Although camps have different requirements, they will provide you a complete list of items for your child to bring. For instance, some may supply towels while others require children to bring their own. Depending on the age of your child, have your child look at the list and discuss the different items needed for the camp stay.

And what’s the number one item campers forget to pack? “A toothbrush,” says Brad Finkelstein, co-director of Campus Kids in Minisink, NY, near Port Jervis. “We give out a lot of toothbrushes. Not a major catastrophe.”

Another way to help ease fears is by purchasing something special just for camp. A sleek flashlight or new bathing suit may add to the excitement of going away. Of course, extra socks and underwear always come in handy for any camper.

 

Send a letter

 

“Send a letter to your child at camp before they arrive. It will be a nice gift on their first day of camp,” suggests Frank Sileo, PhD, author of Bug Bites and Campfires: A Story for Kids and Homesickness. Most overnight camps encourage snail mail and some camps are set up to have emails sent to campers. Send grandparents and close friends the email link so they can send your child an email. Letters and packages from home can be fun as well. If you send a treat, remember to pack extras to share with the other campers.

 

Prescription meds

 

Tipograph encourages parents to inform the camp staff of any medicines that their child is taking. “A parent should feel confident that a camp has experience working with kids who have to take medicine on a regular basis,” says Tipograph.

 

Jan Udlock is a freelance writer and mom of five. She has wonderful memories of going to camp where her grandmother was the crafts director.