Camping with a baby/toddler - What you need beyond the usual
When you're researching what you need when camping with a baby or toddler, all the camping blogs tell you the same things:
- Portable cot, or some DYI bed for the baby to sleep in safely
- Camping chair, ideally with a table that comes off
- Mosquito net, something that fits over the pram, cot, or baby pen
- "All terrain" pram
- Baby Carrier or backpack
- Feeding gear, however you feed your baby
Some add things like baby bouncers, shade, a way to cool the baby or toddler or a way to keep them warm.
I'm not going to do that, here's the other stuff we have found helpful:
- YOUR Camp Chair
- Picnic Blanket or Mat
We put a mat over the top of our drop sheets, it keeps things a little bit cleaner for the baby/toddler to play on. And easier the clean when they drop food!
- Collapsable Laundry Hamper
Ideal when you don't have a shower block or there is a line out the door and you're close to having a tantrum (the kid not you, but also maybe you?!). So convenient and a fun, relaxing way to bring the day to an end.
- "Camping Trolley" aka The Space Invader
They're big and take up a bunch of room, but they are handy in more ways than one. When the pram can't handle the terrain this thing usually can. We used it a lot camping on K'Gari to take the rubbish to the dumping area, or for a walk when one parent was trying to pack/unpack/cook/... you name it. It's also a great little space for the kid to play that is off the ground.
- Thermos!
If you're bottle feeding the baby, then a good thermos is ideal. Don't worry about the bottle warmers. Just heat a bunch of water for the bedtime bottle and fill it up. We pre-fill the other bottles with the cold water so mixing over night is easier.
We definitely still over pack, you take a baby carrier with you and never use it. Or the pram is useless 90% of the time because the terrain, no matter how "all terrain" the pram is, is just too much for it to handle.
Camping with a baby vs. a toddler is so different but what you need is still pretty similar. Each trip poses a different set of challenges, adapting is key! I hope this helps, let us know if there is anything else you couldn't travel without. We're always looking at how to reduce the "stuff", maximise space, and get our weight down!
