When did you first take baby camping?

[highlove]

Just that really. DD is five weeks Sonoma not thinking immediately but perhaps in a few months. Would think we'll start with a night or two somewhere relatively local. Any useful tips for taking a baby camping?

(Sorry if this has been done before.)

[highlove]

Sonoma? So I'm not!

[VivaLeBeaver]

8 weeks for a weekend.

Then 16 weeks for two months.

No ehu. Thankfully I was breastfeeding.

It was quite easy really. I felt more sorry for my friend with a toddler, that looked harder work.

We dressed dd in a fleecy sleepsuits at night and had her in a grobag. Added blankets as needed. We were high up in mountains so it got chilly at night. She slept in a little Moses basket type thing which folded flat for travelling. We put her between me and dh at night. As the basket was direct onto the floor we put a thin SIM mat under it for insulation.

[PeaceLillyDoge]

Oooh watching with interest as we're taking baby camping when she's five months. We're experienced campers but I feel like I know nothing about keeping a baby safe in a tent.

Where do they sleep? What do they sleep in our on? What if it gets too hot/cold?

So many questions! Glad you started this thread

[MummyPigsFatTummy]

DD was about 6/7 months when we did a one nighter in May. After that, she camped all summer and still loves it now at 4.

Peace, we used to put her in a vest and sleepsuit like at home, then a fleecy all in one over the top (with feet and a hood if it is particularly cold(or you could use a hat). She slept in a Littlelife Arc 2 travel cot (packs down small and unzips at the side and top which is handy so you can reach in from your bed for a late night cuddle). A normal travel cot is just as good though if you have room for one. She slept on the mattress that came with the cot and an IKEA sheepskin we bought for extra insulation (fleece blankets are probably just as good). We would put one or two blankets over her, depending on the temperature and check her hands and neck occasionally to ensure she was warm enough. She was always toasty and slept like a log.

However, if it does get too cold, you can always pull them in to your bed and that way you know they are warm.

Have a wondeful time

[AgathaHannigan]

DD at 8 months, easier than when she was a toddler!

[UriGeller]

About 4 weeks for ds1 as he was born in late spring and it was very mild. He spent all his time in a moby wrap anyway so warmth wasn't an issue. We co slept by without an air bed for safety reasons which wasn't the most comfortable nights sleep but feeding him at 3 am under the stars and hearing the ocean close by made up for it.

[Raxacoricofallapatorius]

11 weeks old. Taking a baby camping is easy. We coslept and bf. It's taking a mobile child which is tough. Babies you just keep warm and they stay where you put them. Easy.

[UriGeller]

For bigger babies I really recommend taking a bumbo seat or similar to stick them in when you need both hands.

[MummyPigsFatTummy]

We used to take our IKEA Antilop high chair. It was great for immobilising DD when necessary (we didn't have a Bumbo) and also for feeding her at the camping table or, with the tray, by herself.

[colleysmill]

Just back from 4 nights in our camper with ds2 who is 6 weeks old.

I had actually took layers off him overnight as he was nearly breaking into a hot sweat as I'd wrapped him up - we took the normal moses basket but a collapsible one would have been ace.. We did take our fan heater though and used ehu. We spent evenings in our friends tent and positioned him nearby their heater all wrapped up in a fleecy sleep suit and blankets.

Sterilising bottles was okay if a bit faffy - I imagine it would be much easier if you were bf - I had planned to take ready made formula for ease but ds can't tolerate regular stuff so we made it up in advance and stored in the fridge.

[mybabywakesupsinging]

DD was about five months, one Easter. Much much easier than later that summer, when I spent the whole holiday following her around while she experienced the Freedom of running as fast as possible across a very large empty field.
For dd we put her in vest, cotton all-in-one thing, fleece suit and a thick grobag + hat (it was cold at night). She sleeps on a SIM, in between me and DH (the tent heater), where she is much warmer than by herself in a cot. She has a knack of wriggling on top of me anyway (or into the clothes bag).
Easy when just on breast milk, much more of a faff when weaning as she refused to let any jar/packet babyfood cross her lips (dd is an easy going girl with few rules but unbreakables: no bought babyfood of any brand. No porridge ever. No tights) and had to have her own meal cooked for her every evening. On a Trangia. She had a lot of scrambled eggs.
All of ours have always loved camping (medium ds is not easy to take to new places, but regards the back left corner of the tent as his mobile comfort/sleeping zone), hope you have a good time with your little one too.

[UterusUterusGhali]

Four months.

Breastfed which made it easier I think. The camping trip was the only reason I battled through mastitis.

We co slept, so warmth wasn't an issue.

[Lancelottie]

5 months for DS1
9 months for DD1
3 months for DS2

Same place, same week, each year. And the number of other return-campers who worked out DS2's probable conception date was a leetle embarrassing .

My tips:
Immobile babies are much easier to cope with than crawlers
Breastfed much easier than bottles

[Miffytastic]

Little life cots are ace-used ours up til when Dd2 was a toddler as you can cover with a blanket to make it darker& get more sleep in evenings or not be woken too early. Also IME the side opening is much better than standing up, out if a sleeping bag, on a wobbly air bed, to reach into the, in the dark.

First went when dd1 was 18mo, but 6mo for Dd2

[DearPrudence]

8 weeks with a breast fed baby. As others have said, it's even easier than with a crawler/toddler.

He slept in a Moses basket with a sheepskin fleece under him and extra blankets on top of his grobag.

When he was bigger we used a travel cot which doubled as a playpen while getting the tent up.

[hettie]

4 months... As others have said, breastfeeding and immobile baby made it easier than the toddler years. Have a lovely time!