Camping - Lakewood, WA

My mother-in-law brought a small blow-up kiddie pool so the baby can play roll and stay safe! Good luck on the trip!

We went camping when my daughter was 10 months old and we took a port-a-crib for her to sleep in, play in... We also had a fold-up seat with a snap-in tray for mealtime. She had a lot of fun just watching everything that went on. We also walked her around the campground in her stroller, spent a lot of time carrying her. All in all it wasn't bad, and I don't think she was bored with it.

It takes some planning, but I think you can pull it off!

Good luck!
-B. M.-

If you can manage it, take a pack-n-play or playpen of some kind. We went to the coast when our daughter was around 8m and we took a play yard, the larger kind that is like a gate, and put a big blanket under it to keep the sand out. It worked great.

J.,

We went camping once when my now 2 year old was about your baby's age. We brought along her excersaucer (was one that folded up for storage) and would stick her in that when we needed her to stay in one place. We also brought along a ton of her blankets and let her sleep in the nest of them I created.

Hope this helps,
Melissa

we always brought a pack and play when camping with our boys when they were small. We would use it to keep them off the ground when we needed and to sleep in at night to keep them safe.

I have a pretty simple solution depending on the size of your tent. Pack and Play. He can sleep in it and he can play in it outside. Just put some of his favorite toys in there and he might be entertained for a long time. It worked well for my daughter at about that same age. However she wasn't always content to play in it, it was perfect for sleeping.

Have Fun,
H.

I used a pack n play for my son to sleep in at that age, and got a camp chair w/ rockers so I could rock him when I needed to. You could bring a large picnic blanket for your son to play on- ours was crawling so we just bought a small dishwashing tub to give him a bath in.

I went camping ( 32 years ago) with my then-6 month old son- and it was a piece of cake. The issue is--- can you find or rent or secure from someone a sling, a front-pack - some way to '''' wear''''' your baby????? THAT is what you want to do when you are not right by him. He will likely be so fascinated by the trees and shadows and firelight and people and dogs and children and -------------he will likely be NO problem- but I wasn't happy about leaving him out of sight --so I '''wore''' him --- except when he could be in his bouncy chair --- he slept in the sleeping bag with me ( so I could nurse him as needed) and it was SOOOOO easy --- be sure to take whatever sun-block and insect deterents you trust and feel comfortable with- as a buggy, sunburnt baby would NOT be fun-- but I suspect you'll have a great time.

Blessings,
J.
aka- Old Mom

Hello J.,

We went camping when our daughter was 6 months old - we camped down the coast from Washington to California - she had a GREAT time and we still talk about our adventures today. What I found most helpful were:

1.Pack and Play which she slept in, played in and was in when I need two free hands.

2. Clip on chair seat that clipped right on to the picnic table. Be sure and remove or cover at night as the dew soaked ours a few times and then we had wet towels to hang around the campsite. One morning we woke up to a slug eating our left out strawberries and Emma watched it for quite some time as it munched on a yummy strawberry.

3. Front or back carrier - this was good for me because my daughter was so tiny, but also great because my husband could "wear" her around too, and it was fun taking her to the beach, through the trail with it.

4. 50 change of clothes - okay maybe not that many for 1 day, but possibly for 2 days. HEE HEE HEE - Wait, I'm not joking - take plently of clothes for different temps/weather.

5. Take your sense of humor, patience and fun mommy personality.

Positively,
M.

We did this also when our son was 9 months old, we had a tent big enough to hold a play pen and then moved that outside during the day as well so I didn't have to hold him all day long and worry about him getting in the dirt, it worked out great.

I would either take a pack n' play with you and get the bug net that goes over it (from babies r us) or get a kitchen tent (a tent that's mostly screen) and fill it with toys, blankets, etc. We also had the pack n' play in our tent with us, so if it fits, that's a good idea, too.

I'd bring an old blanket to use as a ground pad for him - just let him roll around on that as much as possible. Maybe a new toy to pull out in case of emergency?
As for the tent - we just had our baby next to us, but she was a little bit older. Do you have a moses basket or something you can put him in in your tent for a little protection?

A play pen is a must! Baby will want out of your arms, and a playpen in the camping area is a good way to keep clean. It can also be moved into the tent for sleeping. A front pack may come in handy. Plenty of layers because baby will not stay covered up. Lots of wipes are a must, and a big Tupperware storage container works well for giving a bath. Bring only toys that wash easily (with minimal tiny cracks and openings).

We've camped with our girls many times for the last 7 years, and have always found that nature is just about all the entertainment you need. (As long as you're planning to be dirty, which I assume you are if you're going tent camping!) We have only in the last two years quit packing more than we need!

For sleeping, we used just the bassinet insert from our pack and play, rather than bringing the whole thing. My husband brought two 1x4's that the ends of the bassinet hooked onto, where it usually attached to the pack and play. We used fleece blankets to ensure warmth, and laid her right by me so that I could bring her into my bag to nurse when necessary. (Nothing worse than feeling like you're waking the whole campground in the middle of the night with a crying baby!)

For containment, I have used a borrowed sunyard pod (which is basically a tiny enclosed pack and play - fabric on one side, screening on the other, zips up or down for protection from bugs and sun and crawling away! But plenty of room for laying, sitting, playing with toys, napping, etc.) I have also contained my daughters in the small plastic First Years booster chair they sat in at the table as toddlers. It folds up small, but is VERY helpful for holding baby while eating or playing with toys. We also have a backpack carrier, which we chose over the Ergo because of the metal frame that allows it to sit safely on it's own with baby inside when we didn't want to put her down or carry her around. Finally, just playing in the tent seems to occupy our girls for quite a stretch at a time!

Good for you to be out and about with the little ones! We are always wondering why people say they can't wait to go camping again when their kids get old enough. WHAT?!?!? We love the adventures we encounter with our girls! Have fun!

We took our son camping at 5 months and it was actually great! As has already been said bring a pack and play for sleep and then you can move it out for him to be in when you guys are doing things like getting meals ready and such. If you have room you might also bring an exersaucer. Babies tend to love being outside so I found we didn't have to entertain him hardly at all - he was just happy to look around. Bring a couple of heavy blankets to put over the p-n-p at night as that will keep him much warmer (unless of course he is able to reach up and pull them down- then not such a good idea probably) Bring LOTs of wipes and different types of clothes! Have fun!

I agree that a front or back pack is a good idea, but I also strongly recommend bringing a pack n play. There will be times you want to lay him down and will not want to stay in the tent with him. That will be a familiar--and safe--place. We also brought along a white noise machine (many can run on batteries) because if you want him to nap during the day it will mask the noise of outside activities and at night it will cover up any unfamiliar noises that might disturb his sleep (I had light sleeping babies---perhaps this isn't an issue for you). My relative also brought her exersaucer. I know it might be a challenge to pack everything, but if your baby gets tired of his seat easily, that gives you a place to put him where he can see everything, be somewhat active, keep him out of the dirt, and you are free to cook, play games, makes smores, etc, which might not work with him in the front pack. Just a heads up. . .discuss everything with your 2 year old before you go. Some things that might not have been issues a year ago, might be now. Ours was about that age when we went; she had camped before and been no problem, but for some reason that trip she became afraid of "the tent man", and wouldn't sleep in the tent. I ended up sleeping in the car with her! So make sure she understands what will happen before you go. Perhaps even put the tent up in your yard to acclimate her? Good luck and have fun!

When car camping: we just used the carseat brought into the tent as the baby's bed.

For backpack camping: we used a collapsable water trough as the baby's bed. Since it was good for something like 100 lbs of water, we figured it would be fine.

We have a lot of friends though, who just lug along pack'n'plays, and others who bring mesh laundry bags and extra tent stakes.