How to Camp with Babies

Camping with Babies! You are probably cringing at the thought and that’s ok, but when you love camping as much as we do you find ways to make it work. The boys were one month old when we took them for their first camping trip and Henleigh was 14 months (not her first trip). Just like every trip this one was a learning experience.

Just like every trip this one was a learning experience. Here is what we learned when camping with our babies.

Camp Somewhere Familiar

We decided to camp in a familiar place so, we knew the campground and didn’t have that learning curve. We went to Island Resort Campground in Newark Maryland; also our favorite place to camp. Picking somewhere we have been before was a great choice because we knew the campsites making it easier to set up. It also made it easier because we knew what the campground offered and what things would be appropriate for Henleigh (ie. the pool). This campground is also fairly close to our house so if something did go wrong it was easy for us to go home.

Since we had been to the campground before we were also very familiar with the area. This was great for those last minute items we forgot. It also allowed us or I should say me sometime to shop at those stores that we don’t have at home.

Take Extra Adults

For this trip we also took extra adults to help out, my mom and dad went with us. Dad enjoyed playing with Ruben and taking him to the lake for a swim. My mom took care of all the cooking and dishes. Got to love Mom!!! We also kept it simple. We didn’t plan any day trips or big meals. We stayed at camp and took advantage of the amenities. We used the grill to do most of our cooking and prepped everything at home to make it simple.

Keep them Cool

If your camping in the summer with babies having a way to cool them is a must and a great way to keep them entertained. We brought the kiddie pool for Henleigh to play in while we were at camp. She loved it! We also took her to the campground pool which has a wading area for kids. This was her first time in a pool where she should walk around. She was one HAPPY girl!

For the boys we kept them in as little clothes as possible and kept them in the shade. When I say little clothing I mean we kept them in their diapers. (Great pictures for when they get older, lol). To give us more shade we put up our 10×10 easy up and our dome on the camper.

For Sleeping Keep them Safe

For sleeping in the pop Up we made Henleigh a make shift pack n play in the dinette area. We removed the table and altered a baby gate to fit in the opening. So that she couldn’t get out. To make it a little more comfortable we cut a camping mat to fit in the space, then made a pillow case to put the mat inside. She loved having her own bed.

The boys slept in the king sized bed with us. We brought a bopping for each boy to give them boundaries so they wouldn’t scoot away. Having them in bed with us also made it easier to feed them in the middle of the night.

Be Flexible

As with any baby or kid, we were flexible and made adjustments based on what the kids needed. For instance we got a storm on Saturday night that woke Henleigh up so Jamie ended up sleeping with her in the other bed. It was also very warm that weekend and our AC was having trouble keeping up so all the kids napped in my parents motor coach which has two ac units.

Keep Organized

Keeping organized is a must! Inside we did pretty good. Everyone had their own “dresser” drawer for their things. We had an extra drawer for the towels and blankets. Because my mom did most of the cooking we didn’t have to keep track of much food. We used the shelves across from the sink/stove to store the boys formula and some snacks for Henleigh. We also used those shelves to store our bath bath stuff.

Where we needed help was the outside storage. When we got to the campground set up was a little scattered because we didn’t have everything in a central place. Jamie and I kept asking each other, “have you seen this or have you seen that?” If we had a better system for storing stuff set up and take down would have gone a lot quicker. So on the way home I did some searching and found a crate organizer that would fit in the front storage box and keep us organized.

Camping with babies isn’t the easiest but we enjoyed our weekend and got to share our love of camping with our kids. If you are considering camping with your babies, just do it! The memories will outlast the stressful moments. Just remember to keep it simple, camp local, and be flexible.

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