Best tip - don't do it!

I've never been camping with my baby, but I couldn't imagine going without a mosquito net that covers the pack-n-play!

@spossberg, why? For people who love camping and the outdoors, it is important to get out and expose their children to it as early as possible. One of my first thoughts when my wife and I found out we were expecting was that I have a new camping buddy. He is five months old now and I cannot wait until this fall to take him camping.

I am looking forward to *helpful* responses to this post.

Do it! I love camping with my little one.

- bring lots of paper towels/cloths for cleanups, as well as a bucket/bowl to keep filled with water)
- lantern for when it gets dark
- a nightlight for the tent at night (our lantern has a nightlight function)
- camping stove instead of worrying about campfire safety
- towel/waterproof pad for diaper changes in the tent (way better than grungy campground bathrooms)
- bug spray and things to do in tent if mosquitos are bad at dusk
-camera
- small pail for child to collect nature items

- Most importantly, a sense of humour :)

These are old tips, but worth reiterating if toxic bug spray makes you nervous and the mosquitoes aren't too awful:
I make spritzes of rubbing alcohol and peppermint or citronella oil and spray the tent and sleeping bags. My mom also reminded me that dryer sheets (tucked in socks, etc.) seem to repel insects. And then there's Avon Skin-So-Soft.
If the mosquitos are awful, I swear by those net bags that go over your head, though I can see how one might drive a 10 month old nuts and also present a strangulation risk.
If we were truly backcountry, I would be tempted to go native and skip diapers, but perhaps that's environmentally reckless.
For solid food, I'd probably rely on those squeeze packs and a lot of dry cereal and instant oatmeal.

Headlamp for nighttime what-have-you where you'll need both hands.

The June issue of Outside Magazine gives some great tips about exposing your kids to outdoor activities at a young age {you can read excerpts of advice from the magazine here}. We are expecting our first in Nov and we are planning on camping in the spring.

Good luck! Your kids will only enjoy the outdoor life if you do it with them.

Me again - my suggestions were hypothetical, we haven't taken our 8-month old camping yet but I'm excited to. I hope Christina will write back and tell us what she learned!

can people commenting that have camped with their little ones add a bit more about where the baby sleeps? we have camping reservations in august and are taking our 14 month old twins, but we haven't exactly been able to visualize this part. pack and play inside the tent? and what about naps?

We have been camping with our daughter who is 14 months old 5 times. The first was when she was 3 weeks old. Our tips:
-Over pack on clothes, diapers, wipes, etc. - we've run out once, and it wasn't pretty.
-Bring lots of snacky foods... finger foods - easy to feed and clean up
-We got a KidCo Peapod tent that we use instead of a play yard for naps and bed time. It takes up much less spaces and she loves it.
-Expect everything to get dirty. It'll save you heartache when it happens.
-SUNSCREEN is a must!
Good luck - it'll be great!

We camped for a MONTH last summer with kids aged 5, 3 and 10 months - and loved it!

We took our baby swing along -- it was super. Our oldest (then 5) pushed the youngest (then 10 months) while we set up the tent.

Baths in the dishtub worked out fine for us and the kid loved it.

And a Peapod is super! It's like a little mini-tenty-fold-uppy thing that's WAY lighter than a pack-n-play.

A good baby carrier is essential. I love the Ergo, and it definitely keeps a kid happy to be held and snoogled.

We just took our 5 month old camping for the first time last week and we all had a great time!

-We co-sleep. We rigged up two camping mats to stay side-by-side with cord. We covered them with a fitted sheet and then used a down blanket and my down bag as covers.

-Keep a headlamp or lantern close by for when you need to see at night.

-Bring a couple of toys to play with when hanging out in the tent.

-We used an umbrella stroller for the times when both my husband and I needed to do something. Our little guy seemed content to sit and watch.

-Do as you would at home. Eat when you normally eat and go to bed when you normally go to bed.

-Relax and have fun!

We camped in Yosemite with an 11 month old. A headlamp is a must for night time diaper changes. As for sleeping, we took the Phil & Ted version of a pack n play. Brings lots of covers in case of varying weather. A kelty backpack carrier was great for hiking. We hiked to Yosemite Falls/Vernal Falls with it and our daughter even fell asleep during the hike. I definitely say go for it! It was a truly memorable vacation and one we hope to do again soon.

My daughter, at 19 months, is already an experienced camper :) I recommend the following:
-baby carrier (we use a Boba) for hiking/walking. This also works for naps (sometimes). She has also napped in the stroller while we push it around the campground, or just in the tent.
-For sleeping, she co-sleeps with us.
-We have a screened tent for eating and relaxing, so if it is really buggy we can escape to there. It also provides shade, which is great for the littles.
-Bring books or a few familiar toys.
-Lantern, as others have stated.
-Finger foods, PLENTY of water

Lastly, the biggest thing for us is to give her TIME. She wants to explore and see all of the new things, so we go slowly and follow her lead. HAVE FUN! It is great you are starting early!

as dumb as this might sound, don't necessarily expect to go to bed "on time". i always found myself going to bed earlier when i was camping pre-kids since i didn't have tv/ phone/ etc to distract me/ keep me up. our daughter on the other hand finds camping fun, but the novelty of sleeping with mom and dad (we don't co-sleep) always involves a more drawn out routine of stories, songs, and eventually her wearing herself out. can be frustrating, but also some precious times and some really funny stories :) be flexible and enjoy! :)

Loved camping with my little one, first at 6 months and again at 15 mo. Bring extra clothes and try not to stress too much about dirt.
We have a huge sleeping pad, so she would sleep between us in the tent. Also, we tied using a stroller bag as a sleeping bag for her, but she wasn't interested. I wished we had sleeping bags that zipped together so she could be cozy between us, but we had to settle on blankets.
Also, don't be overly ambitious. Think hard about number of nights and how remote you want to be.
If you can find a camping/hiking area with a small stream for splashing and swimming, it's a great way to get clean and keep the kiddo busy.

Ooh, and some sort of a white noise function (battery powered radio set to static, maybe?) to disguise unfamiliar "night music" from the bugs and critters can be a big deal, too.

Check out the book "Babes in the Woods", it's filled with invaluable tips. Also, try camping at campgrounds in the beginning, as opposed to anything too backwoods-y. That way, you're close enough to civilization (and your car) if anything were to go awry.

My best friend and her husband took their newly-adopted baby on a camping trip literally the weekend after they got back from China. What they said made the difference was their "go crib" which is an inflatable travel crib they picked up at rei, and she swears by it. She says it beats packnplays and pea pods by the mile.
When we've gone on backpacking trips with families they've also used disposable diapers, left the non-yucky used to dry out a bit (you don't want to be carrying that liquid weight around) before throwing them in a ziplock with the decidedly yucky ones. If I remember, I think she brought bananas, avocados, and baby cereal for food with some powdered formula. It's easy to heat up water on the camp stove. I think the main thing is to accept early on that your child is going to get dirty, but that's half the fun of camping!

Camping with kids IS A MUST for our family!! We took our little Ellie when she was just 8 weeks old! She slept better that weekend than she ever had before! Since then, she has camped with us over 10 times in the last 3 years and LOVES it! When she was still in a crib, we always brought our pack and play and that worked great. Once she was out - we just got one of those toddler sized blow up mattresses and she sleeps perfectly on that.

For food - when she was a baby, I would heat up water in our coffee kettle until it was super hot and then stick in breastmilk bottles into it to warm it up. It was perfect! Now that she is older, I tend to do A LOT of prep before we leave. I make easy to heat up over a camp stove meals and unthaw in the cooler or over heat. Some of my favorites are Chili, Taco Meat, Sloppy Joe Meat, BBQ Chicken meat and then I bring along the stuff that goes with it! I also love to have tupperware containers filled with cut up strawberries, melons, grapes, blueberries and whatever else your kid likes so it's easy to pull them out for a snack! We try to bring individually packaged snacks so you can easily tote them along and anything that doesn't need to be kept cold is always good too!
Kids LOVE being outside and having a chance to explore nature! Have fun with it! And the more you do it - the easier it gets!

We took my daughter camping when she was 10 months old, and again just this June at 20 months. We set the playpen up in the tent, and make sure the flap is down so that she can't see us. The most difficult thing about sleeping at night is that it is light out so much later than her normal bedtime, and there are no "black-out" curtains like in her bedroom. That also meant she woke up earlier than normal. For naps, she generally slept while we were on hikes (she was in a sling) or bike rides (in her child seat). We didn't stress too much about her staying exactly on schedule. I agree with the earlier comment about trying to pick a place with water- that entertained her forever!!! We didn't bring toys along other than her bedtime lovies; she was totally enthralled with the sticks, rocks, grass, birds, etc. that was all around her. I also agree with the earlier comment about bringing a lot of extra clothes and not worrying too much about getting dirty.

A good friend of mine has regularly taken their son camping since he was a babe and her main tip: get a big, room-sized tent that you can easily put a pack 'n play in and RELAX a bit about the dirt, bugs, etc. Enjoy!

We always bring the peapod tent -- love this thing. I think it's the best baby item we own. Our daughter is 4 and we've been using it for travel (we travel a lot) and camping ever since she was 8 months old.

Do it! It is truly no harder in the woods than it is at home. We took our daughter camping for the first time at 9 weeks and have never looked back. When she was that young, she slept in a small portable camp bed. When she was about 6 months, she shared a sleeping bag with me. Now that she is one, she sleeps on her own in between my husband and I in a little blanket nest. I would not attempt sleeping under the stars with your little one. That was WAY too hard and nobody slept well.
One other tip, put the baby in playclothes and don't worry. You'll all have a great time.

If your baby is mobile, bring more clothes than you think you will need. Everything will be dirty.

She sleeps with us camping, which yes does make her a bit excitable as we don't co-sleep at home, but she likes it.

When she was little and slept nicely in the carrier we would try and schedule hikes for nap time.

I strongly disagree with comment #1, it is great to get out with your babe. If you are breastfeeding, it is super easy! We went camping during my maternity leave and it was great. Here are my tips:
1) Put an outfit on that has long pants and feet (preferably a onsie) to protect from bugs and sun. "Baby Legs" are great for when they size out of the footed onsies
2)We bought a bug net (Kelty) for the backpack carrier, it fits right over the rain/ shade cover.
3) If you are hiking bring a regular backpack cover to slip over the baby backpack in case of rain. The babe stays nice and dry and warm from your body heat.
4) Put a crib sheet over a sleeping mat and bring a warm blanket(s) Ours always would slip out of the sleeping bags
5) bring sun and warm hats
6) ziplock bags!!! for clean diapers, for wipes and for the dirty ones
7) REI sells a nice lemon eucalyptus bug spray (no DEET!)
8)Have fun, it is a great time to go camping with your little one!

We just went on our first camping trip with my 8 month old. Our friends also came with us and thier daughter is only 6 weeks old. I was nervous at first but it was sooo easy. Get a tent that's big enough for a pack n play. Expect to get dirty. My daughter crawled in the dirt the whole time and her bath was in the ocean :) naps were on our hikes in the ergo or wrapped in a woven. Food was easy since she is still breast fed and won't eat solids. Just have fun! We are already planning our next trip to Utah in September, can't wait!

We took our little guy a few weeks ago when he was about 6 months. It was great!
My suggestions are to be weather conscious and flexible. Luckily we had beautiful weather but if it had been really rainy or snowing (yes, in July- we're in Canada) we would probably have bailed out and checked into a hotel in a nearby town.

Bring an extra tarp or two- can be used as ground cover to play on or as a rain/sun shelter.

Baby slept with us although I might invest in a pea pod tent for our next trip- they're cool! I also considered a large, shallow rubbermaid container with a cradle mattress as a possible baby sleeping accommodation (no way we could fit a pack and play in our tent).

For meals our bumbo and tray were perfect! The bumbo chair was awesome for just sitting him in while we set up camp or did dishes, etc. And kept him in one place!

Bugs weren't too bad for us but I had Buzz patches rather than a spray and attached a patch to the back of the bumbo chair in the evenings and it seemed o keep baby more or less bug free.

Keep a sense ofbhumour, take a zillion pictures and think of all the awesome memories you will have!

We just took our 7.5 month old camping for the first time and it went great! We borrowed a friend's pack n play, put it in the tent for sleeping at night (we have a big tent, I'd reccommend a big tent!), and during the day we would take it out so she could hang out in there safely when we needed some down time. (We were with friends though so there was usually someone eager to take a turn holding and playing with her. We also brought our baby bjorn bouncy chair, great for putting her in during camp set up and take down so she could watch the action. And a soft carrier. Also if you're breastfeeding that makes feeder your baby so convenient. Have fun! I can't wait until next year, I plan to get her one of those peapod tents the others have mentioned.

We went camping last year with our son who was 15 months at the time, and we'll be taking him again later this year - its great!

We're campground campers and if you're staying at a campground really check out what your campground has to offer. Ours had city water, a grocery store 5 minutes away, a sandy beach, and lots to explore - it was perfect!

We didn't bother with a pack and play, our little guy was so worn out by the end of the day that he often fell asleep while we were out and about and we just put him down on a bed of blankets in the tent.

We had a baby carrier, not a stroller, but that choice depends on how long your staying and where you're camping, as well as whether or not you've ever used a carrier.

I think the best advice would be to just be flexible, their schedule could stay the same, but it could change too so don't make plans that are too concrete.

Enjoy!

We went camping when our daughter was about 14 months old. She was a little freaked out by the tent at first. Maybe set up the tent and let him play in it before the trip to get him used to the weird new house!

We started camping with our son soon after he was born. We have a big tent from REI, and a "phil and teds" crib http://philandteds.com/productsus/sleepus/travellerus (he slept in this in the tent until he was almost 3). Just relax, enjoy and don't worry about getting dirty!

California baby makes a great natural bug spray. Take a full first aid kit, lots of toys and clothes for all temps.

My son loved camping at 10 months. At 22 months after a day he was over it. Good luck.

We just returned from North Western Ontario, and did some camping with our 11 month old daughter. We found a few things helpful. (1) we purchased a new tent, the eureka sphinx which has a very large vestibule area that is great for playing in. (2) baby bjorn travel crib that we covered with a net. We brought a piece of black out fabric along with us and rigged it to hang a little over the crib (in the tent). This helped so much as the sun sets in NWO somewhere around 10 p.m. (3) a big tarp is a great idea to play on (4) we also brought along the phil and teds lobster claw chair for meal times. We camped in a campground this past trip so the table chair worked well as there were always picnic tables on the camp sites. However we plan to do some back country trips this fall and next year now that we are more comfortable with camping with baby. Hope it goes well and happy camping :)

We just returned from a camping trip with our 10 month old. It was great! We used all our pre-baby camping gear. Additionally, we brought a tarp for her to play on. We brought her regular toys, sippy cup and sunscreen. We brought extra wipes for diapers and for general clean up. We also brought the pack-n-play mattress which we set up in between us and above our heads for sleeping at night.

If you think about what you 'usually' bring camping and add in what you 'usually' need for an outing with your baby- you will be fine and it will be a great family memory!

We just took our 10 month old camping in a tent over the 4th of July and had a blast!
For those wondering about sleeping arrangements...we had mats on the ground covered with a sheet and blankets. My son slept on the ground with us. Didn't need to worry about him falling off a bed or crawling away in the morning since he's too little to unzip the tent. He fell asleep to the noise of frogs croaking and fireworks going off across the lake...normally wakes up when the floor squeaks at home.
We're already looking forward to the next camp out!

@spossberg Ridiculous comment. Have you ever actually tried it?

@TaraJane is right, if you're breastfeeding it is easier. I actually nurse him a time or two extra and don't worry as much about how much solid food I have with. We took our son camping (in the popup camper) at 5 weeks for 3 nights. This summer he's been out in the popup twice and regular tent twice and he's just over 10 months now. Most everyone said what I would have suggested. (I even got a few new ideas!)

Also, in contrast to what others have said, we've found it's easier to just go with the flow and read his signals. He still is on his general routine, it may just start an hour or more earlier or later than at home. Since we try not to look at the clock (hey, wilderness!) we just feed him when he's hungry and put him down for a nap when he's tired. So far it's worked well for us.

The other nice thing about a tent is that it's like a big playpen. As long as there are no "choke-ables" he can roam around in there all he wants.

Get out there and do it, enjoy it! Expect a few moments of "what were we thinking", but overall it'll be great!

Do it! So fun, and the memories will be awesome. Many great tips were already mentioned. The book "Babes in the Woods," by Jennifer Aist, is an amazing resource too. She has 4 young kids and camps with them in Alaska! The book has tips for anyone camping with kids. Have fun!

Oh my, camping with babies!!! I've done it too many times to count. Though it is EXHAUSTING, I'm not just going to put my family's vacations on hold until the babies grow up! Lol! So one of the BEST things we've done is bring ear plus! Lol! You're always in such an enclosed space, it's good for one of the parents to have the ear plugs and try and get some sleep while the other one takes their "shift". (THis is of course if the baby isn't doing well through the night, and won't settle.) We've near lost our minds before in the middle of the night, in the middle of the woods. Not good! Lol! Try and camp away from others, so that if there is crying, you're not too concerned about waking them up and being super quiet. And take naps during the day when you can so you're prepared to be up with the little one if they don't sleep well! We have a camper, so we sleep in there, but we set up a tent with an air mattress and blankets as sort of an "exit" plan if someone needs out! :) Our third baby is 10 months old, and still doesn't sleep through the night, and still cries at night even after feeding....so yeah, we have an escape plan for the other three members of our family! :) Good luck!!

Last year I took a 2 and 4 year old girls and we sleep in a two person tent. They sleep through the storm and the heat that night and did not wake up once. One pillow each, sheets, comfortable clothes to sleep, water and late night snack (for me!). They were running around during the day, swim in the lake, walk barefoot and got dirty (nothing that a shower cannot remove)
This year we were 4 people in the same tent. Was a little uncomfortable, but we sleep all right. This time we use tons of bugs spray and keep the campfire going but mosquitoes were impossible, then we plug a fan (we happened to had in our truck) and that saved the day.
We all had a great time!

We've both backpacked and car camped with our baby and it's always been fantastic. Other commenters have left some great ideas, and my only other suggestion is to bring baby benadryl, or the equivalent, for bug bites. Our kiddo's eye actually swelled shut on the past trip from some sort of insect bite, but a little baby benadryl worked wonders. It's not recommended for babies under the age of 1, so look for something similar to deal with the possibility of a bad reaction to insect bites.

camp (for the first time) within a reasonable driving distance from your house... just in case. We car camp, not back country. As for sleeping, here are our arrangements (our son is now 2, but first went camping around age 1): 4 person tent, full sized air mattress in the middle, blanket on one side for the dog (who ends up on the mattress), therma rest on my side with child sized sleeping bag for my son. He has the barrier of the tent side and the side of the air mattress. This has worked really well for us. I've had friends bring their pack n play, but they had a huge tent. My other suggestion is shoes that easily slip on and off, especially when they're older. My son was constantly in and out of the tent last time and the sneaker thing was maddening.

We've also taken our daughter camping several times and she loves it! The first time was when she was about 18 months, we took her pack and play, but it was too cold in there for her to sleep well (we camp in Texas over Thanksgiving so nights can be cool and she always kicks off the covers) so she ended up sleeping with us in our sleeping bags (we always zip our two bags together because I get so cold at night without my husbands body heat!) If you are planning on backpacking and camping it would be more challenging because you would want to pack as light as possible, so maybe try out just sleeping in tents, etc. first if possible?

I agree with the plenty of extra clothes and diapers suggestion and would recommend lots of different types of clothing and layers. You never know if it's going to start raining or an unseasonable cold front will pass through (or higher than normal temps for that matter.) If you make your own baby food you could freeze some in ice cube trays then transfer to baggies for the cooler, then you don't have to worry about baby food jars (or you could just transfer the jar stuff to baggies maybe?)

We have taken our kids camping every year at least 3 times throughout the summer. Plan to go ever more this year! My daughter was around 8 months her first time and my son was 2 weeks old :)

SLEEPING ARRANGEMENTS:
-- Baby can co-sleep if you have a queen size blow up mattress
-- OR bring a pack in play to put in the tent with you (if tent is large enough).
-- OR sleep in your camper or if someone you camp with has a camper and you would feel more comfortable with baby sleeping in the pack and play in there with them. Just set up your tent beside the camper and leave camper windows open so you can tend to baby as needed through the night.
(You can find old used campers for cheap if you plan to camp/use one frequently, they may just need a little work.)

ACTIVITIES:
-- Just let the kids explore nature!
-- Bring a small tub or basket of toys that are okay for outdoor or indoor use
(We bring our kids motorized ATV's so they can fit in with the adults who also bring/ride their ATVs)
-- Blow up toys/floaties if you will be close to a river/lake/creek/etc.
-- Roasting stick to cook hotdogs and marshmallows over the fire, adults will obviously have to do this but it is something baby's/toddlers still think is cool/enjoy.

FOOD:
We always eat less when camping because we are so busy.
-- We fill a regular size TUB with bread, buns, crackers, snack bars, apples, bananas, etc. Both my children were breastfed so I just made sure to bring plenty of water for myself until they were old enough to eat finger foods and then we would pack things they liked in the tub as well.
-- We fill a large cooler with drinks.
-- We fill a small cooler with hot dogs, hamburger, bacon, eggs, small jug milk etc.
Usually we have to leave for ice or have someone who is coming in after work/actives bring in 1-2 bags per family who is staying to keep things cool, mainly the small cooler.

PACKING FOR BABY/TODDLER:
Less is always more! The first time we went with our 2 week old I brought so much unnecessary stuff. The second time I just brought his pack&play, bouncer, blanket, diapers/wipes, sunscreen and clothing. For my daughter, age 3 that year, I brought clothing, basket of toys, sunscreen, battery ATV, and floaties.

The second year when my son was 1 and my daughter was 4 I just brought: sunscreen, clothing, basket of toys, both their battery ATVS, floaties and diaper/wipes for the youngest.

RECOMMENDED PRODUCTS:
Here are some thing that my in-laws brought over the past couple years that we find helpful.
-- Battery powered fan, was a life saver when it was in the high 80s when baby was 2 weeks old.
-- Bug repellent spray you spray on the ground. One spray around the area lasts 1-2 days depending on weather/bug problem that year. Just test out prior to make sure nobody has allergic reaction.
--