Want to take your baby camping? We started taking our little ones around 7 months to a local spot for the weekend just to get us out of the house and enjoy the outdoors. It’s not the easiest trip but with a few essential (and easy to forget) items you can make it work. Here is a list of items you might not think of while camping with a baby.
What to bring when camping with a baby
Quick List:
- Large Play Pen
- Bottle Warmer and Power Source
- Hiking Backpack/Carrier
- Outdoor Picnic Blanket
- Camping Heater
Expanded List:
1. Play Pen, Play Yard, Pack N Play covered with mosquito net
→ We Recommend: Joovy Room 2 (large) or BabyTrend Nursery Center
Having a safe place for your child to sleep or just hang out away from the critters and bugs is required. When camping we drape a mosquito net from Amazon over the top of our Pack N Play and secured it with clothespins. Bring the one from home or pick up a large playpen for your little one to scoot around in.
2. Bottle Warmer and a way to power it when camping
→ We Recommend: Jackery Power Station and a Low-Wattage Bottle Warmer
On our first camping trip we heated bottles in a pot of warm water over the stove. Needless to say it sucked leaving the warm tent at 2am. The next trip I brought along our electric bottle warmer and plugged it into the truck. This worked — but even better is a Portable Power Station. Make sure to check the wattage on your warmer so that it doesn’t exceed your power source. We highly recommend the Jackery Power Station and Low-Wattage Bottle Warmer.
3. Hiking Baby/Toddler Carrier Backpack for camping and hiking
→ We Recommend: Luvdbaby Premium Baby Backpack Carrier
We own the Evenflo Snugli kids hiking backpack but it’s no longer available. Our friends own the Luvdbaby Premium Baby Backpack Carrier for Hiking with Kids and highly recommend it. Compared to the more expensive options this seems to be a good value at $170 on Amazon. Even if you don’t plan to do a lot of serious hiking, short walks in the forest can be a pain with a little one. You can also set it down on a table or floor and your little one can’t go anywhere while eat lunch or hydrate.
4. Outdoor Picnic Blanket for camping
→ We Recommend: Angemay Outdoor & Picnic Blanket
Having an area for you and your kid to sit down and play is key. You want something you can rinse off and clean easily. This blanket has been huge for camping and picnics. Only downfall is sand easily gathers on the edges but it’s easy to sweep off. I love being able to wipe this down or wash it. You can get it around $20 at Amazon which makes it a no-brainer since it’s so useful for everything — not just camping.
5. Camping Heater
→ We Recommend: Mr. Heater Buddy
Waking up all throughout the night to feed or change the baby can make for a miserable cold time. Make it less miserable by firing up the heater every time. Also helps to warm the tent before bedtime and when you wake up in the morning to get ready. At around $70 for the Mr. Heater Buddy it’s a luxury I’d rather not be without when taking the kids camping. We don’t recommend running this while sleeping.
More gear for camping with babies
We strive to make camping with kids and babies easier for the whole family. If there are any items you think we should add to the list let us know in the comments below!
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