Camping with 15 month old

[Mamaofbabyboy19]

Before I start I have serious mum guilt because of this. Would just like some friendly advice because I feel so bad!

So me and my husband absolutely love fishing, it's one of many things we share together since day one of us being together. So last year we give birth to our beautiful baby boy who is now 15-16 month old now sleeps through the night, is generally a good baby regrading night time, anyways we haven't been night fishing for along time obviously we are not bothered about that because we have had the best year being baby's mum and dad and growing as a family of three. So because of the nice weather and now the lockdown laws changing, you are now allowed to fish as long as your so many metres apart from other people and your family household stays together, so I fed the baby his dinner bathed him & we went down to the beach around 6-7pm baby had a walk around the beach then fell asleep on his pushchair. So I pitched up a two man tent, put a duvet and about 5 of his blankets down he was in a sleeping bag too and he was in there all nice and cosy. So we fished all night until about 5am and we decided to pack it up because we new he would be getting up soon. But at 3-4am the police as the cameras down there picked up a push chair on the beach and came down to check the welfare of our son& to obviously see if we were drinking/drugs etc (WHICH BTW WE DONT AND HAVE NEVER DONE EITHER, EXPECT THE ODD GLASS OF WINE AT CHRISTMAS, PARTIES ETC) so they took my name, D.O.B, sons name D.O.B, & his doctors surgery? And said that's it we're not here to judge or criticise you in anyway we just had to check on child and off they went. So today I've been sat crying my eyes out because of thinking I didn't something wrong, if you take the beach and fishing out of the situation, it's not any different to going camping in my eyes? But I can't shift the guilt and feeling like I did something wrong?! 😭 if anyone thinks I was wrong please be honest but kind about it! I'm doing my head in thinking social services are going to turn up at my door because I technically toon our son for a few hours camping on a beach while me and his dad got some us time and done something we both enjoyed whilst our son was there!!

Sorry for long post but I'm so worried 😟

Well I can’t see that SS will have anything to worry about. Plenty of babies go camping. I presume you were very close to the tent?

Fishing is allowed.

The debatable point is whether it is seen as ‘camping’ because camping on the beach, or staying away from home isn’t yet allowed. But the police don’t seem to have been bothered by that point?

I wouldn’t worry.

And said that's it we're not here to judge or criticise you in anyway we just had to check on child and off they went

See, the police told you nothing to worry about! If they thought your little one was in any way at risk they would have done something right away.

People take babies camping from 6m old. Younger!

I don't think you did anything wrong and I don't think anything will come from this. Mum guilt is hard and irrational!

As PP said, SS won't be worried. I would have expected a warning about staying away from home technically but the police didn't seem bothered. How you manage to stay awake until 5am and be able to function with a 15 month old the next day is beyond me though!

Yeah they were ok about it, and tent was literally right next to us I could touch tent being sat on my chair and yeah your allowed to night fish as long you stick to government guidelines, staying two metres apart from other fishers, luckily we were the only ones there.. We weren't necessary camping as my eyes of camping it's like a few night away from home but he slept like he would if he was at home dinner, bath and bed from 7pm until 5am then we went home and had pancakes for breakfast. We haven't done anything like this since he was born as obviously as new parents we were trying to establish a routine for him and now we mastered it, so I thought yeah why not let's go out it's only one night, but even with the police coming down it just knocked me a little even though they said it was fine, it made me question myself and my husband as parents, if we made the right decision but like I said no harm came to him and tbh he loved waking up in the morning crawling around on beach while we packed everything away, even watched the sun rise, was a beautiful morning! Thank you very much everyone you have helped ease my worries!

His dad watched him through the after noon before we went for about 4 hours and I got some sleep then, & when we came back in the morning he has 2 naps about 9am until 11am & 2pm-3pm so I napped with him in the morning and went to bed with him at 7pm his dad slept from getting back until about 3pm then he had to get up as he works nights anyway so he's used to being awake and tbh I didn't feel as bad as I thought I would, that was my worry to being able to function with my very active learning to walk, into everything 15 month old lol but it was fine, he went for walks in between naps and even had a bbq before his dada went to work 😂

I think it sounds a lovely thing to do, and wonderful that your little one will grow up accompanying you on such adventures! Don’t think twice about doing it again.

Honestly from the bottom of my heart you don't understand what it feels like to hear all you say what you have said, virtual hugs going to you all! My grandad was a fisherman like a proper one, & I used to go everywhere with him, and I saw the world because of that! (Literally) and even though we were still in our town, our boy will grow up the same (hopefully) I don't no what I was ever worried about! Bloody hell mum guilt is serious business hahaha!!xx

What did you catch?

Totally the best upbringing; letting kids enjoy the natural world, sea, stars, moon, later learn to build a fire and cook the fish. Mine could all build and light a good fire by the time they were 8, and recognise the main stars, planets and constellations, and also many bird species.

Just from camping, hiking and being outdoors from a young age, even though we live in London.

Don’t doubt your parenting, you will always be the best Mum for your son, and keep enjoying the things that keep you close as a family.

I wish we were as adventurous with our 14 month old! It sounds like a lovely night and you did nothing wrong. Routine is great but babies love new experiences too.

We caught a few things obviously we only catch and release but my god it was such a thrill, we caught sea bass, smooth hounds, pollock, makeral however you spell it, flounders, the baby loved seeing the fish come in before he went to sleep! obviously when the pandemic is calmed down a bit and live slowly starts getting more normal we will be going further away but for now the beaches of sunny Bournemouth is just fine for us.

The best memories I have of my childhood was going camping and exploring woodland areas, meeting other kids at camp sites, one of my greatest friends of today I met at a camp site when we was 8, with our £1 fishing nets we used to spend hours in lakes/rivers fishing for sharks as we would say haha 20 years later we both have children now and we are planning our work holidays to take them together haha 😂

I would have taken the sea bass and mackerel home to cook!

Pollock to freeze for a fish pie later.

We would of done that too, but there's new laws on the size of them your allowed to take home unfortunately. If you catch and take home and get pulled over by police they can arrest you for it, plus the sea bass I'm pretty sure there's a no jeep rule now to protect them so we couldn't! But if it wasn't trust me we would of haha

Ah, fair enough.