We are due to have our first baby around Thanksgiving. We are planning to go seasonal next year at a place about 40 minutes from our home. The reason for us going seasonal is because we are so close on weight limits as it is let alone adding all the extra weight for the baby stuff. So my question to you folks is....
Do you have any suggestions for these first time parents to incorporate their baby in this camping world? I had read a past thread about ways to set the baby up in the camper. If anyone has any pictures of the way they do it that would be great!
Thank you in advance for your comments and suggestions. We are really excited to start our baby camping right away! I grew up camping and it has given me some of the best memories!
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09' Keystone Passport 280BH
05' GMC Yukon XL
Brian (the driver), Jenn* (navigator and trip planner) and a little dog named Killer (who does not like being left behind AT ALL)
[URL=http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2694091970101355635GCZNtI]
We were in a pop-up when we took our infant son along for his first trip, so you are already better off in a hard side trailer as you will not have to worry as much about temps, and bad weather, safety (pop-ups are not known for their rounded corners) etc.
We setup the pack'n'play on the folded down dinette and let my son sleep in there. We have a rear queen bed that is boxed in on 3 sides so with a little addition of a bed rail that can either be a sleep area or in our case a play area during teh day if we were not outside.
If we were outside we would simply setup the pnp on the ground, or let my son play on a small blanket as he got old enough to sit up on his own. After that, the stroller and plenty of walking/chasing the littel around the campground was how we spent most of the time. SWIMMING is always a great idea.
We always respected the nap time, and put our son down inside the camper while we sat right outside. We could peek in the dinette window to check on him while we were outside. ALWAYS used a baby monitor (audio only) while we camped - had it outside with us whenever he was inside sleeping. As he got older we actually had to cover the outside of the window becasue when he was old enough to stand he would look out at us and smile
Congrats on your new addition - we were there just 3 short years ago. Remember what we had to constantly remember - they are not as fragile as we think! Enjoy your time together as a family and try to relax.
Dirk
Myself (34), my Wife(32), and "The Boy"(3)
06 GMC Sierra 1500 Crew Cab, 5.3L V8, 3.42rear
05 30QBSS Trail-Cruiser, Prodigy BC, Reese Dual Cam W/D
Works for trailer, beach, various overnights. Worked great for my daughter for 2 seasons. The boys got the piled up pillows and cushions. Pac n Play is a good idea, although they just want to get out, but a good place to pile up all the toys when not in use. I've seen some people get the dog pens and gates, but where's the fun in chasing them down! Kids sleep great with the RV ac on, I don't know why, maybe that constant hum. Make sure they stay covered up, my boys got sick on almost every trip. And, 3 words, "plastic bed sheets", if you expect to be able to sell your unit, ever. Best bet, just treat your camper like home and they'll have as much fun as you.
Twin Boys-4, baby girl-2, and Husky
2009 Passport 290BH
Me and DW
2006 Suburban
Wish I had some pictures to share but unfortunately I do not. We have used the pack and play but most of time we just use the dinette folded down with bed rails set up. That way wife can just peep around the door and check on the baby. Like you we have a bunkhouse, but in our case we already have kids occuping those beds.
We have a couple sets of the collapseable bedrails that just fit in the cabinet at the end of the dinette so storage is easy. As some kids get a little bigger and some of our older ones move to the sofa bed or are not going with us we transition the baby to the lower bunk which happens to be on the floor. We still use the bedrail just to keep them in the bunk. Right now I have a six yr old on the top bunk, a 15 yr old in the middle bunk (it is longer than top bunk) and four yr old in the lower bunk on the floor. Since we have a triple bunk that accounts for all beds. Our 9 mo old has been on the dinette since her arrival.
Congratulations on your new arrival. I am sure you will find what works best for you.
David,Wife,4 kids,SIL,1 grandchild
2003 Ford Excursion Eddie Bauer 7.3 PSD w/3.73 rear end
Jayco Kiwi Too 30T bunkhouse w/triple bunks
Prodigy Controller
Reese Dual Cam HP
Michelin LTX M/S
2001 F150 SuperCrew
Our daughter took all her naps and even played outside a lot in her pack and play. Also, don't forget to take the baby monitors, you will want to keep an ear on your child the first couple nights to be sure they are doing fine in the new surroundings. We just got a new camper and had to dig the monitors out of storage because we want to make sure she isn't falling out of her bunk or what not.
Other than that try to keep them on their routine and bring the same foods as home.
Above all, bring them young and they will love it for life. (At least I can hope right). Also remember to relax the rules a little while camping, it is a getaway for not only you but your child as well. Our daughter knows she gets more snacks and stays up a little later while camping, that's part of why she loves it!
Jeff
2009 Rockwood Signature Ultra Light 8317SS
2004 Dodge Ram 1500 QC LB Hemi
DW Kelly and DD
Camping with a baby is easy. In fact, it's arguably easier to be camping with him/her than it is being at home. All the essentials are right there. You'll see for yourself when the time comes. Our son is 4 1/2 months old and he's already been camping four times.
A couple of tips:
1. A pack-and-play is suitable enough, but it really can be overkill. We used a Moses basket for the first couple trips and later switched to the pop-up beach tents for toddlers. Both are extremely easy to use, convenient, stowable, portable, and built for kids that age.
2. Depending on where you live, bring clothes for all seasons--and enough of them.
3. Bring some portable comforts from home. Maybe a bouncer, jumper, etc.
Sounds like you've been getting some good advice from just about everybody. I would say to relax, keep them on a reasonable schedule, keep sleeping arrangements safe and one thing I would check on, as our little dog one time got the screen door open and fell out of the trailer, is to make sure if the baby is in the crawling/toddler stage that the screen door is secure. With the magnetic catches, they sometimes come open if just pushed on. May want to take a little gate along or something to secure the screen door. Otherwise, all kids are very adaptable and will adjust to just about anything. Just like home, get down to their level and make sure they can't get their fingers into anything. Have fun!
We were in a pop-up when we took our infant son along for his first trip, so you are already better off in a hard side trailer as you will not have to worry as much about temps, and bad weather, safety (pop-ups are not known for their rounded corners) etc.
We setup the pack'n'play on the folded down dinette and let my son sleep in there. We have a rear queen bed that is boxed in on 3 sides so with a little addition of a bed rail that can either be a sleep area or in our case a play area during teh day if we were not outside.
If we were outside we would simply setup the pnp on the ground, or let my son play on a small blanket as he got old enough to sit up on his own. After that, the stroller and plenty of walking/chasing the littel around the campground was how we spent most of the time. SWIMMING is always a great idea.
We always respected the nap time, and put our son down inside the camper while we sat right outside. We could peek in the dinette window to check on him while we were outside. ALWAYS used a baby monitor (audio only) while we camped - had it outside with us whenever he was inside sleeping. As he got older we actually had to cover the outside of the window becasue when he was old enough to stand he would look out at us and smile
Congrats on your new addition - we were there just 3 short years ago. Remember what we had to constantly remember - they are not as fragile as we think! Enjoy your time together as a family and try to relax.
this and others are spot on. One thing we noticed with both our kids when they were infants is that they would wake with any light or noise during the night, and early in the morning at the 1st crack of dawn - so getting up to use the bathroom in the middle of the night could be a challenge. As well, they would get cold very quickly in the pack-and-play when the weather was cold outside; bring lots of blankets and warm pajammas for them, the trailer heater would keep them warm and happy, but we found the heater cycling on and off continuously all night would keep us awake. you may want to try a small electric blanket to lay under them - Bring lots of toys and baby friendly mosquito repellant and you'll have fun. With a newborn, sleep deprevity can be a challenge even in the comfort of home; in an rv if the baby is awake, both parents will be awake so it's hard to take turns for feeding etc. so don't plan too many stops and activities during the day...
Totally agree with that last comment - make sure you batten down the hatches before they go to sleep. We just took our 7 month old for the first time and everything worked really well -- except for the fact that we left our awning out and, in the middle of the night, you guessed it, the wind came up. The scene: so you have a couple of newbies out there dorking around with the massive awning trying desperately to keep the little one from waking, the dog barking, and pandemonium ensuing.
The blissful moment: Waking up in the morning only to find she slept through the night. No angry neighbor campers, no "let's just hook this thing up and get out of here" moments, just good stuff.
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