How to Keep Kids Cool Camping in Hot Weather: 17 Tips
How to keep kids cool camping in hot weather: shade, hydration, clothing, sleep, and safety tips to prevent heat exhaustion on family camping trips.
Last Updated on 12 May 2026
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Camping in summer is one of our favourite activities to do as a family. It’s a lovely way to reconnect, switch off from technology, and escape our busy lives for a few days.
Of course, while it’s an amazing experience, it can also be incredibly hot and uncomfortable if it’s not done right, especially if you’re camping with children in hot weather.
In this guide, I’ll walk you through how to keep kids cool camping in hot weather. I’ll show you the items we use to stay cool and 17 family camping hot weather tips to beat the heat and enjoy more time outdoors.
Let’s read on to find out more!
Read more: Family Camping in Summer: The Ultimate UK Guide in 2026
Here’s Our Hot Weather Camping Checklist
1. Organic Cotton Sleeping Bag Liner
2. Portable Handheld Turbo Fan
4. Kids Sunhat
5. Canopy Tarp
Read more: 11 Fun Summer Camping Activities for Families in 2026
17 Tips on How to Keep Kids Cool Camping in Hot Weather
How to Keep Your Tent Cool
1. Choose a Shady Spot
When you’re camping in the heat with children, you want to make sure you pick a shady spot to pitch your tent.
If you’re camping where there are plenty of trees, try and pitch somewhere so the trees take up most of the heat. This way you don’t have to worry about your tent heating up during the day. Cooling a tent in hot weather is easier when you take steps to avoid it getting too hot.
2. Make Your Own Shade
If you want to know how to keep kids cool camping in hot weather, bring your own shade with you. We use an awning, but you can bring whatever you have. When you’re back at your tent, hang it from tree branches for added sun protection, which should help prevent heat exhaustion in kids when they’re eating food or playing games.
3. Get a Good Tent
When it comes to camping in the summer, you want the best tent for hot weather camping, which means looking out for key features. These include:
- blackout technology: which will keep the sunlight and heat out. You can also sleep for longer in the morning and settle down at night without the daylight keeping you awake
- tent windows and vents: if you’re looking for tent ventilation tips, choose a tent that comes with windows and vents. Having these open, especially the vents, at night will help keep your tent cool as well as prevent condensation buildup
4. Pitch the Inner Tent Only
This will depend on the design of your tent, but if possible, you might want to consider pitching only the inner tent, if you’re looking for ways on how to keep your tent cool in summer.
Doing this gives you better insulation when you want to keep kids cool when camping. If you do want extra protection, consider point two and bring your own tarp to go over the inner part. Just make sure you leave space between your tent and the tarp for air flow.
5. Dismantle Your Tent in the Day
If it’s feasible, another way of keeping kids cool when summer camping, is to take your tent down. You can put it back up once the summer heat has died down. This is a great hot weather camping with kids tip as it means your tent should be nice and cool when you need it at night.
Read more: Spring Camping With Kids: The Complete Family Guide for 2026
6. Choose a Tent for Summer Conditions
If you’re searching for the best tent for hot weather camping, pick one that is made for warm weather camping.
Try to avoid the ones that are for 3-season camping or 4-season camping as they’re created to insulate heat to keep you warm during the colder months. There are plenty of summer camping tents available that will be better suited, especially if you’re camping with toddlers in hot weather.
How to Stay Cool When You’re Sleeping
7. Choose a Lightweight Sleeping Bag
Now is not the time to use your winter sleeping bag. Pick one that’s suitable for sleeping conditions in summer. You probably don’t need a 3-season sleeping bag if the weather is super hot.
If it’s too hot for sleeping comfortably, try sleeping on top of your sleeping bag or maybe just use a sleeping bag liner made from cotton or silk. This may be all the bedding you need. Silk is much cooler than cotton and is also quick-drying.
I prefer having something over me when I’m sleeping and find using a sleeping bag liner does the trick on hot nights. My girls prefer it too often disregarding the sleeping bags completely when I take them out for them.
8. Get a Sleeping Bed
A sleeping bed is a great way to keep kids cool camping in hot weather. They’re lightweight and easily portable, and an ideal solution, especially if you’re staying at a campsite. By raising your little ones off the ground at night, you create airflow between their body and the ground, helping them to stay cool.
The camping bed we use is low enough to the ground, so there’s no risk of our girls falling out from a height and hurting themselves.
9. Camp Near Water
An excellent way of understanding how to keep kids cool camping in hot weather is to pitch your tent near water. Typically, the air temperature is cooler near water and you might feel a refreshing breeze as well.
Additionally, you and your kids can do some water play activities, including swimming or fishing to cool off. Last year, we found a lovely campsite in the New Forest that was by a body of water and spent most of our days playing in the water and splashing about.
Just make sure you do water safety with your kids before they get in the water, so they know the rules of staying safe.
Read more: Spring Camping Activities Quiz: How Outdoorsy Are You, Really?
10. Go For an Evening Swim
What better way to cool off before going to sleep then having an evening swim? Taking a dip before bed will make sure you’re nice and cool before getting in your tent. This worked wonders for us last year when we were camping during a hot week in summer with our girls.
If you’re looking for ways on how to keep kids cool camping in hot weather, make sure you camp near water and go for a swim before bed. It’ll make everyone’s time camping more enjoyable.
11. Drink Cold Water
When you’re camping in autumn or winter, you’d drink a hot cup of tea or hot milk before bed. So it makes sense to drink cold water before bed when you’re camping in summer. Not only will this keep your kids cool from the inside out, it also helps prevent dehydration signs in children.
Try not to drink too much, though, as you don’t want to answer a toilet call at 4am.
Dehydration signs in children:
feeling thirsty, a headache and feeling light-headed, dark yellow, strong smelling wee, weeing less often, feeling dizzy or lightheaded, feeling tired, a dry mouth, lips, and tongue, sunken eyes.
Dehydration signs in babies:
a sunken soft spot (fontanelle) on top of their head, sunken eyes, few or no tears when they cry, fewer wet nappies than usual, being drowsy or irritable.
Source: NHS
Tips and Tricks on How to Keep Kids Cool Camping in Hot Weather
12. Bring a Fan
A portable fan is a must for any summer camping you’re planning on doing with your kids this year. If you want to know how to stay cool in a tent without electricity, make sure you bring a fan that’s lightweight, rechargeable, and small enough to carry.
Our girls love using their handheld portable fans when it’s hot. They’re easy to recharge, lightweight, and powerful enough to keep them cool. Whenever we’re going away camping in summer or on holiday abroad, these are one of the first things I pack. They’re great to have on hand when you’re searching for ways on how to keep kids cool camping in hot weather.
13. Put a Cooler Behind Your Fan
Using a fan and a cooler together is a great way of keeping your little ones cool in the summer heat. All you need to do is place a cooler behind your fan. When you turn it on, it’ll help keep them cool when the fan blows cold air out.
This is a handy tip to know if you’re searching for ways on staying cool outdoors with kids.
Read more: How to Start Family Camping: The Best Guide for 2026
14. Avoid Cooking Hot Meals
Cooking hot food on a warm summer’s day can be intense. Save your cooking for the evening when temperatures drop and enjoy easy meals like salads and ice lollies. Before you go camping, you can pre-prep your meals at home, so you have less to do when you get to the campsite and everyone needs something to eat.
15. Wear Suitable Clothing
Now is not the time to pack your kids winter gear. Instead, pick lightweight clothing for kids to keep them comfortable:
- bring light-coloured clothing, which helps reflect the sun and will keep your kids body temperature down. Avoid dark-coloured clothing as these absorb heat
- choose breathable fabric for kids camping, loose fabrics, such as cotton, linen, nylon, and polyester
- don’t forget a sunhat to protect their face and neck
- bring long-sleeved clothing to provide protection from sunburn
16. Wear Sunscreen
It goes without saying that you need to protect you and your kids from the sun’s rays. The sun’s UV rays are a big threat if skin isn’t protected, causing painful sunburn and long-term damage. Our girls are fair-skinned, so we regularly use factor 50 throughout the day, in addition to UV sunglasses and sunhats.
However, you should at least use sunscreen with an SPF rating of 30. The last thing anyone wants is to suffer from sunburn, causing an uncomfortable sleep for little ones.
17. Use a Cooling Towel
I can’t rate these enough. My girls used these for the first time last year during a hot camping weekend and they loved them. All you need to do is wet the towel with cold water, wring it out, and place it on the back of the neck or anywhere your child feels hot.
The ones we had stayed cool for a good few hours, so they could continue playing with some new camping friends without overheating. A must purchase when you want to know how to keep kids cool camping in hot weather.
Read more: Best Family Camping Gear for 2026: Tried, Tested & Loved
Final Thoughts On How to Keep Kids Cool Camping in Hot Weather
Hot weather camping with kids doesn’t have to be stressful, especially if this is the first time you’re doing it.
With the right family camping hot weather tips, you can easily pick the right pitch, the correct shade, and the best tent setup the delivers the best airflow that keeps everyone comfortable. Knowing how to keep kids cool camping in hot weather is all about taking the right steps to begin with, so everyone wants to do summer camping again.
Build in cool-down breaks, keep water within arm’s reach, and treat early warning signs seriously.
For more outdoor inspiration, check out our related guides:
- The Best Guide to Rainy Day Camping Activities for Kids in 2026
- Camping with Kids Safety: 24 Things You Need to Know in 2026
- Family Camping Checklist: The Only One You Need in 2026
Happy camping!
Have you found this how to keep kids cool camping in hot weather guide useful? What other tips should we include on our list? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Rebecca is a journalist/content writer with over 15 years of experience focusing on topics ranging from cryptocurrency, outdoor sports, family adventures, and the environment. She has a strong background in camping, hiking, snowboarding, and trail running gained through years of personal experience. She holds a BA in Journalism and News Media and an MA in Environmental Journalism. She has been featured in Bitcoin Magazine, Forbes, The Chartered Institute for Securities and Investments (CISI), REI, The Next Web, and The New Scientist. She is passionate about exploring more of the UK with her family and their Working Cocker Spaniel and enjoys helping readers find out the ways they can explore what’s around them together to create lasting memories.
