Camping with an infant?

[ecclesiastian]

I posted this a while back on r/camping and got some very negative comments with little useful advice. So I’m trying again here in hopes it’ll be more helpful...

With our first kid we didn’t camp until he was two. Now we have a new baby and definitely want to camp with him. He will be 6 months when camping season starts for us. Here are my specific questions but please share any other important tips and ideas.

Side note- we will be camping in a tent at developed campgrounds, so we have toilets, water, and trash cans. We usually go for 2-4 nights. We don’t use formula or bottles so don’t need to worry about sterile water or washing bottles.

Sleeping surface- camping sleeping mats are not safe for infants. What do you use to keep them insulated from the ground? Edit- we have always bed-shared so I don’t have a pack n play to take the mattress from or any other baby sleeping surface, but I could get one

Sleeping warmth- can’t use blankets or sleeping bags yet. Do you just layer them up? Are there thicker sleeping suits suitable for cooler nights? How to keep their head, hands, and feet warm at night?

Diapers- we usually use cloth- is that reasonable to do while camping or should we switch to disposable?

Safety- our baby will likely start crawling this summer. I have never used any sort of “pen” or baby jail. But I do worry about him getting too near the fire. How do you keep your baby safe while camping?

Thanks for any wisdom you have to share!

 

[harpazo_woohoo]

@ecclesiastian Backpacking with Babies and Kids on Facebook has tons of information.

For keeping baby warm, we did a wool base layer and then a snow suit. I think there's a baby camping specific sleeping bag sleep sack now.

There's also tiny pack and play type things I have seen people use as a sleeping surface. They might be called a Pea Pod? We used a sleeping mat, one of those hard foam types.

We also used a harness + leash combo while calling when it seemed necessary for safety purposes. We really didn't need it though, there was lots more interesting things than the fire.

 

[angelfire70]

@harpazo_woohoo I was going to also recommend the PeaPod. Here's a link.

 

[katiemerrell24]

@harpazo_woohoo The Outdoorsy Mama on Facebook is another fab resource!

 

[ecclesiastian]

@harpazo_woohoo Does the “roof” come off the pea pod or is it all attached? It seems incompatible with co-sleeping if the roof is connected

 

[harpazo_woohoo]

@ecclesiastian I'm afraid I don't know, I never used it.

 

[isaiah9six]

@ecclesiastian We camped last summer/fall with our daughter 3 times when she was 3-5 months old. So big caveat is that she was NOT mobile at all during these periods.

Sleeping surface - we used a yoga mat. Specifically this: https://www.amazon.com/Everyday-Ess...ild=1&keywords=yoga+mat&qid=1619553686&sr=8-9. We folded it in half.

Sleeping warmth - first camping trip was in august. It was QUITE warm all through the night. We didn't need anything more than regular PJs. Second camping trip still never got particularly cold...maybe into the 50s? We used fleece footie pajamas and a fleece sleep sack (https://www.amazon.com/Carters-Wear...ords=fleece+sleep+sack&qid=1619553763&sr=8-39). Third camping trip. This one was the doozy. It got way colder than we expected (which was dumb because it was mid-october in michigan haha). We ended up bailing after one night. BUT my daughter was actually toasty warm the whole time - we did fleece pajamas inside of Columbia bunting (https://www.amazon.com/Columbia-Snu...words=columbia+bunting&qid=1619553788&sr=8-16). My husband and I both lost sleep over paranoia that she'd die of hypothermia, but every time I checked her (often) she was totally warm.

Diapers - we also did cloth (we've since stopped because #overwhelmednewparentsinapandemic) at the time of camping, but no, we did not attempt cloth diapering while camping. I'm sure we COULD have, but it was not an endeavor I was interested in taking on.

Safety - again, our LO wasn't mobile at the time, but honestly she wasn't even awake most of the time we had the fire going. We didn't do much in terms of sitting around the fire with her because I was fairly paranoid about the smoke. We did bring a pack n play on one of the trips but really never ended up using it. We sometimes pulled the yoga mat out and laid her on that.

Now, our daughter is 11 months and we'll be going on our first camping trip with a mobile baby in 2.5 weeks. We're still planning to have her use the same yoga mat to sleep on (although we're now far less worried about sleep safety as she's nearing 1, its just what we have and it works). We did buy this MOrrison Outdoors down sleep sack https://morrisonoutdoors.com/products/little-mo-20-down-sleeping-bag that we're intending to use for sleep (and in the evenings/early morning for warmth). Its pricey but we got it on sale for like $120 last year and it supposedly works to size 2T and we camp several times a year so I think it will be worth it. I'm not bothering to bring a pack n play for her this time. She'd absolutely freak the F out if I put her in it (currently she only sleeps in one when we travel - she has no interest in being in it while awake) so I'm not wasting precious car space on it haha. I am going to bring her travel high chair (we have essentially this) https://www.amazon.com/Fisher-Price...able+high+chair+travel&qid=1619554244&sr=8-10 just to help keep her contained while she's eating (and maybe to sometimes distract her with snacks). I figure worst case scenario if my husband and I need to do something real quick, I can contain her in the tent. I'll also have our ergo carrier that I can put her in and walk around with her if I'm doing things. As for general safety otherwise with the fire and such...I'm just winging it but I presume we're really just going to have to watch her very closely. On our end we're lucky that we only have one, so its 2on1 defense.

 

[katrina2017]

@ecclesiastian So we never camped with baby because i hate camping, personally, but i didn't hate it when I was younger and you can totally make it work.

For sleep, can you get a small travel sleeper type thing? Like a mini pack n play? Or hell, even a full size one might not be a bad idea depending on what size tent you have, and would be a useful baby corral too. I'd just get a cheap one, no bells and whistles. And yeah, layer baby up for cooler nights. Long sleeve pj's, a fleece sleep sack, even a onesie under, although my kid loves nothing more than cold fresh air to sleep in and runs super hot.

I honestly believe supervision is better than containment; you just gotta have eyes on the little one (both, actually) to make sure they steer clear of the fire and stay within boundaries.

Otherwise, good sunscreen and bug spray and a portable fan for baby probably isn't a terrible idea. I'd see if you can get your hands on one of those wagon things with a baby seat; that seems far preferable to a stroller or a carrier, plus you can lug stuff in it too.

I think cloth diapers would be fine, especially for sunny weekends. Nothing bleaches better than the sun and a clothesline, just take a specific bin or bowl for washing them and be prepared to hand wash.

 

[sbrodhagen]

@ecclesiastian We took out little one at 3 months and she loved it. Got a huge tent so we could put a pack n play on there for her. I was afraid we'd roll on her of she wasn't separated, and it worked great because we were able to level it so she had a nice flat surface. Our campsite was on a slant so hubby and I ended up slumped in the corner of the tent by morning. We used a merlin sleep suit (like a fitted onesie traditionally used as a pseudo swaddle to keep her warm, along with two pairs of footie pajamas. We brought a white noise app on our phone in case she needed it, but she didn't.

It might be worth trying to borrow gear if you don't have a pack n play or similar. For me, that was absolutely necessary with all the sleeping bags/extra jackets/suffocating hazards around.

 

[c88c91]

@ecclesiastian Seconding the pack n play for sleep. We did this many, many times with my littles and it worked great, but it does require a bigger tent. They do make little pop-up portable mini-crib things, but if the tent is big enough I’d just bring the whole damn pnp.

The hard thing with warmth is temperature changes - it might be pretty hot at bedtime and then get cold overnight. So definitely layers, and you might need to plan a way to layer up more in the middle of the night.

For us, mosquito management was always the biggest challenge. I’d consider looking into some kind of mosquito net to create a big-free space if needed. Otherwise you end up like me and spend the whole trip in the tent of the mosquitos are bad

 

[clfan]

@c88c91 Mozzies are a problem for is too, and shade. We settled on an enclosed hexagon shaped gazebo, which is basically a roof with mesh netting around the sides. Pain in the butt to set up, but necessary depending on where you are camping in the summer.

 

[missy945]

@ecclesiastian We've gone backcountry camping lots of times with our oldest, starting when he was 4 months, cloth diapering the whole time. We loved it!

On the cooler nights, we put him in a thin hat, onesie, jammies and a fleece sleep sack. If it's going to be really cold, you could do a snowsuit and tuck his hands in. He slept perpendicular to us at our heads, on a thin bassinet mattress (it rolled up, so easy to strap to our backpacks).

We put the poopy diapers in a wet/dry bag to deal with when we got home. Wet ones we hung up in the sun, and reused. Might not hurt to have some disposables as a back up, but we didn't have a problem using cloth.

As far as safety goes, we didn't do anything differently than we would at home. When they're mobile, someone has to have eyes on them the whole time. The danger of a fire is the same as stairs or choking hazards at home.

Don't listen to the haters, and go for it!

 

[katrina2017]

@ecclesiastian We find that the first night always go great and the second night is much more trying/kid is more needy. As a result we tend to cap our camps at 2 nights so we're not zombies.

We cosleep when camping because its easiest, but before kiddo was very mobile we had a mini pack and play. As for during the day, we use(d) a huge woven blanket for her to play on that had a natural "boundary" of the edges and she mostly kept to it, occupied by pinecones/toys/sticks. The biggest problem was trying to eat rocks, if I recall.

Those clip on chairs are great for adding a seat to the picnic table.

Have fun!

 

[believerofhim]

@ecclesiastian We took our daughter when she was 7 months and brought the pack and play mattress (but not the actual pack and play) for the ground for her to sleep on with a flannel sheet for it. We fenced her in on three sides with our duffle bags and layered her up in a fleece sleep sack and full length pajamas with the little fold over mittens built into the sleeves. Since I was nursing at night she did kind of end up snuggled next to me for warmth. so I kept my sleeping bag open.

It's probably easiest to switch to disposable diapers for the trip, otherwise you need to find a place to store diapers and I def wouldn't want that bag in my car if I were you!

I'm not sure if you're camping with anyone else but we were with family and never really had to worry about finding someone to watch her, there were always people around. We brought one of those pop up sun shelters that we use at the beach and an outdoor picnic blanket that has a waterproof side to let her sit/play on when we were lounging. Pop out camping style high chairs exist and we borrowed one but the "tray" was really flimsy so it was kind of pointless since the food just rolled off. You might want to consider one of those high chairs that clips onto the end of the picnic table (assuming there will be a picnic table at your campsite).

 

[golgotha007]

@ecclesiastian We camped last summer with our 9 month old, this summer we’re skipping the early camping since I’m pregnant (and sleeping on the ground would be uncomfortable) but planning on trying a late summer trip with the infant too. Personally I think it’s easier when they are young, especially if you’re still breastfeeding. Babies don’t need much.

We had a pack and play, but the hardest part was getting it dark enough for him to sleep during the day so it turned into me doing naps with him instead. Also we underestimated how cold it would get so he ended up sleeping between us at night as well. This time around I’ll bring a wool suit and/or invest in one of those baby sleeping bags. Also make sure you have a portable charger and/or a battery operated sound machine if your kid is used to that for sleeping. My phone died halfway through the night the first night.

We brought the stroller, but it was more cumbersome than helpful. Baby wearing was a life saver though. We did bring a booster seat with a built in tray for eating and that was also helpful for containment. But otherwise, just an outdoor play mat for him to hang out on. He wasn’t all that interested in the fire (more so dirt and rocks lol). We brought toys, but other than a book at bedtime he didn’t play with them.

 

[coefirk]

@golgotha007 I also had to nap with my daughter in the day. It was a great opportunity to get some private reading done.

 

[ecclesiastian]

@golgotha007 I can’t imagine taking a stroller camping/hiking. I don’t even like using them on pavement, let alone on a trail. We wear him everywhere, so at least that I won’t have to adjust

 

[jazzytorres]

@ecclesiastian I'm sorry you got negative advice! Camping with a baby worked great for us. We took our LO camping starting around 6 months have have done 5 camping trips with her (she is 17 months now). We used a peapod when she was < 1 year old. Depending on the temperature we either put her in a fleece onesie and her normal sleep sack, or used the bear bunting or puffy sleep sack from Baby Deedee. When she was 15 months we did a very cold trip (sub freezing a few nights -- Utah during that big cold snap in February) where we were truck camping, and we put her in all of the layers, and used the bear bunting to cover her hands. She slept amazingly well as long as her hands didn't get uncovered. In terms of sleeping logistics sometimes we would start her in the peapod for sleeping and then cosleep when we were ready for bed. Other times she was in the peapod the whole time. After about a year we just co-slept.

In terms of safety, we weren't able to do fires most of the summer due to wildfire concerns (California) so that wasn't much of an issue for us, although at least once we were at a campsite which permitted it and we just kept a close eye on her. It wasn't an issue -- she didn't try to get at it.

We did disposables for convenience. Cloth would be fine as well, we just didn't want to bring the extra bulk.

One more fun baby thing -- we got this chair and would put it on top of the picnic tables to feed her -- it has proved super useful. We use it a lot! We brought extra towels for messes, and just used a wet bag to collect everything for cleaning later.

A few other things -- naps and early bedtimes were hard because it was so light out in the summer. Sometimes one of us had to nap with her (her dad will always volunteer for that!). We didn't stress too much about it and it didn't seem to effect her mood much. I think a key to a successful camping trip with a baby is to be flexible on schedules and routines and let the baby lead. At least that worked well for us, although I know all babies are different!

Good luck and have fun!

 

[ecclesiastian]

@jazzytorres That baby deedee looks awesome! I found another baby sleeping bag thing but it was like $150 so that price is way better.

My baby is used to falling asleep with lights on so hopefully it won’t be too much of an issue. My big kid (6 years) however insists that it can’t be bedtime while it’s light out. In summer it’s not dark here till after 10 and then he loves to sit up by the fire so it’s definitely a challenge to get him to bed while camping!

 

[jewelz613]

@ecclesiastian We went camping with our little one at 7 months, and we honestly didn’t need much stuff. My kid can’t stand being in enclosures so I just wore her around. We got an ergopouch instead of the Morrison outdoors sleeping bags because of the option to switch from a sack to a sleepsuit, and our girl was super toasty in it. Honestly we just had her sleeping between my husband and I, with the back of our sleeping bags zipped together and the front of our bags folded down very low.