Tell me about camping with a baby!

[HarrietJones]

dh wants to camp. I don't ever usually camp. We have dd1/2(9&11) who are easy to house but how do we manage dd3 who is 7 months & starting to be mobile?

Bring a travel cot if you have room - we have the Littlelife arc 2 which is like a mini-tent and packs down quite small. You need a bit of space to get the poles in but it has the advantage of a side entrance so you can stretch in to cuddle them at night rather than having to get up to get them if they cry. Also you can get a sunshade and use it as a small playpen in the day.

Also bring an IKEA Antilop highchair (legs come off) for them to sit in at mealtimes (and other times when you need to keep them in one place).

When DD was the same age last year, she would sit on a picnic blaket and play with her toys but then she was not the most mobile of babies so I don't know if that would work for your DD.

Sleepwise, fleece all in ones (Primark, for example) are great for keeping them warm as an additional layer to what they usually sleep in, plus plenty of blankets and you can bring them in with you if it gets really chilly.

And the best thing is, after the first night, which can be a bit unsettled, they sleep really well with all the fresh air.

We have the antilop!

No tent yet. Haven't let dh know I'm wavering!

She's getting quite mobile wriggling & rolling places and starting to cruise so not holding much hope of a playmate summer!

Playmat

Brilliant taking a littlie camping. They sleep wonderfully due to the fresh air and excitement.

You just need some containment equipment and bob's your uncle.

we went camping last summer when dd was 8 month old. we have one of those booster seats which we put her in if we needed her to stay put. she did a lot of crawling around on the lawn, though.
as it was a bloody freezing bit cold at night, she slept with me in my xxl sleeping bag. I also have a carrier, so I took her along on my back a lot.

Relax is the key. Layers, blankets for the floor and go with the flow.

DS4 has been camping since he was 5 weeks old and loves it. It's brilliant for them.

Weaning I just used the boiling technique in a tent. We did actually introduce solids in a tent but that was simply as we were away for several weeks that summer.