Camping With a Baby

[IHeartDirt]

My husband and I are eager to get back to camping. We have a six month old and considering taking our first car camping adventure next month. I have no idea how we're gonna keep the little guy warm at night (we're in Oregon). Any suggestions on camping with babies?

 

[Grandpa]

We take the little ones on multi day backpacks. For under a year old, the mama's use an oversize mummy bag and the baby sleeps with mama. Car camping would be even easier with a large rectagular bag. After one year old, they usually move into a kid size bag. Blankets can also be folded to make an adequate bed. The most important thing is to insulate from the ground

Ps. Welcome to the OBC forums. Let us know how your trip turns out.

 

[ChadTower]

Agreed with Grandpa. Camping with the baby, as far as keeping the baby warm at night, etc, is easy. You can also bring a pack n play into the tent and use blankets the same as you would at home.

The one issue with car camping with a baby I have run into is keeping the baby quiet during quiet hours. Yeah, babies need to cry, and sometimes at home you would let them, but the campground is different. People can hear a crying baby for 20 sites in any direction. Tents hide no noise at all. If the baby isn't sleeping through the night yet you may want to consider waiting until he does. Or maybe seek out a more kid friendly campground that might have others with kids that age.

 

[IHeartDirt]

Thanks, folks! Baby Bear can be a little bit of a fuss monster sometimes which will keep us out of the camp grounds for a while longer. Our plan is to car camp near one of the hot springs here. I'll let you know how it goes, Grandpa. And thanks for the warm welcome.

 

[campclose]

I would certainly stay out of campgrounds for now. I have camped near campers that had a screaming baby. It was fine at first but it got annoying. If it gets too cold you could always start the car and start the heater.

 

[little billy]

we car camped with my son at 9 months old. He slept between us. on our queen air mattress- we are both light sleepers so moving and rolling on him has never been an issue. we also had a space heater and his pack and play. we have a 10x16 tent

 

[Grandpa]

Here, my granddaughter is 9 months old. We backpacked in a few miles and spent two nights at about 9000 feet. She had a ball the whole time. Next week, my 8 month old grandson and I are headed to the Sawtooth wilderness for 3 nights. However, we are letting his mom and dad come too, and possibly his grandma and great grandma.

[/IMG]

You won't really know how he is going to react unless you try it. Plan a one night camping trip with easy access to abort just to see how your son is going to react to it all. Be a shame to miss out because you didn't try.

 

[ppine]

Bring them by all means. I have had good luck zipping up a warm jacket and using it for a kid sleeping bag.

 

[ponderosa]

I've camped and hiked often and occasionally backpacked with each of mine since the time they were about two months old.
I co-slept with my babies at home quite a bit, but found it just about impossible to share a sleeping bag with them. I couldn't cinch the bag around my shoulders (because the baby's face would be covered), so I could never stay warm. And I couldn't turn over without rearranging the baby and waking her up. I only tried it about two nights. What did work for me was using a little moses basket for the baby's bed. I dressed her in socks, warm footie PJs, and a sleep sack (a blanket that has arm holes and is closed at the bottom & zips up the front. I'd layer a few of those if it was cold. In really cold weather, I'd dress them in a heavy bunting over the pjs. I'll see if I can find a pic of one of my babies cozy in the moses basket.
Our tent isn't big enough for a pack-n-play. To keep them out of trouble in the campground, I wore them in a front carrier or backpack carrier. And sometimes, we just took turns with camp duties/baby duties. Realize camp chores will just take longer because sometimes only one parent can be working at a time.
If the baby cries when you're car camping, just get up and go to the car with them until they're calm or sleeping again. The car contains the noise very effectively. I honestly don't think we've ever been a disturbance to people around us that way.

 

[ponderosa]

Snug as a bug...in a tent.

If you don't have or want a Moses basket, you could do the same thing with an oblong laundry basket.

 

[ponderosa]

I clearly haven't quite figured out the best way to post a pic here, but I hope that helps a little. Our Moses Basket is cordura (same fabric as many backpacks) and was made by Badger Baskets. I love that thing. Another groovy piece of baby gear is this thing:

PeaPod Travel Bed

I absolutely LOVE this thing for naps on the beach or river bank or just about anywhere...I used it a lot in the backyard while I worked in the garden as well as camping trips.

 

[Grandpa]

How heavy and bulky is that ponderosa? Suitable for backpacking?

 

[CaverGroupie]

This is not really helpful advice, but a funny story.
It was in Crater Lake, Or. at the end of the season. In fact, the campground closed the day we left.
We had brought my first born on his first camping trip at 10 months old. Bless him, he was really into this new trick he'd just mastered, crawling. It was already cold, so we went to the tent early.
Or tried to. This was the coolest thing Baby #1 had ever had happen to him, you'd think. Both parents in this tiny little room on the floor with him. He was not the least bit sleepy at his normal bed time. Or two hours later! He just kept wiggling out of that cute little baby sleeping bag and crawling around and around the edge of the tent. Over our feet, around, over our heads, around, capture and return, escape, giggle and crawl some more.
We were just grateful for no crying, I guess.

 

[ChadTower]

And grateful for that awesome memory, too.

 

[Grandpa]

Grandma and I went visiting the kids yesterday. While out of town we made a pass through a DI (thrift store) and found a "just like new" baby sleeping bag for $5. Here is a picture of it (top) along side a youth bag (middle) and a regular bag. It looks heavy enough for anything we will find during the summer months.

 

[CaverGroupie]

This is not really helpful advice, but a funny story.
It was in Crater Lake, Or. at the end of the season. In fact, the campground closed the day we left.
We had brought my first born on his first camping trip at 10 months old. Bless him, he was really into this new trick he'd just mastered, crawling. It was already cold, so we went to the tent early.
Or tried to. This was the coolest thing Baby #1 had ever had happen to him, you'd think. Both parents in this tiny little room on the floor with him. He was not the least bit sleepy at his normal bed time. Or two hours later! He just kept wiggling out of that cute little baby sleeping bag and crawling around and around the edge of the tent. Over our feet, around, over our heads, around, capture and return, escape, giggle and crawl some more.
We were just grateful for no crying, I guess.

Can someone delete this? I didn't mean to post it twice.

 

[IHeartDirt]

@Grandpa, that picture made my heart jump! What a treasure. These are all great suggestions, thank you to all who have responded and especially taken the time to spell out details. @Ponderosa, part of my concern was nighttime dressing too. We have a couple sleep sacs that I haven't really put to use yet. Also, we bed-share half the time here at home, I like having the option of sending the lil guy to another safe sleep spot when he gets to be too much of a wiggly bed bug. So, laundry basket, huh?

 

[Newanderthal]

Keep you baby beside you. Your body heat will help. Also, remember your baby needs a hat.

 

[Reed]

My husband and I are eager to get back to camping. We have a six month old and considering taking our first car camping adventure next month. I have no idea how we're gonna keep the little guy warm at night (we're in Oregon). Any suggestions on camping with babies?

Just keep them warm by bundling them up. Remember that the higher the elevation, the colder it will get at night and the thinner the air is. I don't know how well, or bad, babies do in thin air, but I would keep that in mind.

 

[Theosus]

Take some cough syrup. That stuff should knock him out if he gets fussy. And don't sit in the car with the heater running. In the wrong conditions you could all go to sleep, forever.