Night Noises

Are you taking your little one on a camping trip for the first time?  Many parts of the camping sleeping experience will be new to your child, from the sleeping bag to the hooting of owls outside.  Discussing these things in advance will allay your child’s fears and help them understand that these are normal parts of the camping experience.

A number of night noises can be scary for kids when they hear them for the first time.  Yipping coyotes, hooting owls, and whirring insects are worrisome noises if you don’t know what they’re all about.  Before you take your trip, spend some time talking about the kinds of animals that live in the area you’re visiting.  Are there bears, coyotes, raccoons, opossums, or other animals that are active at night?  Talk about the kinds of noises these animals might make and explain that this is normal for them—the animals are just out doing what they always do.
 
When you’re talking about night noises, don’t forget the smaller critters like frogs and mosquitoes.  Talk about the way frogs “sing” and explain that there will be more bugs at the campground than you normally have at home.  Mention other night noises that they might hear too, like semi trucks braking on the highway or fog horns blaring in the early morning on coastal inlets.  

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