Camping? With a baby? It may sound impossible, but it is an extremely interesting and rewarding experience. Have you ever imagined relaxing on a soft grass carpet, watching the starry sky with your baby’s giggles? Camping with your baby is a trip and a beautiful memory that the whole family will always cherish.
But how to camp with a baby? Are you worried about taking care of your baby during the camping trip? With a little preparation and tips, you can completely make the trip easy and enjoyable. Don’t worry too much! Today, Babies Parent will share the secrets to make your trip meaningful and memorable!
1. Choose a Suitable Camping Location
One of the most important tips when it comes to how to camp with a baby is choosing the right campsite. Our advice is that for your first trip, you should choose a campsite that is close to home and provides basic amenities such as bathrooms. Since it’s your first time camping with your little one, you don’t want to be exhausted after a long car ride. So a nearby campsite is perfect.
You can also start your experience by camping in your backyard. You can prepare your supplies, set up a tent in your garden, and spend a night outdoors. This experience will help you gain more experience and be able to camp in more remote locations next time.
Or you can choose a campsite that is designed to be friendly to families with young children. These campsites often have many integrated amenities for children and parents to enjoy together. Another thing to note when choosing a campsite is to prioritize places with good security and close to medical facilities so that any problems can be handled quickly.
2. Check the Weather
Of course, you can’t overlook the weather. Weather conditions have a significant impact on adult camping trips, let alone when there are babies involved. As a result, before your camping with a newborn, thoroughly review the weather prediction. You should avoid camping on days with extreme weather conditions that are too harsh for your child, such as excessively high or low temperatures or storms.
3. Bring all Necessary Baby Supplies
How to camp with a baby? The important thing to remember is to prepare all the necessary items for the baby. From clothes, diapers, baby bottles to toys, everything needs to be carefully prepared.
You can estimate the number of diapers your baby needs and trust me, bring double that amount. Because it is better to have more than not enough and diapers are also light so they will not take up too much space in your luggage. This is extremely important if you plan to camp in a place where there are not many shops or supermarkets. In addition, you can prepare extra wipes or bring a little more clothes to prepare for unexpected situations.
4. Use a Spacious Tent
Since your baby will be sleeping in a tent while camping, you will need a large, spacious tent. It would be great if the tent could be spread out and accommodate a crib or pack n play. However, you can be flexible because this is camping, it will be different from your bedroom at home.
You can refer to the types of tents that are friendly to family camping. These tents will be more spacious and comfortable. A large, spacious tent will be more beneficial than you think. You can play in the tent camping trip with a baby if the weather suddenly changes or at least it will help all family members to be comfortable.
5. Pack Appropriate Sleeping Gear for the Baby
When it comes to how to camp with a baby, it is indispensable to prepare the baby’s sleeping equipment. This is especially important for small babies because they sleep a lot during the day. You need to bring a mattress or a crib depending on your baby. And don’t forget to prepare the best sleep sacks to help your baby sleep better in the tent.
If your baby has a teddy bear, bring it along, because it will help your baby feel as safe as when sleeping at home. You can also prepare extra blankets if you plan to camp overnight. Blankets can be used as a mattress or to keep children warm because the temperature will drop at night.
6. Bring Baby-Safe Mosquito and Insect Repellent
You also need to prepare insect and mosquito-repellent creams when tent camping with your baby. Most campsites are usually located in the middle of open land with many trees surrounding them to create a feeling of being in harmony with nature, so it is impossible to avoid many insects and mosquitoes. Therefore, take the initiative to “protect” your baby from these small animals.
However, some insect and mosquito repellent creams are not recommended for use on children under 6 months. Therefore, read the instructions carefully or consult an expert before using them. Or you can apply other protection methods such as wearing long sleeves clothes or using mosquito nets.
7. Prepare Easy-To-Make, Baby-Friendly Food
One of the things I learned about how to camp with a baby is to prepare simple meals for your baby. Breastfeeding is the simplest method. You can prepare breast milk or formula. Make sure you have enough clean water to mix your baby’s milk if you use formula for night feedings.
If your baby is already eating solid foods, you can choose convenient pureed food bags or prepare food at home before going camping. You should limit the amount of new foods you give your baby because camping is not the ideal time to introduce new foods.
8. Create a Safe Play Yard for Your Baby
In particular, your baby’s safety is the most important thing you need to care about when it comes to how to camp with a baby. So, create a safe playing environment and always keep an eye on your child. Many parents have shared with Babies Parent that the camping age of about 9 months – 12 months is the “scariest”. Because children at this age have started to crawl or are learning to walk, you must always keep an eye on them at all times.
My advice is that you can use a picnic mat or a small tent as a separate play area for your baby. Always make sure that your child is close and within your sight, avoiding dangerous areas such as near water or near fire. You can create different toddler activities to play with your child. For slightly older children, about 3 – 4 years old, you can let them participate in fun water activities. But join your child to ensure their safety.
9. Stick to Regular Nap Schedules
Another tip when you want to know how to camp with a baby is to create a reasonable rest time. Make sure that your baby’s rest time is by the daily routine so that the baby is not too tired or fussy.
All parents are eager to play more with their children when camping to create beautiful memories. However, if you do not maintain a regular nap schedule, it will be easy to make the baby tired and fussy. At that time, the camping trip will be “destroyed” by the baby’s crying.
10. Protect Your Baby from Direct Sunlight
Another important thing to keep in mind when it comes to how to camp with a baby is keeping your baby away from UV rays. The UV rays from the sun harm your baby’s skin and health1. Exposure to too much UV will affect children‘s skin, eyes, and even result in a risk for skin cancer in the future. Therefore, one needs to select a campsite with shade and hence should make use of a sun umbrella. You can also wear a sun hat and use additional sunscreen for your baby.
FAQs
It is not an exact question to say what age can kids go to summer camp. The same with your question, you can take any age kids to camp if you just can ensure that you make some considerations for their safety and appropriateness about their health condition.
You can bring winter clothes or extra layers to keep your baby warm while camping. You can also add sleep bags to help ensure your baby’s body temperature is stable throughout the night.
Your child will sleep in a tent when camping. Depending on your child’s preference, you can let him sleep in a crib or sleep with you. If he sleeps in a crib, you can bring a portable crib. If you want to sleep with your child, spread out a mattress, prepare a blanket, and sleep like you would at home.
Final Word from Babies Parent
So, with the 10 tips above, you know how to camp with a baby and are ready for an exciting camping trip with your baby. The first camping trip with your baby will be a memorable milestone and leave many precious memories for the whole family. With the accumulated experience, you can completely plan for further trips and discover many new things with your baby!
Remember to prepare all the necessary equipment, choose the right location, and most importantly, keep your spirit optimistic and happy. Wish you and your family a wonderful trip and don’t forget to share beautiful photos with Babies Parent!
- (Childhood Sun Exposure as a Risk Factor for Melanoma: A Systematic Review of Epidemiologic Studies, n.d.) ↩︎
