Now that baby is finally here and you’re enjoying your maternity/paternity leave, you might be hearing the call of the wild with twinges to return to the woods. As an avid hiker or camper, you probably want to bring your baby out the trails with you to benefit from all the wonder that nature has to provide.
However, sometimes the call of the wild can be silenced with the incredibly common concern of age. Many parents worry that their infant is too young to go camping while wondering when they’ll finally be old enough.
When Can Baby Go Camping?
The answer to that question doesn’t actually involve your baby’s age. Your baby is ready to go camping whenever you are. Just make sure you have physically recovered from giving birth, which takes an average of six to eight weeks.
Once you feel ready to return to your favorite campsite, there’s no reason not to bring baby along. In fact, it can actually be easier to take an infant camping than a toddler because it involves less work. Although, keep in mind camping with your children at any age is an extremely rewarding, bonding experience.
Infants are less mobile than toddlers, therefore easier to keep an eye on. You will most likely not turn around to find them rolling in or eating dirt. With a toddler, it’s good to bring a playpen for them to hang out in, but you don’t need to pack one for an infant.
Depending on how your baby sleeps, you may not have to bring a bed or sleeping pad either. Some babies are happy campers in their own car seats and have no problem taking naps or sleeping through the night. Just remember to bring your baby’s favorite item associated with sleep such as their favorite blanket or plush to comfort them.
If your baby is still breastfeeding then you have fewer snacks and meals to worry about. Simply feed your baby according to his/her regular schedule. Be sure to have distilled water to clean your breast pump and bottles if you use these items during your trip.
Babies are also very easy to entertain on camping trips. While you may get to interact more with your toddler and play games, infants are happy simply soaking in the environment. They like to look up at swaying branches and enjoy the scenery during hikes and canoe trips.
Tips For Baby’s First Trip
Once you’re ready to take baby with you on camping adventures remember these important tips for their first trip:
- Start off small. You don’t want to overdo it during your baby’s first camping trip. Don’t fill your days up with too many activities. Let your baby peacefully adjust to their new environment and try to stick to their regular nap routine.
- Bring layers to prevent your baby from getting too hot or cold during the trip as the temperatures rise during the day and suddenly drop during the night. Give your baby a bath during to day to prevent it from getting too cold at night and stay shaded and hydrated during extremely hot afternoons.
- It’s okay to call it quits. If you need to pack up and leave in the middle of the night, don’t worry about it. Go home and do what’s best for your baby. You can learn from what went wrong to better prepare for next time.
- Be prepared for extra work. You have more stuff to carry than usual, plus a baby to take care of. Carrying extra supplies and caring for an infant can be exhausting. Give yourself extra time to for each activity and invite a relative or friend along on the trip to help.
- Remember to take care of yourself. If you become dehydrated, hangry, or sick then your trip could become a disaster. Drink enough water, bring enough snacks, and take advantage of breaks.
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Happy Trails
As long as you feel ready to get back to your tent, then your baby is ready to go to. Babies and toddlers love camping, so the sooner they can start, the better. It’s a relaxing yet exciting adventure for the whole family and you’ll enjoy seeing your children appreciate nature for same reasons you do.
Allison Barfield
Allison Barfield began blogging after receiving her Media Arts degree from the University of South Carolina and quickly followed the call of the mountains to Asheville, North Carolina, where she fully embraced hiking, nature, and landscape photography.
Currently, her writing for Aeroflow Breastpumps includes advocating for and helping breastfeeding women through the means of education and helpful tips, including a variety of articles on how to successfully introduce baby to the great outdoors.
When Allison isn’t writing and can’t play outside, you can find her indulging in her coffee addiction as a Netflix enthusiast or totally nerding out with a video game.
Awesome post. Though I didn’t do camping we started our travels pretty early. As you say it was pretty easy to deal with our baby when she was just breastfeeding and not very mobile. Now we require lot more planning!
Omg, that is a cute idea and thanks a lot for the inspiration – am definitely going to try this as my 2-year-old son loves travelling and being out in nature.
There is just so much noise and misinformation around baby care these days so I especially loved your straightforward tip “Your baby is ready to go camping whenever you are.” Thanks for sharing this.
Aww this is the cutest idea ever! These are some great tips for (new) parents and now I kinda wish my parents took me camping more when I was little.
I never thought babies could go camping too! Sounds so exciting. Sharing your post with all my toddler-mommy friends!
I have never done camping with baby but I would admit that from a very young age it should have been started. Taking young babies is a great idea as they will love to remain more time outdoors, getting adjusted to all temperatures, noise, and harsh surroundings. Yes, you are correct that during baby camping, we may have to pack up early according to his/her mood swings.
Great tips for any kind of travel but I think people are more hesitant with camping. There was just so much to take with a baby but you’re right that it’s easier than a toddler. If you enjoy it, baby will too!
This is a very insightful post and a great eye opener for people who think you can’t go for camping with babies. You’ve shared some real reasons for taking babies for camping and helpful tips to sustain that experience. I think a lot of my friends need these suggestions. I’ll be sharing it with them.
We never took our son camping when he was a baby, but I got some great tips here. We took him the first time when he was around 2. I remember he liked to climb into my sleeping bag towards the morning time. What a memory that I will never forget!
Being exposed in nature is the best way to learn about life! I’m glad that our parents always bring us in different places when we were young. I plan to have camping trips with my future children as well.
Wish I had access to this earlier đŸ™‚ We did travel with the baby but no camping, really!
This post is interesting. I don’t have a child of my own but just thinking about carrying a baby with me to go camping is quite challenging. This article though has got me to thinking “why not?”. As you’ve pointed out, whenever the parents are ready, the baby will be ready.
I love camping, this is such a good blog post. I’ll have to keep it in mind if/when I ever have a child.
These are some really great tips! This summer my wife and I took our grandchildren on their very first camping trip and it was interesting, to say the least! I believe the fresh air and some old school fun did them good.
Wow, Granda Pa for the win. How old are they?
We took our daughters camping a few years ago. For the most part it was fun, but it rained for the first two days which was not pleasant.
Oh no!! Did the kids get to play in the rain or were y’all stuck in the tent?
Great tips. I never tried camping with a baby but if I did I could see using the car seat for him to sleep in and not needing a bed. Sounds like you are ready!
You did a great job of showing people that a newborn can be taken camping with this article! Thank you for your useful tips. I agree this seems like a great experience to have as a family.
It definitely helps to bond away from screens. Families don’t need wifi to learn and grow together. Nature really plays a role in natural development.
I wouldn’t have thought that taking a newborn camping was actually feasible but after reading this post I’ve changed my mind! Such a great experience to have as a family
Are you going to take your baby on a trip this fall? Leaf season is almost here!
These are such great tips! I know a few new moms I’m going to share this with!
That’s exciting! I hope they have a great time.
I honestly wouldn’t have thought to take a newborn out camping, but this post is really encouraging and presents a lot of great points! I’m sure it’s a rewarding experience for mother and baby and allows for good bonding time too!
It’s great to unplug in nature with baby. Seeing how they react to the scenery is really neat.
Infact children love the outdoors, clean fresh air while looking around arouses their curiosity. Being a preschool teacher I encourage parents to take out door excursions and let toddlers explore. Thanks loved your post.
I loved it when my teachers had outdoor activities. My fondest school memories involved nature.
It’s so active of you to consider going for camping with a young baby…I don’t think I would. But the tips are as awesome. I’ll agree that one has to be prepared for a lot of work! And that is what will scare me!
Parents definitely have to be ready themselves!
Really great tips. I believe that you should be overly prepared when you are going camping then to be under.
Especially for baby!!
I prefer taking an older child that can walk and listen to instruction, than a brand new baby still building up their immune system. It’s just more work and family bonding should be fun and not exhausting. To each their own, of course.
It’s certainly up to the parent’s personal preference! How old were your kids when they were first introduced to camping?
This is such a ‘feel-good’ blog. Me and my husband love to hike and after reading this post, I feel positive about hiking with our baby, when we have one. Thankyou for sharing this.
Best wishes for future hiking adventures with your little bundle of joy!
I agree with you. I started to take my children to excursions and camping when they were about 6 months old. Time spent in nature is healthy for the whole family.
That’s great! Did everything go smoothly or did you face a few hiccups during their first few trips?