leave No Trace

One rule Scouts always follow is Leave No Trace. This means not disturbing nature while enjoying the outdoors. Plan trips to ensure waste is packed up and disposed of properly, invasive species are not brought into the campsite, and wildlife isn’t disturbed by excessive noise, light or garbage. Leave nature exactly as you found it.

For even more camping and safety tips visit scouts.ca/safety/safety-tips or join Scouts Canada to learn firsthand! Register for your local Scouting group at scouts.ca/join. Join by June 30 and receive a $30 discount!

Consistent Bedtime Routine

Practicing a consistent bedtime routine at home is something you can take with you wherever you go. A similar sequence of events can better prepare your child for sleep. Practicing this routine away from home will help give the feeling of security and familiarity to your baby, even if they are unsure of their environment.

A Few of My Favorite Things

If your child has a lovey or blanket that is a comfort item, don’t forget to pack it! Giving them these items at bedtime, reading them familiar books, using the same white noise machine, can help ease the transition of a new sleep environment. If you are using a crib where you are going, use the same crib sheet from home so your baby will have that familiar smell. For your toddler, pack up their pillow case and use it on their new bed.

Take Your Time

If you are planning a long road trip try and leave around nap time so your little one can fall asleep in the car or plan your trip at night. If your baby is a car sleeper try and leave right at nap time. If your child has a hard time falling asleep in the car leave an hour before naptime so if he gets excited from the car he has an hour to relax and fall asleep and it won’t interfere with naptime. Also, give yourself some time to have a relaxed road trip for extra stops for feedings, potty breaks, and leg stretches.

Sleep Training

If you make the decision to start sleep training but you have an upcoming trip happening soon, I recommend holding off on sleep training. It’s so hard to be consistent when you are travelling and have jammed packed agendas. Consistency is key in any sleep training plan. So enjoy your trip and when you get back home you can get started right away.

If you have already sleep trained and are worried about keeping your little one on schedule try not to worry too much about it. You do want to protect their sleep as much as possible but you don’t want to be trapped inside during every nap. Try and encourage some quiet time and stroller sleep throughout the day if you can’t make it back to the hotel room or cottage for nap time. Try not to have a late bedtime every night. And most importantly when you get back home, get right back on track.

Suite Sleep is a Great Sleep

When booking your accommodations I’m going to recommend that you look at booking an economical suite with at least two separate rooms. Most suites have enough space in the main room for a pack and play and come with a sofa bed for toddlers. Some will even have another twin or double bed. Make sure you ask. This way mom and dad you can sneak off into the bedroom while your little one is falling asleep and you don’t have to hide out in the bathroom.

This summer enjoy your vacation time with your family. Be aware of how much sleep you child needs and try to protect it as much as possible but also have a great time doing family fun things and know that when you get back home, everything can go back to normal.

Alanna McGinn is an Infant and Toddler Sleep Consultant and Founder of Good Night Sleep Site www.goodnightsleepsite.com.  She is a mom of 3 (1 + twins!) and is committed to helping families with their baby and toddler sleep needs.  Through her studies, experience, and day-to-day life, she strives in helping all families overcome their sleep challenges and have happy smiles in the morning. 

How many times have you heard that? If you’re a parent, chances are you heard it at least a thousand times in the weeks and months before your child was born. And as soon as your little one arrived, chances are everyone started asking, “are they a good sleeper?”

It’s enough to give anyone a complex!

And have you noticed that the makers of baby gear have figured out that sleep is one of the biggest concerns new parents have? I can’t turn around without bumping into a new product that claims to make baby sleep longer, better, quicker, deeper, or some other magical claim. From swaddles to noise machines, big expensive gadgets to books. It doesn’t matter, there are a million products designed to solve a million sleep problems.
But what if we’ve been looking at sleep all wrong?

I’m not talking developmentally. We’ve talked about the myths of sleep training before and we know that sleep can change depending on the age and stage a child is at. What I am talking about is the stuff. Of course there are tools and tricks that help us sleep, but which ones are legitimately helpful and which ones are just dollar signs in disguise?

I wanted to know so I reached out to our sleep coach, Rosalee Lahaie Hera of Baby Sleep Love and we very quickly realized that not only do most of these gadgets not work (either in the short-term, or in the long-term), some of them are just outright dangerous!

Safety First

One of the most important things for parents to know is that how a product is marketed is extremely important. In Canada, the only approved, safe-sleep surfaces are labeled “crib”, “bassinet”, or “cradle”. In the United States, “play yard”, or what we call a pack’n’play is also safety tested.

Any product that does not call itself one of those things has not been safety tested or evaluated for safe sleep by Health Canada.

Unfortunately, that means all those fancy “soothe your baby to sleep” baby beds, “sleepers”, rock and plays, and cosleepers are not safe sleep surfaces. And in addition to being potentially unsafe, these beds are only meant to last a few months! Babies grow quickly and by four months most infants have outgrown many of these products.  Leaving babies in these gadgets after they have outgrown them can make them even more unsafe.

Okay, but sleep deprivation is real and tired parents are looking for solutions, right?

Right. The thing is, gadgets aren’t actually solving your problem anyway! Not in the long-term at least. While you might get a few immediate weeks of relief, before long your child’s sleep is going to shift (four month “sleep regression” anyone?) and now your baby is too old for that wonderful, expensive, sleeper bed and they don’t know how to put themselves to sleep.

So what do you do?

Take all the money you would have spent on fancy machines and lights and beds and everything else, and put it toward building a support team for the entire family. It is possible to create healthy sleep habits and hygiene right from birth! Use a doula to help you become familiar with your baby’s normal sleep patterns.  If that isn’t working or you want more help with sleep, working with a sleep coach to create an individualized sleep plan for your baby and your family can create the life-long healthy sleep habits and skills your baby needs.

By hiring expert help, you are learning the skills you need to support your baby both now and in the future.

Like so many other things in life, the experiences are so much more valuable than the things.

Meaghan Grant works with families to explore their options and help them to discover their own strength through pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum period. She is a Certified Labour Doula, Postpartum Doula, Childbirth Educator, and Postpartum Placenta Specialist. As co-owner of Toronto Family Doulas, Hamilton Family Doulas, and Family Doulas of Ottawa, she is committed to providing judgement-free support of all birth and parenting choices.

Unfortunately, rescue workers and police report seeing empty coats strapped safely into baby car seats. This proves that the impact of a crash can cause a baby to “fly” out of the coat. The fact that bulky winter coats can sabotage your baby’s security in a car is a well known fact and that is why it is often included as an important warning in most manufacturers’ car seat manuals.

Whenever possible, it is best to not have your baby wear a coat at all once placed in their seat. However, coats can be a necessary evil in frigid parts of Canada. Your baby’s winter clothing should never interfere with the proper tightness and position of the clips and harness.

Dressing your baby with only the warmth factor in mind is not being conscientious of the impact on the safety factor of the car seat. To check if your baby’s coat is too bulky, place your baby in a coat and then put them in their seat and tighten the straps as you normally would. Then without loosening the harness straps take your baby out of the seat and remove the coat. Put the baby back in the seat and then look at the gap between your baby’s body and the straps. If you can fit in more than one finger at shoulder bone level, your baby would not have been strapped in securely in the seat with their winter coat on.

One trick is to take off your baby’s coat and put them in the baby seat and tighten the harness and then put the coat on your baby backwards. For colder weather, you should also keep an extra throw or blanket in the car to cover the entire seat with the baby so they don’t get cold. With the use of blankets you also have the option of simply removing or replacing them according to the change of the car’s interior temperatures. Babies in large coats can sometimes become too warm and start to perspire and if taken into cold temperatures immediately they can catch a chill which is undesirable.

Instead of bulky winter coats many parents are opting to dress their babies in thin performance fleece. This is also called polar fleece. It is warm, comfortable and very soft and does not add the kind of bulk that big puffy snowsuits can which would compromise the security of your car seat.

Despite the niftiness of this clothing, the ideal is still to have as much of your baby’s spine meeting the back of the car seat so that the shock of any impact is spread over the entire body and not just a certain point.

Whether your baby is wearing a coat or not, the retainer or chest clip should always be positioned between the nipples and armpits. This ensures that your child does not fly out of the seat. You should also not allow any gaps between the baby’s groin area and the harness.

To warm or not to warm, that is the question. Whether or not your engine needs warming in winter is a discussion for car gurus but for your baby’s safety and comfort it is a preferable choice. Without a remote starter it requires effort but it can make scraping snow easier if you also leave your window defrost on. The best option to keep your loved one warm and safe is to adequately warm up your vehicle, dress them in quality fleece, place a blanket to cover your baby after they are strapped in or flip their warmer thicker coats around. Then they will be “snug as a bug in a rug” and safely secured in their car seat.

Mohammad Bhorat is the owner and operator of Baby Car Seat Installers located in Markham, Ontario. He is a certified Car Seat Installation Technician. Mohammad offers free car seat inspections. Visit www.carseatinstallers.com.

Alpine skiing
Harley Johnson is the director of Smugglers’ Snow Sport University, which provides skiing and snowboarding instruction at the Resort. She comments, “Ability depends on the child, so gauge your child’s athleticism, balance, and interest in new things. One way to do that is to go a ski shop and find boots that fit, and then allow your child to clomp around a bit. Are they happy and interested, or cranky and complaining?” If your child already has equipment, wearing the equipment at home in a familiar setting can help children overcome the foreign feeling of this new equipment before they get on the slopes.

Johnson feels that easing young children into the skiing experience is very important. “Take it slowly and read your child and how they are doing. There are lots of instructional options. For instance, rather than trying all-day camp, perhaps a shorter amount of time in a private lesson would be better. Another option would be a nurturing program like Smugglers’ Little Rascals on Snow, designed especially for 2 1/2 – 3 year olds to introduce them to skiing in short segments interspersed with play and relaxation time.” She also recommends chatting with the instructor at the day’s end to solicit their feedback on where the child is at after time on the slopes and what the recommended next step should be.

Comfort is important to a child’s happiness on the slopes. The child’s equipment should be carefully fitted by a trained technician; equipment rental shops usually carry a good selection of ski gear sized for children. Apparel should be layered so that it can easily adjusted to temperature changes. Johnson notes that “careful planning will allow you to introduce skiing in a safe, fun and relaxed way.”

About Smugglers’ Notch Resort, Vermont: Smugglers’ is widely renowned for its quality family programming and beautiful setting in Vermont’s northern Green Mountains. The popular Club Smugglers’ winter packages offer great value with ski-and-stay, children’s instruction and family instruction options and include mountainside lodging, daily alpine lift tickets, cross-country and snowshoe trail passes, and numerous activities and entertainment for families and adults. For more information on Smugglers’ vacations please call 1-800-451-8752 and visit Smugglers’ website at www.smuggs.com.

Good health starts with good eating habits. It’s called an eating habit because consuming certain types of food becomes an effortless and regular part of your life once you’re used to it. Shifting eating patterns might take a little time, but you’ll find it’s easy to avoid craving junk and processed foods packed with sugar, salt, and preservatives once they’re out of your system. These foods are all addictive and you can break the habit. Gaining weight is a normal part of pregnancy and it’s important to not be too hard on yourself. However, giving into cravings every time isn’t wise, either. There’s always a healthier version of what you want that will satisfy. Be sure to eat lots of plant-based foods like veggies, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds. Definitely check which foods to avoid while pregnant!

Expecting mothers need to stay active to maintain their health as well as baby’s. This will also aid with stress-reduction, mood-boosting, blood circulation, and quality of sleep. Swimming, prenatal yoga, and walking are wonderful activities that won’t put too much strain on you. Always check with a doctor before starting or changing any exercise regime. Jumping into something new after you have been sedentary for awhile has an increased risk of injury for everyone, regardless of a baby in the belly.

Seek advice from your doctors, other medical practitioners, and certified herbalists regularly. Access experts in pregnancy who are up-to-date with their research and practices. When you purchase books, look at the credentials of the author and take their advice with a grain of salt. Ask friends and family about their anecdotal experiences with help for every day care and what they found worked and didn’t. If you don’t know any parents, a local baby and parenting trade show is an excellent place to meet and talk to other parents and expecting mothers about their stories and fears. To learn about The Baby Show which is a biannual trade show with top brands, handcrafted and artisanal products, and seminars with top industry experts, follow that link. A trade show has everything that you need to prepare for baby and pick up some health and wellness tips for yourself. Check out classes that are offered at your community centre or local college, as well.

Keep a close eye on any changes in your health, contact your doctor, or call an ambulance if you suspect anything might be wrong. Sudden swelling of joints, difficulties breathing, leaking of fluid, bleeding, constant and unrelenting nausea, and vomiting are some signs that something could be wrong. It’s better to be safe than sorry. Call a cab or get a friend to drive you to a hospital if you’re suffering. It is likely unsafe to get behind the wheel.

Expecting a child is an exciting and stressful time all at once. Make sure to take care of yourself with healthy eating, exercise, and by seeking advice and learning opportunities in your community.

This condition is caused by a viral infection. It can be alarming and often occurs at night, but usually passes quickly. Your child will have difficulty breathing, and a short, distinctive barking cough when he breathes out. He may be making a crowing or whistling noise. In a severe attack, he may use muscles around his nose, neck, and upper arms in his attempts to breathe. IF HE HAS blue-tinged skin or signs of a severe attack (see IMPORTANT, below), CALL 911 OR YOUR LOCAL EMS.

** IMPORTANT **

• If the attack is severe or prolonged, CALL 911 OR YOUR LOCAL EMS.
• If the attack is severe, there is a risk that he is suffering from a rare condition called epiglottitis. Suspect epiglottitis if your child has a high temperature and is obviously in distress, and has not had the Hib vaccination. CALL 911 OR YOUR LOCAL EMS.

1. Help your child into a comfortable breathing position. Sit him up in bed, propped by pillows, or sit him on your lap supporting his back. Reassure him.

2. Stay calm—if you panic it could frighten the child, which can worsen the attack.

3. If it is safe to do so, create a steamy atmosphere. Take the child into the bathroom, and run a hot faucet or shower, or boil some water in the kitchen

4. If he has not improved after 10 minutes, cool air can be helpful. Put him in front of a cool-mist humidifier, open the window in his bedroom, or take him outside briefly to breathe in the air.

SEEK MEDICAL ADVICE.

Excerpted from First Aid Fast For Babies and Children / copyright 2018 DK Publishing

Looking back now, I recognize the thief that was stealing my son, but then I didn’t know what I was seeing. As a newborn, Fraser frequently went stiff as a board, his limbs so rigid that I could balance him in the palm of my hand. He startled violently at noises and seemed overwhelmed by light, sound, smells, and touch, screaming in response. He also failed to breastfeed productively and had terrible digestive issues. At the twins’ first birthday, Fraser lagged behind his sister, Hallee, in his developmental markers. I worried about that, but our kind country doctor reassured me that boys develop slower than girls and said to give him time. During floor play, Fraser lined his toys up like a train, preferring to play alone. What language he had disappeared. Instead of using words like his sister to request, he often used my hand to point to something that he wanted.

After the staring spell, which recurred several times, we took Fraser back to the doctor feeling concerned that he might be having seizures. We put him through an overnight EEG in hospital, saw two neurologists, and were nearly torn apart by a misdiagnosis and the suggestion that we institutionalize him. Finally, one day when I picked the twins up from daycare, our caregiver told me that a friend who had experience with developmentally disabled children observed Fraser for the day. “That little boy has autism,” the friend said. We saw our doctor and he sent us to a children’s center for developmental disabilities where Fraser was finally diagnosed at age three. Now, we know that early diagnosis with intervention therapies as soon as possible can dramatically improve the futures of autistic children. Educate yourself about the signs and symptoms of autism, and if you recognize them in your child, be brave enough to seek a diagnosis immediately. Autism is, indeed, strange and mysterious, an amazing journey in many respects, but with love and intervention, it isn’t always a tragedy.

Shannon Wray is a writer and television producer with credits in both Canada and the U.S. Raised in a Hollywood show business family, her aunt is Fay Wray, Canadian actress, and star of the classic film King Kong. Ms. Wray has enjoyed careers in music, book and magazine publishing, television and film. Currently, her family is the subject of the upcoming CBC POV documentary film, Love, Hope & Autism airing on March 18, 2018, and she is at work on a companion book to the film entitled A Different World. Shannon lives in a small mountain village in Southern California with the love of her life and her son, who has autism. Her daughter is graduating from film school this Spring.

As your kids grow, the stuff that you thought was so important dwindles … there’s still ‘stuff’ but now it’s THEIR stuff, the stuff they can’t live without … the dolls, the toys, the crafts, the crayons.

But you also learn about the ‘stuff’ that makes a big difference for you as a parent. The day to day stuff that make a difference in your life, that actually makes your life a little easier.

For us we have a small but crucial list:

• the crib rail: we’re not sure when we are ever going to get rid of these. Maybe when they’re 15. The peace of mind knowing that we likely won’t hear a ‘thud’ from them falling out of bed in the middle of the night is enough reason for us to keep them up.
• their blankies: I know I had one when I was a kid and the girls have had theirs since they were born. It’s a comfort that they use at nighttime and when upset and we don’t have plans of getting rid of them anytime soon.
• their little ‘magic’ unicorn stuffed animals. These are essential (because of their magical powers) for getting rid of bad dreams.
• air purifier: we crack these out at the start of cold and flu season. We use a Germ-guardian that plugs into the wall. It somehow uses UV light to zap germs in the air to help combat cold and flu season.
• Quality essential oils: this is something that I’m new to, but whenever the girls have sniffles or snuffy noses, I just drop the oils on their feet and in their humidifier and it helps with their symptoms.
• Humidifier: even with a built-in humidifier in our home it is extremely dry. We have a humidifier in our room and the girls room and we use them year round.
• Blackout blinds: we will NEVER be getting rid of these! In fact, we even have them in our room too! Totally worth the money to help us all get a few extra zzzz’s.
• Flashlights: the girls don’t like having a nightlight, but they do like their flashlights. We hang them on their bedposts and when they need them (if they’re afraid or want to read/play in bed for a few extra minutes).

And last, but not least …

• Sammy the sleep sheep: what is this? This is probably the best $80 I ever spent! At about 4-years old our girls started going through a phase where they would wake up, not know what time it was, stay in their beds and scream at the top of their lungs to us in the other room “IS IT MORNING TIME YET???” They wouldn’t get out of bed, instead, they would just lay there screaming until we answered them.
• I found a bunch of toddler clock options, but which one to choose? We actually purchased another one and returned it because the nightlight was way too bright even on the lowest setting.
• We then found Sammy! He’s a little clock shaped like a sheep who closes his eyes at bedtime and opens them when it’s time to wake up (you set this time). His clock face dims or turns off entirely during the nighttime and turns green 30 minutes before it’s ‘morning time.’ Since getting Sammy the girls know exactly when it’s morning time and just play in their beds until Sammy says it’s time to get up.

*note: I have not been paid by any of the companies/products above, these are just things that work for us.*