🧡 Tips from a Camp Mom — and Industry Insider
I'm not just a sleepaway camp mom — I spent 8 years professionally planning group trips for sleepaway camps and schools. These are the things insiders know and parents are never told.
My Child Didn't Love Camp - Send Back, Switch, or Skip?Your child came home from sleepaway camp and didn't love it. A camp mom's honest guide to deciding: same camp again, a different camp, or a summer off.6 min readThe post-camp blues are real (ask my daughter)The love fest lasts 24 hours - then the campsick monster arrives. Why coming home from camp hurts, what helps for little kids and teens, and when to check in with the doctor.5 min readThe dreaded infirmary call: how to stay calm (and what to ask)When camp calls to say your child is in the health center: why the call means protocol, not emergency - the questions to ask, when to loop in your pediatrician, and when to go up.5 min readIs my child ready for sleepaway camp?The honest signs a kid is ready for overnight camp, the signs to wait a year - and why the best sign of all is your child asking to go.4 min readHow to choose the right sleepaway campA camp mom's step-by-step way to narrow hundreds of camps down to the right one for your kid - not the right one on paper.5 min readTouring a camp: what to look for (and what to ask)What a camp tour really tells you if you know where to look - from a camp mom who learned it the hard way. The director test, the mayonnaise test, the staff questions nobody asks, and more.7 min readREFRESH, REFRESH, REFRESH - Why is my kid at the end of the row?? (and other camp photo mysteries that keep you up all night)A loving intervention for every parent who zooms in on the camp photo feed like it's a crime scene. Put down the magnifying glass - your kid is fine.4 min readHow Much Does Sleepaway Camp Really Cost? (Honest Numbers from a Camp Mom)Real 2026 price ranges for sleepaway camp - full summer, half summer, starter sessions, and nonprofit camps - plus the hidden costs and how families actually afford it.6 min readHomecoming Prep: Love, Laundry, and LiceThe camp mom homecoming game plan: the garbage bag, the garage quarantine, booking the lice check early, no visitors, no interrogation, comfort food, and lots of sleep.5 min read
Written by Geri Shumer — Long Island sleepaway camp mom, former camp-trip planner, and founder of Ten for Two. Ready to start looking? Browse all camps or get info from up to 6 camps with one form.