Parents who plan to take their children camping this summer have been camped out on my doorstep asking me what they can do to make sure their children stay safe and healthy when going into the woods.

Let me see if I can pitch some information on this topic — which is easier for me than pitching a tent.

If you have never camped before, try a practice run in the yard or a few day trips. Practicing will be useful to help you get used to issues such as:

– Navigating in the woods

– Dealing with bites and stings

– Recognizing plants like poison ivy

– Learning how to avoid exposure to heat, cold, wind, and water.

– Identifying great resources such as park rangers, guidebooks, and friends who camp often and well.

Make sure you and your children have the proper clothing and equipment.

– This includes clothing for day and night plus all types of weather you may encounter.

– Make sure your children have hats, loose cotton clothing and lots of sunscreen if they are going to be in the sun.

– Good hiking shoes are essential to prevent blistering.

Teach your children how to recognize landmarks at the campsite and on the trail.

– This will help them know what to do if they get lost and need to be led back to you by a responsible adult.

– Children should always be buddied with someone else and never leave the camping area or go hiking alone.

– The buddy system isn’t only fun — it’s the smart thing to do.

– Children should also be taught to remain calm and stay where they are if they are lost.

– Give each of your children a whistle.

It can help them identify themselves and make it easier for them to be found in the woods if they do get lost.

– Carrying a map or compass with you is also a necessity and not an option.

When setting up a camp, look at debris around the campsite.

– Make sure that broken glass and hazardous trash is out of reach of children.

– Make sure appropriate precautions are taken when cooking and in purifying water if necessary.

Make sure you have a good first aid kit.

– It should contain items to cover common outdoor injuries, insect bites and of course poison ivy.

– Your health care professional can help you figure out what supplies you will need.

Have a good system of communication with the outside world.

– This is especially important if you are camping with a child.

– Let others know of your destination and your time of return.

– If a cell phone works where you are going to be camping, take it with you.

Maintain a positive upbeat attitude no matter what happens.

– If you have a can-do attitude about camping, your children will as well!

Hopefully, tips like these will blaze a trail of knowing what to do if you want to keep your family safe when camping this summer.

Lewis First, MD, is Chief of Pediatrics at The University of Vermont Children’s Hospital and Chair of the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Vermont’s Larner College of Medicine. You can also catch “First with Kids” weekly on WOKO 98.9FM and NBC5.