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Camping

Our UK Camping forum has all the information you need on finding the right equipment for your tent or caravan.

Original poster

Suggestions for equipment for a 6month old when camping, please

23 replies

flowerfairy · 06/04/2011 12:32

we have a camping holiday booked for aug with my family. my dd will be almost 6mths by the time we go and am wondering what the best thing for her to sleep in would be? We are camping in this country and am concerned about how hot/cold she could get. Is there anything else i might need?

OP posts:
abgirl · 06/04/2011 12:36

We always used a travel cot when DSs were small (we had a largeish tent though), with a winter weight sleeping bag and a fleecy sleepsuit - you can get them in mothercare. Plus a blanket and checked temperature when we went to bed. If it was a v cold night they came in with us - we have a double sleeping bag. 6 months is an ideal age btw, we took DS2 when he was about 10 months and he spent the whole weekend crawling around in mud - you've never seen such a dirty little boyGrin.

NinkyNonker · 08/04/2011 09:43

We're taking our 8 mo old dd for the first time next week, can't wait! Might have to hunt down some more layers.

Grumpla · 13/04/2011 20:15

Travel cot. Maybe a sheepskin / wool blanket under sheet. Long sleeved vest, long sleeved fleece sleepsuit. Thick grobag. Chuck a cellullar blanky over top if nec. Hat if you can get them to wear one.

At 6 months she will wake you up if she gets cold!

stinkypinky · 13/04/2011 20:44

We got a fabric under bed drawer from Ikea (did not do zip up), on a SIM (insulation under is vital), gro bag, 2 sleep suits, put her down to sleep on buggy snuggle, did snuggle up when colder, more layers as needed. I took a room thermometer. Camping from 7 weeks. Dreading this year as she can crawl!

jocie · 13/04/2011 20:55

we used a travel cot initially with ds1 but found that if he woke in the night id have to get out of my sleeping bag and stand upo to lean over to him to try and setlle him. Not good as i got very cold and noit really mush head room. Sooo we got one of those samsonite bubble cots second hand for ds2 ans its been brill. It meant i could have him lying next to me so if he woke up I could just reach over and sooth him. I did the sip half up fot the first part of the night and then undid it when we went to bed. I also got some cut offs of blacout material and draped them over it so it was nice and dark even in the early part of the eve. I have to say i absolutely loved it and was v dissapointed when he grew out of it Sad
samsonite bubble cot here

stinkypinky · 13/04/2011 20:58

Fab idea about blackout fabric jocie

QueeferSutherland · 20/04/2011 21:37

I took a bubble cot last year when camping with a 6mo, but didn't use it. He didn't take to it, so he slept in with us, on a blow-up bed under a blanket or duvet.

I would deffinately reccomend a fleece babygrow or three. Primark do them very cheaply.

Are you BFing? I wouldn't know what to do re sterilising if not. Maybe milton tablets.

Original poster
flowerfairy · 25/04/2011 19:25

Am bfing. But also going with in-laws who are in a caravan who have offered to take dd for the day while wespend day with ds(not sure how i feel about thatConfused) so might need to think about how i could sterilize stuff, possibly may have started weaning by then too. Anyone have experience of sterilizing camping/caravanning?

OP posts:
AitchTwoOh · 25/04/2011 23:22

we took dd2 camping at that age, it's a doddle. do blw and take an ikea antilop highchair. (that sounds like overkill but believe me it is great to have a kid at hip height for chatting when you are standing up cooking etc.)

AitchTwoOh · 25/04/2011 23:23

oh, and re sterilising... i never did that. a bit of boiling water and air-drying is best ime. plus, even if you are bottle-feeding by then, no sterilising requ'd at 6 mos.

RobynLou · 25/04/2011 23:27

I bf DD, started weaning at 6m and never sterilized anything, unless you introduce bottles I was told there's no need. If you're worried you could just use milton solution though?

MrsShrekTheThird · 25/04/2011 23:45

we used travel cot for ours, esp as they double up as playpen in the daytime Wink
Follow what the others have all said about kit for sleeping, fleece suits, baby sleeping bag (we had the Vango baby nitestar is it called? Fantastic! DD only grew out of it at 4yo!)
we had a folding camp highchair, but I wouldn't see that as necessary, I had it as we were on dc2 and expecting a third, and do a lot of camping and caravanning.

Himalaya · 25/04/2011 23:58

Use a plastic crate/toybox for packing, useful as a baby bath filled with nice warm water and sitting in the sun.

wednesday13 · 26/04/2011 09:56

Baby wipes, at least 6 or 7 packets. More than you think you could need. Yes to cold water sterilising with Milton tablets and a microwave steriliser. And little boxes of prepared formula.

A sling is useful if you don't want to be traipsing everywhere with a pushchair over bumpy fields, but the pushchair is good for sitting them in to watch what's going on/feeding.

Antilop high chair (with tray) is also good, the legs come off so its not as bad to pack as you might think.

IIRC we used a travel cot, normal Grobag but with extra hats/layers and a blanket for DS (he was 11 mths on our first trip though).

Mapley · 03/05/2011 06:43

A bumbo with a tray is good as a high chair too. And at glastonbury last year ( packing space limited as have to carry everything from the car) we used a fold up kids camping chair with a fabric high chair tied to it. Only downside in that if you are blw you have to either be their tray or wedge their dinner in between their legs on the chair seat (in a small narrow Tupperware or Chinese takeaway pot).

If you get the largest size of foldaway fabric basins, they make a great baby bath.

When ds was little he slept in an amby baby hammock and that made a fantastic travel camping cot for him as it was light enough to take with us, hung off the ground, so I didn't worry about him being cold so much, and it could hang right next to us and nighttime feeds and soothes were easy.

Now we have a phil and teds traveller travel cot. Pricey, but i'venot regretted yet. Amazingly cosy and robust, but tiny and light weight. Makes a great playpen for a toddling one too when you need two of you to pack up tent and car.

ljb11 · 08/05/2011 22:51

I second the Ikea high chair - it was so good that we used it every day at home - really easy to keep clean, and as said above does not take up as much space as you think - I even got one on Ebay.

oranges123 · 09/05/2011 10:32

I third the IKEA Antilop highchair. For easy cleaning, easy packing (legs come off) and a good place to corral the little one when you need to do things.

Bed-wise, we have the Littlelife Arc 2 travel cot which packs small (compared to other travel cots) and is easy to put together, although you do need a bit of space to get the poles in. You can access it from the side as well as the top which is nice at night as you can just reach in and give the baby a cuddle if she wakes. You can also use it as a small playtent in the day and, if you get the sunshade to go with it, it is a good sunshelter.

To keep our DD warm last year when she was about 6/7 months, we put her in vest, babygrow, fleece all in one suit, her usual sleeping bag (gro-bag style) and one or two blankets depending on temperature. She lay on an IKEA sheepskin with a sheet over it for extra insulation from the ground. She was toasty. We took her again on the Royal Wedding bank holiday (nearly 18 months now) and she slept wonderfully in roughly the same gear.

Original poster
flowerfairy · 11/05/2011 15:30

Thanks for all of your lovely ideas and help. MIL has a chair thing with tray that she had for ds, which can go on the floor or attach to a chair. DH has said we should be able to fit travel cot in car for sleep and play. Thought i would line it well with fleece blankets, but wanted to ask Do your fleece suits have a hood and good place to buy?

OP posts:
oranges123 · 11/05/2011 16:00

Primark sells fleece suits and, if they have them still, you may find them even cheaper at the moment given the time of year. I think Mothercare probably do too but everyone I know got theirs from Primark. They don't have hoods though.

Original poster
flowerfairy · 11/05/2011 19:37

oranges did you put anything on your dd's head or not?

OP posts:
Wirlies · 11/05/2011 19:47

We camped last summer when DS was 4 months - I think I put a cardigan with hood over his fleecy suit to keep his head warm, but to be honest, he was fine.

Think we should start an Ikea highchair appreciation society !

Our tent has a carpet (lurrvely), so it was fine for him to lay on that and play - but worth taking plenty blankets for inside and out. Would second advice of a sling - useful for almost everything.

Ridiculously I started weaning about 2 days before we left (sleep desperation!!) and even that didn't seem too tricky - cartons of aptimil and rice etc no prob. Remember you can sterilise just by boiling stuff up.

Just enjoy this year when your little one is immobile ! I'm a little bit nervous about having a toddler this year !!

Enjoy !

oranges123 · 12/05/2011 11:00

Hi Flowerfairy - no we didn't put anything on DD's head but she does have a thick head of hair and tends to run warm rather than cold when she sleeps anyway. She was fine. I think if I had needed a hat myself I would have covered her head too but otherwise not.

As wirlies says, definitely worth having a picnic rug or something to put out for your DD to sit/lie on inside or outside the tent with some toys.

notjustsomeonesmum · 13/05/2011 22:21

Hi
I wonder if its safe to cover a babies head when camping?
I realise its cold out there but if there is no way for the heat to escape then you risk bringing on a heat induced fit or worse.

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