We just took Maylin on her first camping trip and I did my first periscope last week about camping with babies because I've had SO many people ask about it! Not everyone was able to watch, so I decided to write it all down as well, and include things I didn't get a chance to cover in the broadcast!
Because Devin and I were both raised camping on a regular basis, and have been camping regularly ever since we were married, we knew camping with kids would be a part of our life. We planned out our entire summer and scheduled all of our trips at the beginning of the year, so I was able to spend a lot of time planning and researching. I was really disappointed with how little information was out there about camping with babies. I didn't find what I was looking for and realized I would have to just figure it out for myself! So we took Maylin camping! It was definitely successful, but we also learned a LOT.
A few disclaimers: I am SO GLAD to share what I've learned, but I know that every baby is different, everyone camps differently, and things that worked for us or applied to our situation won't work for you and yours. Also, this was our very first camping trip with a baby! We still have a long way's to go and a lot to figure out! Things that worked on this trip may not work on the next one, and a lot of things that we may have to deal with in the future weren't issues on this particular trip. I will try and share updates as we learn more and figure other things out!
A little background: Maylin is just over 7 months old, breastfed and eats some baby food, and is not mobile (she does roll over, but not often)
I'm going to split this up into sections and share my tips at the very end:
CLOTHING
Socks: We got a really nice pair of high quality wool socks at the OR Trade Show several years ago, and I don't remember the brand! We also have several pairs of Smartwool socks for her. Warm socks are super important, especially ones that will stay on tiny baby feet! Her feet are always the first thing to get cold, so I knew we'd need some good socks.
Jackets: We have been so happy with the Columbia jackets we've bought for Maylin. She has a fleece jacket and a shell, and they are both great. We got them at the Columbia Outlet in Lehi, UT but you can get them online as well. The outlet just has great prices and sales, but they are already fairly priced as is! I know you can buy outerwear for babies anywhere you can buy their clothes, but getting something from a company that specializes in outwear was so worth it to us.
Outfits: A helpful tip I always try and remember is that babies aren't necessarily more sensitive to hot and cold than adults. If you are cold, your baby is probably cold. If you are hot, your baby is probably hot. I didn't feel bad about over packing as far as outfits were concerned, because we're camping: it's dirty, the weather is changing a lot, and you always want to be prepared. For an overnight trip, I brought her 2 pairs of shorts, 2 pairs of pants, 1 tank top, 2 tee shirts and 2 long sleeve shirts.
Sun Hat: I was not on board with these goofy looking bucket hats for the longest time, but they're actually sort of adorable and they work really well! It's sometimes a battle to get Maylin to leave it alone on her head, but it kept her face out of the sun and I didn't have to smear sunscreen through her hair to protect her scalp! It also kept the bugs off (when she wasn't wearing a hat, they were ALL OVER her head).
SLEEPING
Fuzzy Suit: Devin calls it her "summit suit" but Maylin has one of these in every size because I always just thought they were so cute! She doesn't like sleeping with a blanket on her - she always kicks it off, and I'm still a little too anxious about SIDS or suffocation to let her sleep with one anyway, so she slept in a big fleece suit. What was convenient about having something like this is that I had a hood to cover her head, built-in mittens in the sleeves to cover her hands, and it was footed like pajamas. She wore a pair of pajamas underneath and slept plenty warm.
Beanie: Not necessarily just for sleeping, but a beanie was packed for sure! Our night in the tent was surprisingly warm, so the hood on her suit was enough, but a beanie for chilly mornings and evenings is great.
Blankets: Bring more than you probably think you need. Maylin ended up sleeping on blankets, and I also made sure to bring one she uses a lot at home, so she had something familiar. I also brought a blanket that was designated for outside, so I wouldn't have to worry about it getting dirty. The blankets she slept on were those fuzzy luxurious blankets you can always find at Costco or Target - I feel like everyone has one in their living room!
Co-Sleeping: When Devin and I car camp, we sleep on an air mattress, and instead of bringing sleeping bags we bring blankets and comforters. It's more comfortable that way! My main concern about camping with a baby was keeping her warm at night, so the best option seemed to be co sleeping. I nurse Maylin in bed a lot, and have realized by doing that how uncomfortable co sleeping would be to me, but it seemed like the best way to keep her warm. The air mattress was so bouncy and uneven and we knew right away it wasn't going to work out! Like I said before, she ended up sleeping on a bunch of folded up blankets right next to me, and she slept just great! She's always slept through the night, and this night was no different.
Rock n Play: On this trip, we were in a 4-man tent, but later this summer, we'll be going on a longer camping trip and will be taking a much bigger 10-man tent. It has a tall enough ceiling that you can stand up in it and more than double the floor space of our 4-man tent, so we will most likely be bringing her rock-n-play, which is a portable bassinet. She naps in this at home, and I know she will sleep well in it.
Napping: Maylin is such a champ with napping, and doesn't get off course too much if she doesn't get a perfectly scheduled nap every day. She is good about napping on the go - she naps in the car a lot (she almost always falls asleep in the car, in fact!) and she even falls asleep in her carrier pack when we're hiking! I'm sure we'll run into issues with this on future trips, because the tent would be way too hot. Maybe we'd just have to let her be in the car and run the a/c? On this trip, she napped in my arms while we swung in the hammock and she seemed to enjoy that - I did too, because she never sleeps on me anymore, but this will definitely be something we have to figure out soon!
ESSENTIALS / TOILETRIES
Sunscreen: Always! Even if it's a little overcast - if you're going to be outside for an extended period of time, always always always apply sunscreen to your baby! Liberally! We use a waterproof SPF 50 and reapply throughout the day.
Bug Spray: We didn't bring ANY bug spray on this trip and we paid for it! We didn't have any baby-specific bug spray either (I know Babyganics makes some, and I've seen a few organic versions at places like REI that are safe for babies, too). I feel like bug spray is one of those things where I'll definitely want to use something baby-friendly, but this was an important thing that we didn't bring! We usually have bug spray in our camp box by default, but it got taken out and forgotten. I would never recommend going camping without it, haha!
Baby Wipes: We have a stash of baby wipes in basically every room of the house, so it made sense to bring a whole pack with us camping. I know you can get a smaller packs that are travel sized, but I would just recommend bringing a big/regular sized one. We were using them constantly!
Disinfecting Wipes: I don't think baby wipes are disinfecting, so having something that was disinfecting important! You can find these in the baby section of stores, and they are usually alcohol free (as opposed to Clorox wipes or something like that, that probably wouldn't be as safe to use around children). We used these to wipe down her toys when she dropped them in the dirt or clean things off in general.
First Aid: This is another obvious one! Maylin did get a few scrapes while we were camping, and having some Baby Aquaphor was a life saver! I would recommend bringing a whole baby first aid kit. You just never know, and while it may seem overprotective to bring, it won't once you're actually using it!
Medicine: I am in no way a hippy mom. I don't think medicine is bad for kids, I vaccinate my baby, and I don't bother with essential oils most of the time. I have no problem with giving her tylenol or anything, haha! We packed Motrin and gas relief drops and didn't use either of them, but I still wouldn't have left home without them. Had she been fussy or dehydrated or sick, I would have been kicking myself for not having some medicine with us! I would just say to pack a few medicines that you think you could potentially need, but try and bring ones that would cover more than one ailment. Whether that's medicine for teething or colds, or even your go-to essential oils - whatever you use to help you kid when they're sick or hurting - bring it!
AROUND CAMP
Shade Tarp: We brought a Rab tarp (they set up similar to a tent, but are lower to the ground) so Maylin could play outside, but be in the shade. It was a little too windy and hard to set up in the sand we were in, so we ended up taking it down, but I think having a shady spot for baby to play is important. We ended up opening both tent doors and setting her on the air mattress to play so she was in the shade but not closed off in the tent. I think we'll try the tarp again in the future, it just wasn't working out this time! Another great option would be a screen tent - that would keep the bugs at bay too!
Ground Tarp: If you aren't worried about sun or bugs, putting a tarp on the ground, and a blanket out on top of the tarp is a great option. Maylin isn't crawling yet, and she doesn't hardly roll (haha!) so we were able to just set her down on a blanket like that and keep her pretty clean and let her play.
Pack n Play: I know a lot of people take a pack n play and I think we'll start doing this once she's mobile! I know you can also get bigger play pens (pack n plays are pretty small) and this would be perfect for crawlers!
Fitted Sheet: I have seen people take a fitted sheet to places like the beach, flip it upside down and put stuff in each corner to create a lip, and I think that would work out pretty well, too! I also know you can put a fitted sheet over a pack n play to keep kids out of the sun and bugs - I think you can also buy accessories like that for pack n plays that are specifically made for them, but the fitted sheet would be a cheap hack!
Camping High Chair: I have this high on my wishlist because we don't own one yet, but they look so perfect for camping! Something that made things hard was finding a place to put Maylin while we were cooking. We ended up sitting her in a regular camp chair and keeping a very close eye on her. She did fine, but a camping high chair would be so perfect.
EATING
Food: We only brought Maylin's favorite food - stuff we KNEW she would eat. We didn't want to throw her off more than we had to, and it was nice to give her something she was excited about eating. We packed bibs and spoons just like we use at home, but I know you can get camp sporks and things that are baby/kid size!
Breastfeeding: I nursed Maylin about twice as often as I usually do at home, because we were outside in the heat. She was in a new, unfamiliar place, and she does tend to nurse for comfort a lot, so it helped her feel at ease. I was also a little concerned about keeping her hydrated, so nursing her that often ensured that she was getting enough fluids! If you kids are drinking milk / water / juice - make sure they drink LOTS. Get them a special camping sippy cup or water bottle to make it fun, but hound them about drinking because dehydration settles in quickly and can cause a lot of serious problems.
Pumping: I usually pump twice a day at home, but since I was nursing her more than usual, I ended up only pumping once in the morning. I use a Medela pump and I had several options for power. The pump comes with a battery pack, so you don't need to plug it in to anything, but it takes like, 8 batteries, and we didn't have any lying around, so instead I used our Goal Zero Sherpa 100, which is a rechargeable power pack. It worked great! Another good option would be a car adapter - you'd just have to turn on the car and sit in there to pump. You could also bring a hand pump! Lots of options. We stored the milk in the cooler, and we cleaned the parts by boiling water on the stove with some dish soap. It wasn't much different from home!
Nursing Cover: Something breathable for sure - especially in the heat! I didn't end up using a cover because it was just Devin and I and our camp site was pretty secluded, but I always bring it in case I end up needing to nurse Maylin in public (like along the hiking trail, or at a popular scenic area). My Covered Goods nursing cover is really lightweight and breathable, so I just bring that!
TIPS
1. Keep things as close to normal as you can. If you have a routine at home, try and stick to is as you see fit, just so you aren't throwing everything off for your baby. Keeping things "normal" for us meant getting at least 1 good nap in for her, putting her down at her regular bed time, having her sleep in actual pajamas... things like that.
2. Bring toys! I would recommend sticking with mostly plastic things that can be easily wiped down and cleaned. We brought mostly those, but also a few stuffed toys, just because they are some of May's favorites, and I knew they would be familiar.
3. Use the car! Take advantage of the car. If the bugs are getting bad, if it's too hot or too cold, sit in the car! Turn on the a/c or heating, and play or nurse in there for awhile if you have to! I mentioned earlier, you could even have them nap in the car if you needed to.
4. Distractions are key. I've learned that the best way to get Maylin over a tantrum is to distract her with something new. Bring lots of distractions, or take advantage of the fact that you're in a new place to distract them! Go on a walk, let them play with rocks or leaves, anything like that! I do this with her at home all the time. If you bought some new, cheap toys and brought them on trips, that would be good too! It keeps them busy!
5. Bring an iPad! We downloaded a few episodes of Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood onto our iPad and Maylin watched it in the car on the drive there and in the tent at night / in the morning. She watches it at home, and loves it.
6. Hide baby wipes and blankets in your sleep bag / under your covers to keep them warm! I didn't want to have to change her diaper in the morning with frozen wipes, and putting the pack at my feet while we slept kept them warm enough.
7. If you need to heat up breast milk on the go, you can stop at a gas station or coffee shop and get hot water (like, boiling hot). I've done this at several gas stations and even Starbucks, any time we're out and about and need to heat up a bottle, and I've never been charged. People have always been super understanding. Coffee machines in gas stations usually have a red nozzle on the side for hot water, so I just fill an insulated coffee cup about half way full and it has worked so well!
8. Already be comfortable with how you camp. I wouldn't recommend your first time camping ever to also be your baby's first time camping. Devin and I have been camping together for years. We know how we like to set up our camp site, we know where we keep things, we have a routine, we are comfortable with it all, and I think that helps Maylin feel comfortable as well.
9. Go somewhere familiar. Don't try something new when it's your first time! Go to a place you camp at often. Try and be close to home. If things were going terribly and we needed to leave, we could have been packed up and back home within probably 3 hours and that was a comfort to know we weren't stranded! Start with an overnight trip, so you don't have to worry about more than just 1 night. It was a little overwhelming for me, so 1 night was plenty! That first trip is going to be one giant experiment, so one night will be plenty! It gave us an idea of what camping with her would be like this summer. Try to pick dates where you know the weather will be good.
10. Accept the fact that everything is going to take longer. This applies to camping pretty well, obviously, but I try and remember this on a daily basis, too. Just embrace the fact that you'll have to move a little slower and take a little longer to get things done. Don't pack your days as full of activities as you normally would, and be flexible with the schedule. Going somewhere new and being outside in the sun can wear a kid out - they may need more / longer naps, and may nap at different times than normal. You need to be okay with that!
11. PATIENCE. Always. Patience is hard. But it's so important. This whole experience is new for you, it's new for your baby, it's a huge adjustment, so just be patient.
Something Devin and I have always tried to remember and tell each other: calm parents = calm kid.
Happy Camping!
Let me know if you have any tips or comments, I'd love to hear from you!
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