My wife's 2 daughters were 6 and 3 when they started camping. Our first daughter was 18 hours old when she went on her first picnic and 2 weeks old on her first camping trip. Daughter #4 was 3 months old (born in Feb) on her first trip. We camped in tents for the first 5 years. The girls got used to sleeping on the ground without problems. The only thing we special for the young ones was have them sleep between us to keep them warm. We had a small bathtub that we carried to keep most of the mud off the kids for bed time. During the day, they were allowed to get as dirty as they wanted. Yes, our girls were tomboys and they climbed the Badlands, the Needles, Devils Tower (talus slopes only) and everywhere we went. Kids are tough if you let them be tough, and soft if that is what you expect.
I guess that when you grow up in a law enforcement family, you toughen up.