Camping with a baby

[LovelyLaeticia]

We're planning on going camping in Nova Scotia for a week with our 10.5 month daughter...

Anybody camped with a baby? Any tips?

[vibrantflame]

I haven't done it, but I had a thought. I'm not sure how your daughter sleeps right now (in a crib or co-sleeping, etc.) or how big your tent will be (assuming you'll be in a tent?) but it might be helpful if you can to keep her sleeping routine the same. Like, for example, if she sleeps in a crib and you have room, bring a playpen for her to sleep in. Unless she's comfortable with sleeping wherever, I know some kids are, my kids it was always a battle if their sleeping arrangements were different from normal.

[bejaap]

My kids got bored of their playpens so we found all different sizes of cardboard boxes when we passed a store on the way. The babes had a ball playing in them around them and even under them(ones with big holes in the bottom make a great peekaboo game. When they were all done they were the fire starter for the night.

In a tent one adult always slept across the door(in case the little darlin escapes their bed) and in case it is raining it is better if they can't touch the walls, some of mine had fun touching them and playing in the water that got in hahahaha.

This one may sound weird but it works great-you get one of those screw in the ground thingies(that you would attach a pet to). We then put a big blanket(one you don't mind putting a hole into) down, screw the thingie into the ground in the middle of the blanket and attach the end of a baby harness to it. Your staying right there anyway but it stopped a lot of snacks they were eating being replaced by what ever they found on the ground. My little ones hated the feel of grass on their bare feet so this also let them go shoeless with out complaints. Until they got tired of being tethered they really enjoyed the perceived freedom it gave them and it was a change from the playpen for a little while.

[35angels]

I second the playpen idea. We go camping every year and my dd was 6 months at the time. I like the idea of a harness, but dh refused to put a "leash" on his child. lol

[urouj862]

lots of sunscreen and an alternate to using deet , is garlic pills , i'm sure there are ones for infants out there. Good luck! have fun!

[LovelyLaeticia]

We are tenting, and we have a big tent and a little one. The playpen will definitly fit in the big one. We're thinking we'll do a little dry run in our yard maybe...

[Sherbear609]

GOOD LUCK I know what it's like we go camping every year... it's our vacation
We bring the playpen, It's the only way..Ds(when he was a baby) was what worked the best...(along with the stroller We are going this year in August... baby will be roughly 6 months... the other is the netting... this will also save on bug spray.. (no deet products only) And most important is COFFEE, I have the coleman coffee maker so THAT will be on the second the baby make's a peep
Let me know how your trip goes.. I am ready to go into battle though...FIRST night is always the worst...(just like when you bring baby home!) so I will sleep the whole time on the way to the Pinery..Provinical Park

[LovelyLaeticia]

We are going to bring the stroller, and I bought a second hand "baby backpack" for hiking. We have a little "tent" that goes over our playpen to keep the bugs off, and a net for the stroller.... I got a really cool coffee maker that goes on the Coleman at a yard sale for a couple dollars... I should probably give it a test run before we go!

[travel-mum]

My baby sister was camping at 2 weeks old, and my kids were camping at 6 months and 9 months old respectively. All the ideas above are great ones. The thing is to keep them busy so they're not eating bark or twigs off the ground! If you're still nursing, it's nice to have one of those little tents with total screening around it. We had one that automatically popped up. It was great to put a chair in for nursing, (away from the bugs) and then laying the baby down after they fall asleep. It's also great to have one of those seats that straps down to a chair. You can strap it to a bench on the picnic table, and the baby can eat at the table with everyone else, without you having to hold them. Make sure you go in the warmer weather, and dress the baby in a warm sleeper if the nights are cool, 'cause they sure don't keep blankets on!

[LovelyLaeticia]

I'm going to see about getting one of those booster seat things for sure! Hopefully I'll spot one on Kijiji or at a yard sale!

thanks for all the great ideas so far!

[sarah_300c]

I went with my son when he was close to that age. Still crawling. I just took him for a walk in the stroller around the camp ground if started to get bored, and he loved that. Often fell asleep and would nap long too (they seem to love sleeping outdoors).

I also put down a big tarp and laid a couple blankets on it with all his toys and I would sit on it and play with him.

Try to pick a site that has shade so she won't burn.

And if you happen to have one of those big bug tents, you can just sit and play in there, they work awesome!(You can usually get them for fairly cheap when they are sale). That would save baby and you from the bugs.

I have a 12 month old and 2.5 year old and we plan on going camping this year too. I think it will be lots of fun, and I will definitely be using some of your guys tips! Happy camping everyone!

[mellyskater]

we went camping last week with a 13 month old and it was the best time! He loved every second of it! I would do it again in a second!

[jrose64]

We just took out 4 month old camping last weekend. He loved it, I think one of his fav things was sitting on our laps or in his bouncy vibrating chair watching the fire.
The thing we learnt for bottles he does not mind room temp bottle he has not since he was 2 months so we have not needed to heat the bottles up but for the first thing in the morning feeding when the water sat all night long and got cold he did not like it. So the next nigh I put the bottle in a bag and put it in my sleeping bag with me and just from body heat it was warm enough.
Also I used the tupperware bin I used for food to wash him in. Used some boiled water over the fire then cooled it with cold water. It worked great.
Baby backpack was great too even just around the camp site.
I also found that he slept a lot more outside then he does at home.

I know there is an age diff from yours to mine but hope some of this might help.

[Brandy Hunter]

My mom brought my brothers camping when the middle one was 3 weeks old and the other was about 2.5, They did this almost every weekend for a while.

I'd bring lots of baby-off (if they make something like that), loose clothes and sunscreen. But you probably already have that on your list.

[juniperjune]

We are avid campers. We brought everything we used when we were at home. High chair, stroller, play pen, a lot of changes of clothes.
The one thing that I researched and went to the US to buy was a kick-butt heater. The nights can get cold and I am super vigilant for safety. I wanted one that has an automatic, low-oxygen shutoff system, an accidental tip-over safety shutoff, and one that works for more than 4 hours at a good temperature. I have bought many heaters and the best one is Mr. Heater. We connected it to a BBQ propane tank outside our tent. It connects directly to a 20 lb cylinder and will last 48-110 hours. So it will last all week no problems. My little bit of comfort.
Oh, and a port-a-potty so that I did not have to through the dark to the washroom. Too Creepy.