Camping has always been my happy place, that’s how I reset myself when I’m feeling too overwhelmed with everyday stressors and the same sleep-work-sleep routine. Since camping brings such peace to me, I figured I would introduce my 4 month old baby early to camping. It was a little intimidating to think about going camping with our first baby and when I tried asking for advise many other parents would laugh and say things like “It will not be fun at all, you’ll see!” they would also tell me to wait until he gets older or just judged me as a parent because that was too risky. Despite the nays I felt ready and up for the challenge so for my birthday my husband drove our crazy huskies, Leo, and I to one of our favorite spots in Southern California.
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So when is the best time to go camping with your kids?
The best time to go camping with your kids is when they are babies because they are not walking yet so you’re not constantly running after them, all they do is eat, poop, and sleep. I actually wish I would’ve done it a little earlier!
Plan ahead and make sure to go with the flow when things don’t go exactly according to plan. Here are 10 tips and tricks to make camping with a 4 month old baby as stress-free as possible so you can enjoy your family adventures while keeping your little ones safe and happy.
#1 STAY CLOSE TO HOME
Stay close to home the first time you go camping, if the drive is too long you’ll have to stop many times along the way to feed or change your babe. Also, knowing that you are able to bail if something goes wrong and be home in a couple of hours makes a bad situation feel much better.
Bring a few of his favorite toys, like teethers or a sensory rattle to entertain him or a portable white noise machine to soothe him on the drive to the campground and on your way home.
#2 Pick the right campground
To introduce your little one I recommend staying for two days and one night at a campground with amenities such as restrooms, fire pits, picnic tables, and running water so you don’t have to pack too much. Packing for a baby usually leaves you with little to no room to pack other things so the less you bring the better.
If possible, pick a spot with a lot of shade and away from fellow campers so if your baby cries in the middle of the night they will not hear as much. Most people understand but it’s also important to consider others.
#3 PLAN & PREP YOUR MEALS AT HOME
Leo was exclusively breastfed so we didn’t have to bring a breast pump, bottles, or formula which was nice. We only had to worry about bringing food for our crazy Huskies and for ourselves so we opted for fast and easy meals.
Chances are one person is going to have to take care of the baby while the other one is left to cook the food so try to prepare as much as you can at home and just store the food in mason jars or reusable bags so all you have to do is place it on the cast iron grill/griddle to cook instead of wasting time prepping at the site.
#4 PACK PLENTY OF DIAPERS AND LAYERS TO KEEP WARM
Babies can’t regulate their temperature so it’s very important to keep your little one warm and dry. Packing clothes depends on the season you go camping. We went camping early October in Southern California where the highest temperature was going to be around 80⁰ F and the lowest was 68⁰ F so we didn’t have to pack a ton of layers for Leo, but if you are camping in the winter you might want to pack more and dress your baby in multiple layers to keep him warm. If he gets too hot you can always take some layers off
TIP: Best way to check if your baby is too cold or too hot is by touching their bare back or chest. If they feel sweaty, take some layers off, if they feel cold, add some layers!
We packed:
-3 short sleeve onesies + the one he was wearing on the way there (Day)
-2 long sleeve onesies (Day- If windy)
-2 sleeper onsies
-A Merino wool long sleeve onesie and pants set (Perfect base layer for any season- we used this + a sleep sack for bedtime)
Avoid cotton if the weather is cold or wet because cotton will absorb sweat and will actually make your babe cold. Merino wool helps regulate temperature, when it’s hot the fibers transport sweat away as vapor keeping your babe cool and dry and when it’s cold, the fibers will trap air insulating your baby!
–Sleep sack (TOG 1.5)
-UPF 50+ Bathing suit
-Towels
I definitely tend to over packed but I have the mentality of is better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it.
Pack plenty of diapers and wipes too! We packed a whole pack of diapers even though we knew we weren’t going to use all of them in two days but when it comes to diapers and wipes, you definitely want to over pack.
TIP: Use regular wipes to clean your baby’s bum and water wipes to clean all other messes that need a quick wipe or are too sticky.
#5 COMFORT IS KEY
Don’t skip on comfort when you’re going camping! Our 3-person RTT worked for us because the dogs and both my husband and I were used to sleeping in the RTT and didn’t mind going up and down the ladder. If our RTT didn’t have that nice memory foam mat we have in there and I wasn’t comfortable breastfeeding while laying down, I would’ve bought a large enough ground tent that allows me to stand up, fit a queen size air mattress that is about two feet off the ground and has room separators. I would also trade our individual sleeping bags and buy a two-person sleeping bag the size of the queen air mattress and would probably buy a portable cot.
If you or your baby is sleeping close to the ground in a portable cot, don’t forget to place a layer of tarpaulin down so they don’t get too cold.
Make sure to pack a back rest pillow or try to get a tent where you can fit a hammock camping chair so you can feed your babe when they wake up and rock them to sleep if they are used to the rocking chair if you are not comfortable breastfeeding while lying down. A comfortable momma is a happy momma so bring your nursing pillow if you have to!
Leo was at 4.5 months old and he was in that stage where he was not army crawling yet but he was definitely rolling all over the place. A portable playpen is a life saver if your baby is mobile!
#6 TRY TO MIMIC SLEEPING SITUATION AT HOME
I wasn’t very comfortable co-sleeping with Leo when he was 4 months old, we always had him sleeping in his bassinet next to our bed but since we were going to sleep in our 3-person roof top tent (RTT), I got a portable nest lounger and placed it in between my husband and I since we had our individual sleeping bags. It worked great for all of us! The portable nest mimicked the bassinet and he slept from 8:30PM to 2AM to feed and fell right back to sleep but woke up at the crack of dawn because our tent was not dark enough. I did anticipate on this happening so I packed his favorite musical soother that doubles as entertainment and night light. I turned this bad boy on and we got 20 extra minutes to sleep but in the future, once we get a tent where we can stand up, I will definitely get a portable blackout pod to sleep even longer.
We also packed a portable white noise machine which was helpful when Leo was trying to nap during the day.
#7 FEED OFTEN
Camping during spring and summer can get a little too hot in certain places so make sure to feed your baby more frequently so they don’t get dehydrated. If you have a campsite that has a lot of bugs use a breathable nursing cover or a mosquito net to keep away all those pesky little bugs.
If you need to warm up a bottle, this portable bottle warmer works wonderful and it’s perfect for traveling!
#8 PROTECT YOUR BABY FROM THE SUN
The U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Environmental Working Group (EWG) recommend avoiding repellents and sun block on babies younger than 6 months so limit skin exposure to the sun as much as possible by dressing your baby in clothing that covers arms and legs and get them a sun hat as well. To repel insects, use a head net when possible.
We had a baby tent set up for Leo so he didn’t get exposed too much
#9 MODIFIED EMERGENCY KIT
An emergency kit is always a good idea to have on hand anywhere you go but a baby doesn’t usually need a lot of those items. Make sure to include a nose aspirator
+ saline drops, thermometer, baby Tylenol (talk to your pediatrician first and ask about the dose in case baby has a fever).
#10 STROLLER
We packed our stroller which includes a toddler seat that doubles as a bassinet and I’m so happy we did because there was a trail that led to the lake. We took Leo on a little ride and he loved watching the wind move the trees while he was lying down. He was so comfortable that he ended up falling asleep and taking his second nap there. I used the mosquito net designed for strollers to keep the bugs away.
OTHER MISCELENEOUS THINGS TO PACK:
We spent most of the day by the lake and to protect Leo from the sun I brought his little beach tent with us so he could have a little shade and take a nap if he wanted to. If your babe is going be spending time in the water make sure to pack an infant life-jacket. We were going to bring our paddle boards but we couldn’t fit them in the car so we decided to get him a little floatie with shade and hung out with him in the water.
Leo loved to sit more than lying down but he was unable to sit on his own so I got him this camping chair for babies with a 5 point harness that worked great while we were hanging out. I love that he’ll be able to use it when he’s a toddler!
I also packed my baby belt carrier in case Leo wanted to just be held around the campground and I’m glad I did because as we were setting up the campsite he wanted to be close to me but didn’t want to be in his carrier so this saved my arms big time and I was still able to help my husband unload things.
HAVE FUN & DON’T SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF
Camping with your baby doesn’t have to be terrifying, prioritize fun and remember to go easy on yourself if things don’t go according to plan. We had to improvise multiple times and we learned what worked for us and what needed improvement. Keep an open mind and if things go horribly wrong and there’s no fixing that camping trip, pack up, go home and try again.
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