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How to Go Camping With a Baby

Patrick Nuhfer
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If you’re reading this, congrats for thinking about camping with your baby, rather than postponing that outdoor adventure for months, or even years! 

Let me jump to the conclusion of this post and tell you - yes, you should go camping with your baby! You’ll likely struggle a little (we’re going to eliminate as much of this as possible), but in the end, you’ll be really glad you got outside and shared something you love with your family!

When our kids were babies, we didn’t camp quite as often as we usually do, but when we did, we were always paying attention to ways to make it more enjoyable, less stressful, and overall easier! So let’s get right to it with 11 steps that will help you get out there and go camping with your baby.


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Start Small, Camp Local

Our first piece of advice when camping with a baby is to start small. Go somewhere you’re familiar with that’s a little closer to home, and pack for a few nights, knowing you may only stay for one. Head home early (shame-free!) if you want to, or need to, and remind yourself - altering your plan shows not a failure, but a strength in being adaptable. 

You’ll also want your first couple of camping trips with your baby to be in good weather. Not too hot, not too cold (including night time temps), and with no rain or high wind in the forecast. 

Once you feel more confident, you can stretch your wings a little more! Go further from home, camp during different temperature ranges, stay out longer. You’ll have tweaked your baby camping gear as needed by then - after a couple of practice runs - and be even better prepared for a longer trip.

Side Note - when our son was still in that cry-every-night-no-matter-what-we-do phase, we were thankful to be camping in a free dispersed spot with no one else around. We didn’t have to stress about his crying bothering others, and there was less noise to bother him (think kids running around with glow sticks, dogs barking, generators running, camping neighbors gathering around the campfire). But! If you aren’t already comfortable with off-grid camping’s lack of bathroom facilities and plug-in power, don’t make your first camping trip with a baby the time to learn.  

Have the Right Gear to Make It Easy

There’s a lot of baby camping gear out there. Some of it seems pretty gimmicky, some is necessary, some is expensive but worth it, some of it is helpful but not essential. 

Don’t buy it all! When preparing to go camping with a baby, keep these things in mind:

  • Your budget

  • If you will likely use your purchases for multiple (future) kids or nieces/nephews, etc

  • Baby will only be a baby for one or two camping seasons

  • What you already have at home that will work for camping

  • Whether or not you’re limited on space

This tip says to have the “right gear” to make it “easy”. You’ll have to decide what that means for you! 

We’re a truck camping family with very limited space, we don’t camp in developed campgrounds, and we move camp a lot. For us, “easy” means compact and quick to set up/tear down. We have a pop-up baby play yard, but not a bulky bouncer/activity center. There’s no reason for us to bring a stroller to primitive campsites, but we do bring a baby carrier.

“Easy” for you might mean bringing a lot of your full size gear from home, like your pack n’ play, bouncer, or stroller - especially if you have the room.

So, don’t just buy or bring things because they work for me or for your friend while camping with a baby. Think about your specific situation. Know how you intend to camp, how many uses you hope to get out of your purchases, how much space you can dedicate to baby camping gear, and how much money you anticipate spending.

Once you’ve wrapped your head around all that, head over to our post: Baby Camping Gear [60 Things to Make Camping With a Baby Easier]. It’s full of helpful ideas for gear options, depending how you camp and on your baby’s level of mobility.

Have Options for Sleeping

As you figure out what you need to pack in order to go camping with a baby, give special attention to how you will help your baby nap during the day and sleep at night. 

In our experience, we can get through any amount of hovering over the baby as he considers eating rocks, any amount of carrying and bouncing him as he whimpers, if we can all get that much needed break while he sleeps. 

Try to mirror your at-home routine as closely as possible. If baby is used to napping in a crib and you have room for a pack-n-play, bring it. If you think camping with baby will be made easier if he has a dark place to sleep, buy a blackout cover for that pack n’ play. If baby is used to sleeping on your chest, be sure you’ve got your favorite baby carrier or a comfortable hammock and that book you haven’t been able to get to! 

Is your baby used to white noise? Bring a battery operated sound machine! And of course, bring those lovies and pacis as necessary - we like to use these clips* to attach them to our little one to eliminate the number of times they hit the dirt. 

When you’re reading through our Baby Camping Gear [60 Things to Make Camping With a Baby Easier] post, look for the section all about helping your baby nap and sleep during the night - no matter the sleeping situation or temperature outside. You’ll find info on what baby should be wearing for different temperatures, ideas for keeping a crawling babe contained for a nap, even baby-specific sleeping bags!


Plan for the Elements

You won’t be comfortable unless you know your baby is comfortable. So when camping with a baby, plan for a little extra wind, sun, rain, chill, humidity than expected, just in case. There’s no need to expect all of those things in one trip, obviously (if there is, plan your camping trip for a different time!), but maybe it isn’t as cloudy as expected, or maybe the wind picks up for a bit.

Think about any reasonable scenarios and throw in what you’d need to keep your baby comfortable while camping. A few things to consider:

Worrying about your baby’s comfort or safety will be a real buzz kill on a camping trip. So plan accordingly in order to avoid that!


Simplify Your Meal Planning

This one is huge. When camping with a baby, you’re going to want to simplify your meal plan! And really, I almost always vote for a simple meal plan when camping because it gives everyone in the family more time to relax. 

Everything takes longer when you’re camping. Preparing meals, cooking meals, cleaning up after meals. If your breakfast, lunch, and dinner plans are on the more complex end, you might find both yourself and your partner oscillating between caring for the baby and cooking/cleaning up from cooking, with no time for anything else! No bueno. 

Camping is about playing by the creek, sitting in the hammock, reading a book, going on a hike. So don’t create a never ending to-do list for yourself by overcomplicating meals. Over the years, we’ve created quite a few camping meal guides to help you with this exact thing. Start with our most popular ‘60 Meals’ post, and if you still need ideas, move on to the others:

Once you’ve got your simple meal plan created, do as much prep work at home as you can! It’s sometimes a little stressful to pre-cook, pre-chop, etc, while trying to pack for camping, but I promise, it’s always worth the pre-effort!

As far as feeding your baby while camping, you know how to do that depending on his or her age and preferences. Just remember - simplify! Lean into those handy choices.

If you’re exclusively breastfeeding, it doesn’t get much easier than that (as far as packing goes!). Just make sure you have a comfy camp chair for nursing. 


Get (and Stay) Organized

You’ve figured out all your most important gear for camping with baby, gathered up a few go-to toys, prepared easy snacks, packed up necessary clothing layers, bought sunscreen, baby-safe bug spray, knee pads, etc., etc., etc. Plus, every other family member has all of their gear, too! That’s a lot.

Now, you’ve got to get it organized in a way that’ll make it quick and easy for you to access so you can spend time with your baby rather than spend time getting things for your baby.

Generally, don’t shove. You may do some shoving to get the things in your vehicle in order to just get out the door, but once at camp, un-shove and settle in. Everything should have a place!

Also, make sure you aren’t the keeper of all gear. You may be the one to set up the organization, but your partner and any older kids should know where things are found (and where they go when they’re done with them!).

We see so much value in staying organized that we’ve got a couple posts all about this! Although they don’t specifically apply to baby gear, the advice still works. So if you agree that you should organize at camp in an effort to keep things simple, but want more help on how to do that, start here:

Be Flexible, but not too flexible

We’ve got a second tip related to your baby’s sleep while in the great outdoors, because sleep, or lack there of, is that important!

You might find that your baby falls into a different rhythm while camping than while at home. Maybe he’ll take longer to settle for a nap due to a different sleep environment, maybe he usually doesn’t share a room with a sibling but is now in the same space with someone else, maybe sunrise will signal the start of the day, maybe the temperature isn’t quite perfect. Whatever the case might be, your baby’s schedule will likely shift. 

So our big tip is this: Be flexible, but don’t let all sense of a schedule or structure go out the window. An over-tired baby does not make a happy camper!

If, at home, your little one is typically awake for about 3 hour stretches, stick with that. If she’s up with the rooster on your first morning at camp, maybe her first nap is after breakfast instead of at lunchtime. Maybe she ends up taking an extra evening nap, or maybe an earlier or later bedtime happens. 

If you’re able to pay attention to those wake cycles, everything will fall into a new normal for the duration of your camping trip with your baby. And most likely, your wee one will get right back on track once home.


Relax About the Mess

When camping with a baby, or any aged kid really, lean into your inner child and relax about the mess. A little dirt on the dropped piece of toast is probably okay. Rinse off that apple that hit the ground and hand it back. Bring on the baby wipes for a periodic clean up of the face.

Sure, you’ll still want to wash those baby hands before they feed themselves and try to keep them from rubbing dirt into their own eyes, but, try to embrace the great outdoors.

As far as clothing, pack clothes you don’t care much about. Look for things that are already stained, or that your baby is about to outgrow anyway. And don’t plan to keep changing your baby’s outfit when it gets a little dirty. 

After a full day playing outside, you might like your baby to get some form of a bath before bed. Think creatively and plan for this when you’re packing everything up. We’ve used our pop up camping sink* as a bathtub. You may have room for a larger Rubbermaid to serve as a make-shift bathtub, or maybe you just do more of a sponge bath with some warm water or baby wipes. 

Pro Tip: Dr. Bronners Unscented Castile Soap* is our go-to for baby’s bath time because it rinses off skin easily and it’s biodegradable.


Take Time for Yourself 

Sure, camping with your baby is about the baby, but it’s about you too, right? You aren’t taking this camping trip just so your tiny baby has a great weekend (although we hope he does!); you’re taking this camping trip because it’s something you enjoy doing. So remember that, and take some time for yourself, away from the baby. 

How to do this? Try some of these things:

  • Don’t wait for Me Time to find you, because it won’t. Trade the favor with your partner of each being able to step away for awhile, while the other one steps up to the plate. Ask for it, prioritize it, plan for it!

  • Know what you want to do and get excited about it, that way you both make it happen! Plan for a solo walk, or to read a book in the hammock, or to play your guitar, maybe even while enjoying your coffee before it gets too cold or a beer before it gets too warm!

  • Don’t overschedule your camping trip with activity. Between too many planned activities and regular adult responsibilities, you won’t get those moments to slip away and relax.

  • If you’re the only adult around, be sure to take advantage of those naps and early bedtimes to rejuvenate!

Taking some time for yourself will be especially important if your baby is feeling crabby or requires more nursing than normal or keeps eating dirt or won’t nap or, well, you get it. A little rejuvenation can go a long way! You want to go home feeling filled up, and so does your partner. You’ll be a better parent and partner for it! 


Have Realistic Expectations

Realistic expectations. I feel like this is just really solid life advice, and something I have to remind myself of frequently - especially when camping with a baby. 

Have realistic expectations of how your baby might act. Being outdoors all day, doing new and stimulating activities, having different sleeping and eating times - that’s a lot for a little one! Embrace those giggles and smiles, and expect some extra crabbiness, given all the new that’s going on in their world.

And have realistic expectations of what the camping trip might look like for you. Chances are, you’re going to have to be more engaged and vigilant as compared to when you’re chilling at home, and it might get a little fatiguing. Wrapping your head around that before unloading at your campsite can go a long way - or at least it does for me! (But also, don’t let this stress you out, because, remember Tip #9? You’re going to grab some time for yourself too!)


Take Notes on Changes to Make for Next Time

While you’re camping with your baby, you’ll likely think of things you wish you’d brought along. Have a sticky note or running list somewhere handy so you can jot things down as they come to you. When you’re on your way home or soon after you get home, add anything else you can think of to the list. This will help refine your baby camping gear and take the guesswork out of packing when you head out next time!  

There you go - 11 steps for making camping with a baby easier! We hope these ideas encourage you, give you confidence, and help you feel excited to get out there and enjoy your time outdoors with your little one!



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