Dear Camp Mom… (March Edition)

Hi there… me again. This month’s Dear Camp Mom Blog covers two topics that come up all the time: Pull-Ups and Packing. Please keep these awesome questions coming! First, because I know I can help you. That’s literally what I’m here for. And second, because the questions you have are probably the same questions on every other new camper parent’s mind… so in reality, you’re doing all of them a solid by asking. Thanks to each of these two parents for taking one for the team!

Q: I think my son would absolutely love your camp, but he occasionally still has accidents at night. Have you ever run into this before? If yes, how have you handled it?

A: Oh, do we run into this… every single summer! It’s not uncommon for boys to wet the bed long after they’re toilet trained. Whether the issue is medical, developmental, or something else entirely, it’s just a fact of life. Although I’m no scientist, I must say that we do have this particular solution down to a science. If your son is prone to bedwetting, he should sleep in Pull-Ups, but don’t worry… the other campers don’t ever need to know! Every camper has his own locker, either in the back of the bunk or in the bathroom area; we’ll make sure your son’s locker is in the bathroom area. He’ll store the Pull-Ups behind extra towels or sheets on the bottom shelf, along with a bunch of plastic grocery bags. Each night, when he’s getting ready for bed, he’ll grab a Pull-Up, go into the bathroom stall, close the door, and put the Pull-Up on under his pajamas or boxers. In the morning, he’ll grab a plastic bag, go back into the bathroom stall, put the used Pull-Up in the bag, tie it up, and throw it out. If he wets through the Pull-Up, he should tell a counselor. (Oftentimes, campers are too embarrassed to say anything, so they cover it up with a blanket and go about their days. Ironically, there’s no better way to announce to everyone that you wet the bed than by leaving it there on a hot, muggy day.) The counselor will wait until everyone is out of the bunk, then change his sheets and bring the wet sheets to be washed in one of the three washer/dryers we have at camp. This system works great for campers who leak through their Pull-Ups every once in a while. If it’s more frequent, I strongly suggest looking into what I would argue is one of the greatest inventions of all time: disposable tear-away sheets. Either way, we’ve got him covered, and he’ll be in very good company… he just won’t know who the company is!

Q: I’m looking through the packing list and I just have to ask: Does he really need all that stuff for two weeks?!?

A: Yes. He really does. I know it seems like a lot, and when you look at it as a whole it can be very overwhelming… but if you break it down, I promise it’s not so bad! Although more than half of our campers stay the full seven weeks, the packing list is actually based on a two-week stay. We do laundry every week except the first week, but 14 of everything does not necessarily amount to 14 days’ worth of clothes. Your son will get sweaty. He’ll get dirty. He may not want to go to lunch or dinner sweaty and dirty, so he’ll change his clothes. He may lose and find the same Bauercrest t-shirt 14 times… which leads me to the most important piece of advice I can offer: LABEL EVERYTHING!!! This is likely yourson’s first time living away from home in a giant room full of boys who are all basically the same size. Of course there will be items on the packing list that don’t pertain to your son. If he is 7, he likely doesn’t need deodorant or a shaving kit. If he has a buzz cut, don’t send him with a comb or brush. If you have questions about anything else on there, just ask… I love packing list questions! Or better yet, come join me at one of our two upcoming Camp Shopping 101 trips on May 18th or 21st!