So, you have birthed a tiny little camper and now you are ready for the great outdoors. Well, kudos to you for starting him or her early! I have some tips for making this as smooth of an adventure as possible. We started Baby X on camping at six weeks. Once I got the all clear from my OB/GYN, we were out the door and on the road. Don’t be scared, babies are super portable and the fresh air and new experiences will only help their brains to grow! Remember, Home is where you park it!
With a newborn, you need less stuff.
Food: Boobs. These don’t take up much room, though your aching back might disagree. Kind of impossible to forget to pack, also. Bottles and formula are necessary for those formula or combination feeding. You don’t need anything other than plenty of water for mama or for bottles. Pack more diapering supplies than you think you need, just in case!
Shelter: A tent will suffice, we prefer our baby safe camper for all weather camping. A tent needs to be big enough for a pack n play or bassinet. If you are bed sharing, avoid the air mattress. Your weight and your spouse’s weight will create a little mountain of air where the light baby sleeps. They will roll into one of you, which you may not realize while asleep. This creates a safety issue. You can create a little bed pad next to the air mattress for easy access or you can lay all of your bedding on the ground or on a mat. Ensure you have appropriate bedding for the temperature. An extra blanket is always a safe bet, too. It might be colder than you expect or a diaper explosion or other bodily fluid incident might render the one you have unusable.
Comfort: Be sure to pack enough weather appropriate clothing and bedding to keep your child at a comfortable temperature. Don’t go overboard, like I did, or your baby will get a heat rash! Pack something familiar to keep your child calm. Use the same bedding from home, or the same bassinet. The sights and sounds and smells will all be different, so a little home comfort will help. For bug spray, I like the clip on OFF, since it doesn’t actually touch my child’s new skin, and I thought him breathing in DEET or Citronella was probably not wise. We had baby sunscreen, but I also tried to keep him shaded as much as possible.
Nice to have: Baby carrier or stroller. I preferred the baby Bjorn at this age. Look ma, no hands! It’s nice to go for walks or hikes, especially when you just got the green light to start really moving again. We loved our Britax Car Seat Cover. It has a rain and sun shield, as well as a screen for just keeping the bugs out. We used it with the car seat and the stroller. We also loved our Eddie Bauer cover, which was soft and warm for colder weather. It shields the whole top of the car seat with fleece. You can bring a swing or other device, but going for a walk does the same motion. You could bring a toy or two, but their fingers and toes are attached as built in entertainment at this age.
For An Older Baby: Once you get past the newborn age, you start to require more stuff. The food gets more complicated, the toys get bigger, and the baby gets heavier to carry.
Food: I made my own baby food at home. For camping, I cheated and bought the ready made packets. They didn’t require refrigeration or cooking and were light and portable. Bottles and boobs are still necessary, as is the water. You will likely need a high chair of some kind and spoons for feeding. Bring more diapers than you think you need! You will probably be giving juice at this point. I found the little single cartons of 100% juice easiest. They didn’t need to be cold before consumption and didn’t take up too much room. I just poured a carton into his sippy cup.
Shelter: The above stated still applies. See above. You child might also be moving around, rolling or crawling, so a clean safe zone for this is ideal. We got an RV mat from Amazon to keep Baby X off the dirt and grass (he hated the grass). You could lay out a sheet or blanket, as well. Check the area for loose rocks and sticks (as well as beer caps and butts from other campers), you don’t want these items to find their way into you baby’s mouth!
Comfort: Your more active baby will probably need some toys that are small enough to be portable. Weather appropriate clothes are still required. We moved from the baby carrier to the stroller. It takes up more room, but is easier on the back and less sweaty. The clip on OFF is still an option in the stroller, just keep it away from their grabby hands.
For the mama…. Pack a couple of pads or tampons. I was 8 months post partum without menstruating when we went camping with family. I smugly told my aunt I hadn’t had to deal with all that in 17 months. Two hours later, I was cutting up a diaper to use as an emergency pad until we could make a trip into town for feminine hygiene supplies. So, even if you don’t think you will need one, pack a couple just in case. In a pinch, diapers do work pretty well. Just saying!
Other tips. You will probably pack too much. Too many clothes, bottles, toys, gadgets. That’s okay and expected. You will probably forget at least one important item, as well. Relax. It’s camping. Take lots of pictures and eat smores. Have a glass of wine and listen to the bullfrogs and the crickets. Enjoy the beauty of nature. Take a walk. Slow down. If it rains, it rains. Live the adventure.
Have any other fun tips? Add them in the comments!
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