Camping with a baby - advice?

[Echo]

My wife and I were fortunate to welcome our first baby this past August. He just turned 6 months old and we’re eager to get him outdoors as much as possible and away from screens.

Who here has tent camped with a baby less than a year old? What valuable lessons did you learn? And, what did you use for the baby’s sleeping situation?

Any and all advice is welcomed - thanks in advance!

 

[taskswap]

My wife had our son in a pack-and-play in a tent in a state park at 3 months old. Just go do it. It's fine. Honestly, the smaller the are, the easier.

 

[InkedElkSlayer]

Both our kids literally grew up in hunting camp. We took our first son on a week long Idaho mule deer hunt, an opening week and mid-November Montana elk hunt in a general unit, and a 10 day hunt in the Breaks… All during the season when he was well under a year old. Youngest son spent several weeks in a wall tent as well when he was even younger. I’m talking below zero in November.
We used a pack-n-play with a bunch of padding, a warm sleeping bag folded under and blankets over the top. Like a hibernating gopher.
We also brought this mobile projector thing that basically projected a bunch of lights and designs on the tent ceiling and played some ridiculous bedtime chime over each time they’d hit the button. Both kids slept like a rock. Still do. They’re 18 and 16 now, still sleep in the wall tent. No mobile projector though now.
We literally took our boys everywhere from the time they were newborns. Horn hunting Hells Canyon, hiking the Clearwater, week after week of MT. The earlier you take them out, the better. It’s not the work that some people make it out to be, it’s fun… most of the time.

 

[DawnPatrol]

Get a big tent and a pack-n-play, you’ll be golden. If you are concerned about cold, a buddy heater is good if your little one is too small to deal with a lot of blankets and bedding.

I guess you could bring your baby into bed with you, but I’d advise against that for sleep training reasons.

Good luck!

 

[DeePow]

Like others my wife and I had our now 4 1/2 year old out beginning at two weeks, at a year did a two month camping trip through BC and Alberta with consistent snow showers. We utilized a dog bed rather than the pak-n-play that others reference. This established the fact that the dogs can sleep with the kids, keep the kids warm, and is an overall great place for a kid to sleep.

We also grabbed Tuffo suits which are bomber in any weather, but aren't breathable so if you layer your kids well they will stay exceptionally warm.

The 4 1/2 year old now sleep in a Duster and we picked another up for the 2 year old. They are awesome sleeping bags that you can cinch up with clips while they are small and then expand as they grow.

The best piece of advice I can offer is to bring snacks, something to capture bugs, frogs, and other critters in, and just make the experience as fun as possible. Stay calm regardless of the situation to ensure they are always happy, if you lose your temper out of frustration it creates the opportunity to ruin the trip for the kid, making every future trip more challenging. I'll put in more thought but if you haven't invested in a decent carrying backpack, do so. Both of our kids have loved getting carried on my backs because of the views that transition to naps. When our oldest was young he would sit in the pack for 15-mile trips consistently through the summer before boogying around at alpine lakes.

 

[Ratbeetle]

Had our little girl on her first car camping trip around 6 months, her first backpack camping trip in the mountains before she turned one and hiked her down into the grand canyon for a multi-day trip before she was two.

An appropriately sized quality sleeping bag, an insulated pad and good (non-cotton) under layers have worked well for us sleeping in temps down to the upper 20s.

 

[BarCO]

It is great, enjoy

 

[Where's Bruce?]

I wholly support camping with a babe.

 

[SoloWilderness]

These are awesome for camping with the little ones. We also take our little Jackery battery pack, and plug in the monitor, white noise generator, etc. We put our pack n play in the back of the pickup, inside the shell, and she could go to sleep earlier without worrying about waking her up (just keep the windows all open for fresh air). Once they get used to it, it becomes their little cave.

 

[Echo]

Like others my wife and I had our now 4 1/2 year old out beginning at two weeks, at a year did a two month camping trip through BC and Alberta with consistent snow showers. We utilized a dog bed rather than the pak-n-play that others reference. This established the fact that the dogs can sleep with the kids, keep the kids warm, and is an overall great place for a kid to sleep.

We also grabbed Tuffo suits which are bomber in any weather, but aren't breathable so if you layer your kids well they will stay exceptionally warm.

The 4 1/2 year old now sleep in a Duster and we picked another up for the 2 year old. They are awesome sleeping bags that you can cinch up with clips while they are small and then expand as they grow.

The best piece of advice I can offer is to bring snacks, something to capture bugs, frogs, and other critters in, and just make the experience as fun as possible. Stay calm regardless of the situation to ensure they are always happy, if you lose your temper out of frustration it creates the opportunity to ruin the trip for the kid, making every future trip more challenging. I'll put in more thought but if you haven't invested in a decent carrying backpack, do so. Both of our kids have loved getting carried on my backs because of the views that transition to naps. When our oldest was young he would sit in the pack for 15-mile trips consistently through the summer before boogying around at alpine lakes.

This is all great advice - thanks so much. I bought a baby carrier almost immediately after he was born. He's still not quite ready for it but I can't wait until he is!

 

[Echo]

These are awesome for camping with the little ones. We also take our little Jackery battery pack, and plug in the monitor, white noise generator, etc. We put our pack n play in the back of the pickup, inside the shell, and she could go to sleep earlier without worrying about waking her up (just keep the windows all open for fresh air). Once they get used to it, it becomes their little cave.

View attachment 513862

I was actually looking at these morrison bags, last night. I'm happy to hear a positive review - I'm planning on getting one of these!

 

[InkedElkSlayer]

Wait until you’re packing him around in that pack and he’s been plugged up. So you give him something to help with it. Then you’re hiking around and you hear him open up the floodgates. He’ll be smiling and enjoying the scenery. You finally stop on a flat spot to survey the damage… and he has shit mushed all the way up his back to the bottom of his hairline. And he won’t have a care in the world. I know a guy who’s been there… twice.
It’s fun though. I bugled a bull into 20yds when my oldest was 3. I picked him up so he could see over 1 downed log, he was basically face to face with a raghorn. I half packed him in, half the time he walked. Priceless.

 

[SoloWilderness]

I was actually looking at these morrison bags, last night. I'm happy to hear a positive review - I'm planning on getting one of these!

They are really well made, and the trade in program is really nice.

 

[Echo]

Wait until you’re packing him around in that pack and he’s been plugged up. So you give him something to help with it. Then you’re hiking around and you hear him open up the floodgates. He’ll be smiling and enjoying the scenery. You finally stop on a flat spot to survey the damage… and he has shit mushed all the way up his back to the bottom of his hairline. And he won’t have a care in the world. I know a guy who’s been there… twice.
It’s fun though. I bugled a bull into 20yds when my oldest was 3. I picked him up so he could see over 1 downed log, he was basically face to face with a raghorn. I half packed him in, half the time he walked. Priceless.

ha, we’ve already experienced this with doing some shorter hikes in the chest carrier. As soon as we got to the trailhead the little guy let loose…..oh well, the joys of parenting!

 

[william schmaltz]

Agree with a lot that's been said. We have the Morrison outdoors body sleeping bag, it's awesome. Also have a similar Big Agnes bag that attaches to the sleeping pad for the older one (I think the model we have is called the Wolverine). Anyways, that's awesome too but you probably won't need that until next year or later. When less than a few months old, we did the co-sleep to make sure they were warm. If you want to go that route, I really like the Static V double pad by Klymit (I now take this pad hunting for just me when weight allows!). We use battery powered sound machine and monitor if you got one. The first 18 months or so, we do the pack and play in the tent. Yours is also at rock eating stage so the pack and play can be nice outside the tent if needed. Get a large blanket for outside. Good to get them on the earth for sensory reasons, but if you don't know exactly where you will be, there could be sharp rocks, pine needles, human/dog mess, etc all over the ground and then it's nice to have a blanket to put the kid on so they can still move and prevent them from eating everything they find on the ground or having a fit because everything hurts them. Especially since your kid won't be able to walk yet. Depending on where you live, an outdoor canopy shelter is nice. It can rain a ton here, so we spend a good amount of time in the screened canopy while camping instead of being stuck in the tent. It's also a good bug escape if needed. We bring a Mr. Buddy to take the edge off at times. I'd recommend a battery-powered CO detector if you plan to use that. A black-out blanket can be nice to drape over the pack and play for early bed/morning and nap time if your kid isn't used to sleeping in the light.

Youngest we've gone 2 months old and it got down to 30 degrees in July that trip. The Morrison bag/co-sleeping made the temp a non-issue. It's a lot of work with little kids in a tent, but it's still fun. Our oldest is 4.5, and he's been asking all winter to set up the tent to sleep in. I ask my wife every year if she wants to buy a camper and she looks at me like I'm an idiot. She would never lower herself to that level!

Another thing we do it we have a shallow tote that we put sandbox sand in and bring that and some sand toys/trucks with. Our oldest and all the other kids play in that thing most of the time we are out. You're probably not there until next year, but it's something that's easy to pack and kids love it.

We also go the tuffo/rubber boot route most of the summer and they're great for just letting the kids get into whatever they want.

 

[Echo]

Agree with a lot that's been said. We have the Morrison outdoors body sleeping bag, it's awesome. Also have a similar Big Agnes bag that attaches to the sleeping pad for the older one (I think the model we have is called the Wolverine). Anyways, that's awesome too but you probably won't need that until next year or later. When less than a few months old, we did the co-sleep to make sure they were warm. If you want to go that route, I really like the Static V double pad by Klymit (I now take this pad hunting for just me when weight allows!). We use battery powered sound machine and monitor if you got one. The first 18 months or so, we do the pack and play in the tent. Yours is also at rock eating stage so the pack and play can be nice outside the tent if needed. Get a large blanket for outside. Good to get them on the earth for sensory reasons, but if you don't know exactly where you will be, there could be sharp rocks, pine needles, human/dog mess, etc all over the ground and then it's nice to have a blanket to put the kid on so they can still move and prevent them from eating everything they find on the ground or having a fit because everything hurts them. Especially since your kid won't be able to walk yet. Depending on where you live, an outdoor canopy shelter is nice. It can rain a ton here, so we spend a good amount of time in the screened canopy while camping instead of being stuck in the tent. It's also a good bug escape if needed. We bring a Mr. Buddy to take the edge off at times. I'd recommend a battery-powered CO detector if you plan to use that. A black-out blanket can be nice to drape over the pack and play for early bed/morning and nap time if your kid isn't used to sleeping in the light.

Youngest we've gone 2 months old and it got down to 30 degrees in July that trip. The Morrison bag/co-sleeping made the temp a non-issue. It's a lot of work with little kids in a tent, but it's still fun. Our oldest is 4.5, and he's been asking all winter to set up the tent to sleep in. I ask my wife every year if she wants to buy a camper and she looks at me like I'm an idiot. She would never lower herself to that level!

Another thing we do it we have a shallow tote that we put sandbox sand in and bring that and some sand toys/trucks with. Our oldest and all the other kids play in that thing most of the time we are out. You're probably not there until next year, but it's something that's easy to pack and kids love it.

We also go the tuffo/rubber boot route most of the summer and they're great for just letting the kids get into whatever they want.

This is such great feedback - I love the idea of a Mr Buddy with a battery powered co detector, never even thought of that.

Thanks for sharing your wealth of information. We briefly discussed a camper as well and decided against it. I’ve got a Kodiak canvas flexbow that is perfect for us, the dogs, and a pack and play. Can’t wait to take the little guy this summer.

 

[Olympics777]

My two girls (1 and 3) both have been camping lots of times, and it’s pretty easy. We have a kids sleeping bag for the older one and we fold a heavy blanket to put under her for insulation from the ground. The younger one sleeps in a pack and play covered in blankets, I think we camped last summer up on the river when she was like two or three weeks old. Hardest part about the older one is that if she’s within about 6 feet of a campfire she loses all sense of balance so it’s a full time job watching her so she doesn’t fall in.

 

[Ikmclean]

Enjoy it, I've found camping with babies is much easier than camping with my now 3 and 6yo.

 

[Trial153]

Best advice is to get a hotel room .

 

[sacklunch]

Wait until they can walk at least a little..or expect them to crawl all over the dirt, mud, etc.