to consider taking a 3 month old camping?

[Torfhinn]

Has anyone taken a young baby camping? Is it feasible, practical, or more hassle than it's worth? He is bottle-fed, so would need to sterilize bottles etc. Btw, this would be Hampshire in August

[Happydaysatlastforthebody]

Personally would rather rip my arm off than camp with or without a tiny baby but there are loads of happy campers on mumsnet op and they will give great advice.

[cariadmawr]

We took ds2 when he was 7mths was formula fed easy take large plastic box with lid and cold water sterilise scrub bottles as normal but my sa1 is 20 so I cold water steralized with him we had great time go

[MrsGoslingWannabe]

I was gonna say fine if you are breastfeeding otherwise how will you sterilise?

[jacks365]

I've done it and would happily do it again. For the bottles I would recommend using a cold water steriliser otherwise known as an ice cream tub with sterilising tablets in it.

[Torfhinn]

Thanks for the replies - I was wondering if I'd need to cart a steam sterilizer with me and find a campsite with electricity , didn't realise cold water sterilizing was an option. Is it Milton tablets?

[Torfhinn]

Glad to hear it's been done too - I'm determined not to give up the things I enjoy - I think I'd enjoy them more with my son, but everything I'm doing is for the first time

[ViviPru]

The MN Camping forum is foul of members who have camped with babies and have loads of great advice and tips. Worth posting in there!

[ViviPru]

Full not foul!!! Deary me...

[Torfhinn]

Wow, mumsnet is so vast, I never considered there would be a camping forum, will head over there, thanks.

[gruber]

Did it at just shy of 6 months (last summer). Far easier than this year when he could walk everywhere! Take a good sling, an off road buggy if you feel you need it and you will be fine (assuming you are seasoned campers). We managed fine, DS sat in buggy and watched us put tent up. Take whatever you use at home day to day (eg bouncy chair) and it will be just as normal for lo. Take as many blankets/sleeping bags for lo as you can, we ended up co sleeping just to keep DS warm at night as it can be cold (as I am in Hampshire!) Borrow a fleece/wooly winter hat for nights for lo.

And look on the camping threads for more advice!

[zoemaguire]

We just took 4mo dd + two other dcs. We all loved it. And the baby slept unprecedented 8 solid hours each night!! Now considering setting up the tent in our garden... Go for it!

[tilliebob]

It was a lot easier camping with a the old than it was camping with them a year later once they weren't bf and were toddling

[SaucyJack]

We're taking our 4 month old camping in a few weeks. She's breastfed tho so no idea about making up bottles. If you're feeling rich you could buy a box of those ready milks with the disposable teats? They sell them in Tesco.

[tilliebob]

A 3mth than...bloody autocorrect

[Calloh]

We took DC3 camping in France at 4 months and it was fine. We used Milton sterilising tablets and the small cartons of formula. She slept brilliantly and it was a great holiday!

I'm slightly more worried about it this year as she is intrepid and fairly feral.

[NotYouNaanBread]

Don't know about the bottles, because I was bf-ing at the time, but although it was a little crap, trying to get toddler dd1 and 10 week old dd2 to sleep in a tent, it wasn't the worst thing in the world.

[littlejohnnydory]

We've done camping with tiny babies - the youngest being dc3 at 6 weeks. They were breastfed but I know someone who has done it with formula and did the milton tablets thing for sterilising. I actually find tiny babies easier for camping than toddlers - they stay put, just sleep next to me, and breastfeed lying down in the night. We did take a moses basket but she didn't sleep in it! With an 11 month old we took a travel cot once and set it up in the tent. Tiny babies stayed in a sling by day and next to me by night, were generally portable and easy.

[queenofthemountains]

I camped with a 3 month old. It was lovely. She was no trouble. We used a cold water steriliser and Milton liquid. I slept with her, we went 3 times that summer including 2 weeks in Cornwall.

[PixieofCatan]

I would. My only concern would be temperature regulation at night, it can get pretty cold even in summer. But as long as you are prepared for it, it should be fine.

[queenofthemountain]

I took one of mine when they were just shy of 4 months.It was spring bank holiday and there was (unexpectedly) 3 degrees of frost on the first night
.I was absolutely frozen and couldn't sleep all night.The baby was in a fleecey sleepsuit and a mummy type sleeping bag and everytime I pulled her up snuggled back down so her head was right inside.She slept brilliantly ... like a baby infact .But I didn't I was worried she's either suffocate or get hypotherthermia

[Bouttimeforwine]

I've done it with a tiny bf baby. It was fine. If you can sort the bottle situation out then go for it, although your neighbours might not like hearing the baby while waiting for his milk to heat up.

[FlirtingWithConvention]

I remember it being easy before they can crawl/walk etc - since you can keep the burning hot primus stove, etc, out of their reach. If you have had a difficult birth and find getting up from and down to the floor, then that can take its toll. But 3 months is absolutely fine. 6 months - 2 years - a bit of a nightmare imo.

[Delphiniumsblue]

We took a 4 month old camping in N Wales but he was bf so nice and easy.

[attheendoftheday]

We took dd1 at 8 weeks and dd2 at 3 months. It was ok, but I was bfing. Found sleeping on a sheepskin kept them nice and warm, or having them in bed with us.

[pinkcheese]

Just wanted to add - the last time we camped, there was a family there with a toddler, a baby and a dog. One week of camping, and there were cloth nappies drying on their washing line every day. Now that's what I call hard core