We will be having our first baby in October and will be camping with an infant next spring/summer just as much as we do now in our fifth wheel. Many family & friends have mixed feelings and think we will not be camping as much since a baby takes so much time!! We believe that you can still go camping and have just as much fun. Just curious to see how many of you out there have camped with an infant before & if you have any suggestions or helpful tips??
Our son was born in October last year and has camped with us all of this spring/summer. So far we have spent over 30 nights camping and have traveled approx 3000 miles. He is quite content and both my wife and I feel that we spend more quality time with him camping than we would at home due to the fact that there always seems to be something else going on at home.
I think that the key to your infant being happy while camping\traveling is to expose them to as much as possible (anything that you are doing) right from the start. That way they become accustomed to many different situations. My son went with us to Mexico when he was 3 months old. That was the first of 2 times he has been on a flight. Although it is always a bit more work, I try to take him almost everywhere I go.
Good luck with your little one.
Me, Wife, Wee Boy
2000 GMC Sierra 2500LD 4x4
2005 Keystone Cougar 281EFS
Our son camped with us from the age of 3 months in a pop up. Just try to stick to their schedule as close as possible (naps, feeding, bedtime, etc.) Its really no more work than if you were home. Just relax and have fun.
06 F250 HD 4x4
03 Cedar Creek Silverback 5er28LRLFS
We have camped more since the birth of our daughter 2 years ago. Her 1st camping trip was on her 1 month birthday, she has camped in a hurricane, a nor-easter that was worse then the hurricane, a major snow storm, and record high temperatures.
To us our daughter has not slowed us down, but sped us up.
A couple of warnings though.
1. Our 1st trip with her, led to the purchase of a new and larger camper for our second trip.
2. Her "big girl bunk" in the camper led to a premature "big girl bed" at home.
3. NEW ONE LAST NIGHT - We are camping this weekend and brought home the camper from storage last night to load up, and it took HOURS.. to get her to bed all she kept saying was - "I wake up, go camping - I wake up, go camping..." over and over again.
campercam wrote:
I think that the key to your infant being happy while camping\traveling is to expose them to as much as possible (anything that you are doing) right from the start. That way they become accustomed to many different situations.
I also agree with this 500% - we have done this, and not being conceited but our daughter will be two next month - she will sleep anywhere, is not dictated by a schedule (will eat and sleep when needed not at a specific time), Will probably get "big girl underwear" next week, was advanced in walking, talks great. (sound like dad here don't I) - but I strongly believe that she is flexable, and ahead of schedule because on exposure to everything including camping at a early age.
Congradulations on the comming arival, and just have fun - don't worry about what others tell you you should and should not do, You have alot of that coming (esspecially from the grandparents).
* This post was
edited 08/24/07 06:11am by Jacdanboy *
My youngest son was born in our camper, we were camping doctor had said we had lots of time but mother nature decided different. Must stress wife never had more than 2 labor pains and viola, first son was born in car on the way to the hospital. We still camped as much as always, youngest was born in April on one of our first camping trips and we continued to camp as much as we always did. First son was in a tent as much as his home and second was blessed with a hard sided camper 5 years later.
2003 Cedar Creek 30RLBS
2007 Dodge 5.9 Cummins Turbo Diesel 325hp/610Tq
4x4 3.73 axles short bed
Inferno Red W/Gold pinstripping
Our baby girl was 3 months old when we went to Disney last year and that was her second camping trip.
Yes, you can continue to camp with an infant and I thnk in the long run, she will appreciate it in the future. It does take a little more planning and some adjustments. On our Disney trip, in the past it took about 10 hours travel - add 6 to to that with baby. Mostly because she ate every 2-3 hours, which ment she peed/pooped every 1-2 hours... with the F150 we used have, that ment stopping everytime she needed a change.
Once we arrived at a campground - things were not that different. We used a Pack-n-Play for a crib at night and during the day, it was easy to carry out side.
While at the park, we carried a cooler with pleanty of bottles. She loved the sights and sounds, and when it came nap time, we'd lay the seat in the stroller back and she'd fall asleep.
Now that she's 16 mos, she more moible and that presents a few more challenges. She still uses the Pack-n-Play for a crib while we're camping.
This topic has come many times, just do a search. A lot of people have come up with creative solutions.
Mark & Tammy
'01 Excursion Limited, 4x4, V10, RoadMaster Active Suspension
'01 Prowler 31G
Equal-i-zer Hitch - Prodigy Brake Controller
We did it and it was fine. We bought a portable play yard--yeah it looks like a plastic kennel for a dog--but it works great. We put a sheet down so our kids could play w/ their toys.
Get em exposed to it while they are young. You can't have better "family time" than going camping.
________
2008 F 250 FX4 4WD, V10, 4.10 Tow Command
35' 2007 Crossroads Cruiser CT32SB
Wonderful Wife and 3 small kids
My son was born May 9th (what seems like a hundred years ago) and we went camping in the National Forest Service land for the July 4th weekend. We were in a tent way back in the woods. Today, he, his wife and his three daughters have a Class A, but they tent while the girls were small. We never camped less, and I suspect "implanted" a love of the out-of-doors into him at an early age.
It's a little more work to camp with a baby, but I wouldn't have missed those memories for anything. I suspect the extra work is less in a fifth wheel with running hot water, a refrigerator and a real stove, but it worked fine in a tent.
Larry
From tent to popup to hybrid to 5th wheel in only 60 short years.
Offline
