Camping with a baby

[Soph168]

We have booked a camping trip for April in the new forest and it has suddenly sunk in that I'm taking a 3 month old camping! Is this a really bad idea? Anyone else taken or taking their small baby camping at Easter time. Any advice?

It's actually easier with a little baby than a crawling one!
Are you breast feeding? Makes feeding super easy if you are.
We camped when DD was a similar age and she absolutely loved it. Keeping warm at night is key.
We had a fleecy onesie which she had one most of the time.

What have you got for baby to sleep in?
Do you BF or FF?

We took DD camping at 8 weeks and then again at 16 weeks to New Forest.

She slept in her pram which had one of those cosy toes things & made sure she was warm.

We were lucky she was a good sleeper & the fresh air wore her out.

We bottle fed but can't recall much about sorting that out.

I wouldn't have concerns about camping(I presume we're talking about tent camping) with a baby as such, have done it, but I think Easter would be too cold. Even in summer it can get cold at night so I think April would just be too chilly.

DS2 just about crammed into the moses basket at 3m which kept some draft off the sides. Older than that and we co-slept on the mats at ground level. Lots of blankets over his sleeping bag.

The hard bit at night was not having back/ arm support for feeding. (The tent set up was basic as it was a Guide camp so restricted pitch space.)

Sleep suit and second hand off road buggy for walks.
Travel cot. Hat and mittens for bed.

Camping with a baby is fine, especially before they can crawl but April will be really very cold for a baby to sleep outside. Equally you need to be so careful not to overwrap and overheat your baby, What are your sleeping arrangements?

You can get foil blankets (for a couple of pounds) to go under the baby's bed that will keep out the cold from the ground.

A lantern that you can tie up, hanging somewhere above the bed means you can have hands-free light for night feeds/nappy changes.

If you’re ff we took sterilising bags that you fill with water and they have the stuff in them (that is really badly explained. They were travel sterilising bags.

I've camped when all of ours were quite small (youngest we've taken was 5 week old), we've been in this country and abroad. Like others have said if you breastfeed it's easy, nothing to think about for feeding. The only thing you have to watch is making sure they are warm at night but then not totally roasting in the morning when the sun comes up (wake up and get the layers off if its warm in your tent). Make sure you are still following safe sleep rules too.

I camped with a 5 week old in November.

We spent a lot of time gathering wood for the campfire, baby stayed with me by the fire in the evenings, tbh it was too cold on your own in the tent. Just used baby sling or carrier, couldn’t have managed a push chair. Stayed much warmer close together of course.

Co-slept on a mat, me in the middle and the baby on one side, child on the other. Hot water bottles for me and the child. Zip down onesies for night time BF. Cold nipples. Used Milton sterilising tablets for baby’s bottles and medical equipment as some extra needs then. We only had a tiny tent, just one with space to lie down in because I can’t carry/manage much bigger with the children in tow but a little tent is easier to warm up and three warm bodies in there will do it, with lots of extra socks.

Put more layers on baby than you think. I was too cautious in summer thinking baby would overheat but actually the constant crying turned out to be due to a low body temperature. Take a digital thermometer for peace of mind, without that I wouldn't have realised.

Other than that, camping was fine. Definitely fleece onesies, sleeping bags with arms 3.5 tog, blankets for layering and consider putting in your sleeping bag to keep baby warm (if you're co-sleeping). We went in May and despite bring scorching during the day it was Freezing overnight. I don't think I would go in April having experienced that.

I camped with dd1 when she was 3 months (dd2 was a bit older I think). Camping with a babu is no problem, and easier than camping with a toddler. We co-slept, and I put dd1 on a sheep fleece for warmth. Had her in a sling a lot of the time. She slept better than she slept at home!

I'm sure it's possible and all the above posters show this. However I will weigh in as a camper- EVERYONE else hates babies on campsites! Screaming and crying is unavoidable and when everyone has canvas walls it's unbearable and unfair. People are on holiday. Usually because it's all they can afford. Last year my children were crying and asking to go home because they were exhausted due to a baby a few tents over. Three nights hourly waking is awful for parents. It's completely unreasonable to ask of strangers, of their children and of people who are hoping for a holiday. Unless you have a very good reliable sleeper, please be ready to leave should the baby not take to it.

We camped in April once. I had a 4 year old and 18 month old. The days were warm but the nights were freezing. I don't remember the kids being too cold but it definitely put me off going in April again. We even take our heater when we go in July!!

I’d think April was too cold to be fun with a 3 month old. I’ve been camping and it’s been 4 at night, and it was a bit taxing…especially with kids as you can’t anaesthetise yourself with alcohol.

I wouldn't do it personally.

Camping with a baby is fine. Camping in April.... might not be fine. Bit cold for my taste.......

What type of camping do u mean?no shade or judgement just clamping is very different to a 2 man tent.

Hi, Thank you all for your replies. We have a large air tent which we got last year so is nearly new and very good quality. It has a large sleeping compartment so I was going to take the next to me. I FF and have got a milton steriliser and was going to use premade formula. I think my major concern is keeping baby warm enough at night, as some of you have mentioned above. Our friends have a camper van, do people think baby would be warm enough in there or the car? Think baby will end up going to granny, but great advice here for our next trip in June. 🙂

I've never stayed in a camper van so can't comment, but if you're happy to leave baby with granny, that sounds like a good solution to give youa break, test out camping and honestly, I sincerely think April would be too cold for a baby (and I am a hardened, seasoned camper who camps with children often).

Ignore the PP re crying babies on campsites. People snore, people drink, people natter late into the night. They also mostly also had young children once. Everyone has always been understanding with us, and mostly, the children haven't really cried overnight. The exception being the night of cold temperatures and we did leave the next day (and apologised to other campers). If we were worries about annoying other people, we'd never go anywhere. Enjoy your tent! :)

My children made more noise in the night as toddlers and children than as babies, should I not take children camping? Whinging, kicking each other, scrambling around for water bottles, torches, middle of the night toilet trips times a million - which involved us all going, and taking our valuables, because I was the only adult, waking up at the crack of dawn and wanting to run around outside. We camp in child friendly camp sites. Babies are/were not a problem.

We can’t just up and leave either, maybe some people can but when I’ve paid for my holiday, often a festival or at least a pitch, settled in with the kids, booked and paid for pet sitters, and I’ve booked and paid for our train tickets home, we can’t just up sticks.

I don’t currently have a baby and I have no problem with babies or children on campsites. I have a huge problem with selfish people drinking into the wee small hours and snoring their heads off.

Assess the weather nearer the time. I've camped in April before when its boiling hot, with constant suncream top us and trips to the tap fir extra water. Other years... snow.

Babies are very good at letting you know they are cold. Just make sure you can easily get home if it isn't working

Hi, just thought I woukd update everyone. We went for it! And he loved it. We kept him warm bur putting him in a long-sleeved vest, baby grow and fleece sleepbag. He also wore sock and gloves. He slept in his pram cot which I think helped as I could put the apron and hood up, this kept the cold out. We also went electric hook up and I took everything, prep machine, electric steriliser and a small fan heater. We don't normally go electric hook up but we will never camp without it again. All my children had a wonderful time and were so warm with the little heater on.

For the person who said people don't like babies on campsites, my baby slept through every night and the people we went with said at times they forgot I had a baby as he was so quiet. He loved being outside and looking at the sky.

I hope this post helps someone find the confidence to go for it. I'm an anxious mum and overthink terribly, this holiday helped me to worry just a little less. Going again in May!!

So glad I found this. We are going next weekend with a 10 month old and I've read every forum I can find to see if I'm being ridiculous taking a baby camping when it's going to be only 5 degrees at night! We've got a hook up so taking a heater, travel cot, fleece sleeping bags etc. Was it comfortable and warm enough sleeping with the heater? That's the thing I'm most worried about, honestly on the verge of cancelling but still really want to go!