Camping with my 11-month old baby
The simple list (or shop here):
Tent (size: 3-4persons)
Crib
Playpen
Camping chair (2x adults, 1x child)
2x Cooler (one small for baby food/pouches, etc. and the other for adult food)
Clothes, diapers, wipes, etc.
Toys
Floor mat
Blanket
Baby-wearing carrier
If you want to dive deeper into the specific reasons behind our camping gear selections and discover our top recommendations, keep reading!
Tent
You’ll want something that you can stand in. That was the one non-negotiable feature when we switched from our old Marmot Limelight (3p) to our Snow Peak Alpha Breeze. Since we usually car camp (meaning we pack everything in the car versus camping in the car), we have enough space to bring a bigger tent.
Things I like to look for in a tent:
Tent size is 1 to 2 persons more than you want to fit. This is because we bring our bags inside. Plus, with a moving baby - we definitely want extra space for her to roam around.
Crib
We’ve had the Guava Travel Crib very early on when Isla was born. We used it as a bassinet downstairs and took it with us everywhere we went. Initially we bought it for our trip to Japan but luckily all the hotels we stayed at ended up having cribs.
The Guava fit very nicely in our tent with plenty room for our clothes and baby items! Plus, I love that the side zips down so you can reach the baby while lying down.
To keep her warm at night, we put a blanket about 3/4ths over her crib to keep any cold air out. I think Slumberpods could work if you had it already but I wouldn’t buy it specifically for camping. It seems like there would be a lack of airflow if you were camping in the heat.
Playpen
Since Isla can’t walk yet, we were thinking she needs a place to hang around while we need some hands-free time. This foldable playpen we found did just the trick! It packs up exactly like a camping chair and it even comes with a shade cover. We’ve started keeping this in the car as “just in case” when we visit friends/family. The only downside is the bottom is not padded at all, so you’ll need to add some blankets or other padding.
Camping Chair
We added this camping chair to the list of things to pack. It doubles as a high-chair and another place to set them down for some hands-free time. Isla was able to sit around the table and eat with us. We used this at home a few weeks prior to start getting her used to eating / sitting in there.
Cooler
If you’re packing food for yourselves, I’d recommend separating the baby food and adult food (especially if there’s any raw meats).
We have a Yeti Cooler 12 that our best friends got us as a baby shower gift. We’ve used that to keep breastmilk and formula cold on many trips while using these cooling packs. For camping, we used it to keep avocados, juice pouches, and bananas cool and out of the sun.
Floor Mat
We were thinking about a play area and in addition to the foldable playpen, we brought a foldable floor mat, similar to this. We thought we would put it on top of a tarp to let her have space to crawl around, but we ended up not using it. I’m not sure we would pack this as she gets older and can walk.
Baby-wearing Carrier
Our Baby Bjorn Carrier One stays in the car and I’m glad we didn’t take it out. There was a walking trail near our campsite and since we took out our stroller, we ended up using the carrier on the walk. I was also thinking as an emergency tactic if she had a hard time falling asleep, I would carry her/walk around until she fell asleep.
Overall
Given this was our first time camping since having Isla, I would say it went very well. She skipped one of her afternoon naps, which ended up being fine! It was too stuffy in the tent and probably too bright. The list will probably change over time as she grows and we need more or less of certain things.
