It is of so much worth introducing your child to pristine nature and camping makes it work. While your baby is safe and happy outdoors, can be a little daunting at the first move, However, it is not anything impossible. But definitely, that involves some extra packing to what you already find essential. To ensure you enjoy camping with a baby, here we bring you some pro tips.
- Different needs for each age range
- Do not co-sleep while camping with a baby
- Take a Play Pen with you
- Make camping food simple
- No over plans to go
- Carry a larger camping tent
- Be prepared for rain and unexpected weather
- Always have an exit plan
Did you know; camping can be highly beneficial for both the mental and physical wellbeing of your kid? Yes, it is. Outdoor play can encourage mental growth and make your baby stronger in immunity. And on the top, enjoy camping with a baby as a great way for family times away from the hustle-bustle in everyday life.
Behind all the happy clicks, you face a lot of challenges in reality when camping with a baby. But if you go with a plan and are well prepared, you can still enjoy your journey not turning it miserable. Here we bring you some cool tips that actually work for a great experience.
Different needs for each age range
This is one of the most important concerns when you are planning a journey. Especially, when you are camping with a baby, you must know what to expect for each different age range. In fact, a baby can be a newborn, an infant, or a toddler. Even if we consider these age groups as “babies” in simple, we find a lot of changes when it comes to checking for their expectations.
Obviously, there is a big change between a newborn to a toddler. And even from a 4 months kid to a 6 month one, there is an obvious change that should take into attention.
When you are planning to enjoy camping with a baby, you are facing challenges. And these will be subjective as with each age range you deal with. If you are totally new to this, planning ahead may sound difficult knowing nothing about what to face. So here we bring some different needs and challenges you may face of each age range bringing up different necessities.
Newborn- birth to 6 months
- Need to stop frequently on the way for feeding
- Wake up for several times at night that is tricky inside a tent when camping
- For those who are not breastfeeding it is difficult to warm up and sterilize bottles over the camping stove
- Exhausted parents (possible at a time when mom is still at a recovering state in both physical or mental health from the childbirth)
From 6 to 9 months
- Should pack with the essential solid food
- Babies are excited about everything around and likely to put everything in their hands in the mouth including sticks, stones, or anything
- Used to roll over and you here required to put your kid in a secured place in outdoors
From 10 months to up
- Crawl and walk so often and have to keep the eye on your baby every time to ensure they do not get injured or lost in the wilderness
- Separation anxiety and bad temper are very common where babies used to scream uncontrollably when they find moms going a little far from them even to get some water or food
- Play different games but changes the interest quickly. Therefore, have to play different games for kids to entertain them during camping
- Heavier weight with an infant carrier going to be hard on your long hiking days along with all your gear
- Extremely less downtime for you with only 1 or 2 naps per day
As to many, newborn to 6 months is quite easier than looking after 10 months to upper. After 10 months, babies are eager to learn and find themselves interested in everything they find. For them, you need to take more care and have to keep an eye on every second.
Do not co-sleep while camping with a baby
When camping, a lot of parents used to share their sleeping bags with babies which we think should not. This will keep you worrying about your sleeping bag going over your kid’s face so often. And it is not good to breastfeed your baby inside the sleeping bag as your boobs never go to level right with your baby’s mouth when in the same sleeping bag. Also, think about the need to pee at night; it will be a real challenge to get in and out while your baby sleeps.
With all that in your head, make sure you take a separate sleeping bag for your baby to keep them warm and comfortable.
Take a Playpen with you
If you are having a baby around 5 months of age you would notice that they put everything in their mouth. But when nature is full of choking threats, bring a playpen with you and prevent your baby from reaching out to nature’s things. And a playpen is even useful at the baby’s age of crawling. You can make sure your baby is safe nearby without getting lost when you are busy with your work like making dinner, starting with a campfire, or anything.
Make camping food simple
One of the best things about camping is making camping food. But if you are camping with a baby you have to forget your plans with gourmet meals. There, stick with dehydrated meals or simple and easy camping meals that you can prepare instantly. And packing more pre-cooked meals in your camping cooler is another way you can pack more delicious foods and make things easier when camping with a baby.
No over plans
If you are a traveling couple, there are so many things you can adventure together. But when it comes to family, plans change. And if you are taking a baby, things get even more different in style where you have put the first attention of your little one. Simply, everything you plan should be simple and flexible.
When camping with a baby, you should not go with extremely complex plans. In fact, stick to just one plan per day and keep it simple as possible. In case if you get a chance for more than one plan per day, take it as a bonus!
When outdoors, the baby’s reaction may change and that will tell you all chances for adventures. If your baby ends up irritable, you will easily feel exhausted. Especially when you are open to adventures, your baby will get tired easily and start being cranky. Therefore, go with one plan per day and be flexible and relaxed. And that one plan should be simple and no complications involved.
Carry a larger tent to enjoy camping with a baby
When camping, every pound matters! But if you are camping with a baby, you really have to keep that aside and pack more as possible. So pack the largest possible tent to keep all your gear and spacious for you all including the little one.
Your cozy 2-person camping tent will not work the same way for you 3 from now onwards for your family needs. Therefore carry a larger camping tent to feel more comfortable when camping with a baby. You can look for the best 4-person tents or even larger 6-person tents to accommodate well. And some prefer having tents with dividers to even organize things better. The larger here means more comfortable to spend quality time outdoors.
Be prepared for rain and unexpected weather
When camping with a baby, you must highly consider the campsite features and especially the weather forecast. If you are going to camp with a baby of 4 months to upper, it is not good to go to be stuck inside the tent. Babies of these ages do not like to stay at one place for longer and if the weather distracts them, they will have to stay longer inside in a little space. This can turn them feel miserable and uncontrollable. Therefore, check for the best weather when you are planning to camp with a baby.
On the other way, make sure you pack all the essentials to survive in rain or wind at the campsite. Especially, pack rain gear for the baby. Even if it says the weather is good at where you plan to go, never miss packing your rain gear with all the camping essentials.
Always have an exit plan
Whenever you plan camping, have an exit plan. This is a perfect idea even if you are or aren’t camping with a baby.
The exit plan should include a satellite communication device which is useful to get in contact with Mountain Rescue Services. And when you are on simple and easy camping trips, do check for nearby hotels to easily access as your exit plan.
Maybe you never had to use an exit plan so far, but for the fullest peace of mind do have one. These are the best backups you could have.
Excited to enjoy camping with a baby; yes, good times await to welcome you! Be prepared and enjoy!
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