[Closed] Babies - How old until you can go (fair weather) Camping?

2 years!

took our 5 month old to a cold church hall for indoor camping in feb. he was fine. We got him a little sleeping bag!

Not sure how popular you'd be at a campsite with a baby that starts screaming at regular intervals during the night... Having to sterilise everything would also be a pain.

Not done it, but I'd wait til baby's crawling at least.

I dont think there is a statutory age limit. 😆

We took one camping at 9 months and was fine. Other one was 14 months and she was great and loved it.

Until the grand parents start revolting about looking after them whilst you're away camping 🙂

We took ours at about 9 months, but he was born in the summer so that was realistically the earliest date it was practical.

I've seen really tiny babies in campsites before now in good weather. As long as they've got plenty of warm clothes and bedding I can't see the problem.

Took my youngest across to France camping at 6months, biggest issue is the amount of space they can take up. We had a great little fold up travel cot so he couldnt roll away through the night but still takes up a fair bit of space.

as young as you are comfortable with i think. As mentioned above though, if your child doesnt sleep through the night, i dont think anyone else would be too pleased though.

If anything, going away with a younger one is probably easier, as mum carries all the food 😉 If you are using bottles and sterlising, i would imagine it would be a nightmare though.

did 6 days in Glen Gary when my boy was 6 weeks old... it was fine, take cold sterilising bags if needed, Breast feeding is way easier of course, no cleaning or sterilising to do...

Went with the youngest @ 12 weeks for a couple of nights, being the 3rd boy we weren't so worried. He was actually the best behaved of the bunch (3 families, 8 feral children).

We're lucky in that we have a 6m Motorhome, but we have been away since the wee fella was a few weeks old. For sterilising use a Tupperware style box with Milton stuff. You can bath a baby in a 99p bucket from Tesco.

He was born at the end of January and we did a couple weekends towards the end of March and a longer trip at Easter. We managed a 5 week trip to the Alps in the summer. As long as he's fed, warm and loved he's happy.

My eledest was 6 weeks when we went and he was not the youngets in the campsite 😯

TBH it is other people you need to think of ...not like you will sleep where ever you are 🙂

Not done it, but I'd wait til baby's crawling at least.

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

They are actually less hard work before they start crawling.

Once our son started crawling he was everywhere...

They are actually less hard work before they start crawling.

I don't doubt it, I meant more from the point of view of having to sterilise everything, once they're crawling and sticking any and everything into their mouths it's obviously a waste of time.

[i]if your child doesnt sleep through the night, i dont think anyone else would be too pleased though. [/i]

does waking up at 4:30 every morning when we're camping 'cos it's light and light = time to get up count as 'sleeping through the night'?

We were always knackered by lunchtime 🙁

And then we made an inner tent out of blackout material 🙂

I meant more from the point of view of having to sterilise everything

Why sterilise?
I've been told that is what breasts are for*
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* Allegedly

Sterilising bags are brilliant

http://www.boots.com/en/Boots-Disposable-Steriliser-Bags-7Pack_25755/

Just fill with water and pop in a days worth of bottles before bed and everything is ready in the morning.

They are great for any kind of holiday, not just camping.

Have to say last time on a camp site I didn't appreciate people in the next door tent bringing a small baby that definitely did not sleep through the night as well as a toddler that was running riot and trying to open up other people's tents in the morning!

My nephew number one was fine, he's a pretty placid sort but number two is a livewire who never slept more than 3 hours at a time until he was 2, so it was a no-go with him.

LOL... sorry about that misspanda.. was probably us with our first.. 😳

and it's time for round two.. our latest addition will be ten weeks when we take him down to Newquay in May..

@ misspanda ear plugs and eye mask are your friends on camping trips... also does away with the need for making a inner light proof tent. 😉

I didn't appreciate people in the next door tent bringing a small baby that definitely did not sleep through the night as well as a toddler that was running riot and trying to open up other people's tents in the morning!

You really need to put up with a bit of noise from babies/kids on campsites TBH, you can't always instantly stop them crying and you obviously can't get them out of earshot of others easily

I'm sure TJ has an opinion on this though 🙂

Have to say last time on a camp site I didn't appreciate people in the next door tent bringing a small baby that definitely did not sleep through the night

....not as bad a 25 stone northern bloke in the tent next door snoring all night!! (south of france last year).

Thanks for the advice, I suppose with a bit of common sense we should be fine in a couple of months or so (1.5 months now). Great tip with the steriliser bags too, not come across them yet.

Fortunately we have a massive tent, so we can use the other bed room as a changing station and somewhere to park the 4 metric tonnes of paraphernalia that babies need to be surrounded by!

we washed him in the site shower so no need to take the bath, I think all our boys stuff fitted into a big tesco bag for life, plus his travel cot, all in took up a lot less space than our stuff...

I think I was 10 weeks on my 1st camping trip. I'd just had my 1st jabs.

we took our daughter away for a week to Kintyre when she was four months old. she was always a good sleeper however.

Inside 4 months, was lucky as it was the very hot summer in 2006, sea breeze in Northumberland was great.

2mths and a fortnight camping in Morzine at 3mths (she slept through the night by 6 or 7 weeks tho, as all mine do)

I have a 15month old son, and would love to take him camping soon - I was planning May/June time.

What kind of temperature should it be outside, and what kind of kit do you need? My son is in a sleeping bag in his cot right now, but he rolls around all over the place. I'd be scared if I was sleeping beside him, that he would roll right into me, and I could squash him...

We only have a small tent, and I don't think it would fit the travel cot.

Any advice gratefully received. 😀

As some have said, it's the noise thing. If they don't sleep and are crying through the night don't inflict them on someone else.

My friends took their daughter with us on summer camping trips when she was about 6 months---of course they looked like the pioneers on the Oregon Trail with all the stuff they brought along. It does require the adults being very attentive and someone having an eye on the kid's location all the time, especially in areas near water, cliffs, etc.---sort of a designated kid-watcher taking shifts.

I was 9 weeks when I first went camping (early 70's).
My daughter had her first go at 3 weeks old, though only overnight. Used an appropriate sized cardboard box instead of a cot.
She knows she has to beat that when she has kids.

I was 9 weeks when I first went camping (early 70's).

The 70's don't count 😆

Had to rummage through photos to check -- looks like youngest was camping at eight weeks, sleeping in a carrycot.

We took our first at 7 months (New Forest in early summer). It was great - totally weaned my missus off the need to sterilise everything, as the first thing the nipper did was crawl out of the tent and tuck into a large handful of leaf mould!! 😆

So long as you make sure they're warm enough at night they'll be fine.

My only 'fear' is worrying about him getting up and going exploring/wandering around if I fall asleep.

Cycle toured Ireland when our daughter was nine weeks, babies are pretty robust...

As above.

My only top tip would be to do a test run at a local campsite first. That way if it all goes wrong you can jump in the car and drive home. We've never needed to bail out, but some friends have and Mrs trb was much less stressed knowing she had an escape plan and it was a 10 minute drive home.

Choose a family campsite and pitch up next another family with young kids.

Our little one was about 10 or 11 weeks old the first time we took her camping. It did get cold enough to worry me (somewhere between 2 and 4 degrees the first night), but she seemed happy. She was in a carry cot which we put on bubble wrap, and then wrapped her up warm. The one thing we learnt is that we needed to keep her warm whilst getting her ready for bed (not so much of a problem now that she is in one of those sleeping bag things), but at the time, she was undressed and put in her night clothes, then into a bed that wasn't warm immediately, so she got the grumps. Lesson learnt for the 2nd night!
As trb says, maybe try somewhere near first? We went to the Lakes, which is about a 2 hour drive from home, and I didn't drink, figuring if needed we could up sticks and either find a hotel, or come home and I could go back for the tent the following day. We also went with friends who have been camping with their little ones since an early age, for a bit of moral support!
In all honesty, the dog was more of a problem than the baby (her first time camping in a big tent with "rooms"). Babys are pretty robust really.
If you are near home, what's the worst that happens? You have to abandon and try again another time.
(And I'm pleased to see others have camped with ones as young as mine - I did get rather sick of some of the comments made to us on the campsite)

My only 'fear' is worrying about him getting up and going exploring/wandering around if I fall asleep.

Most tents have double zip pulls, just make sure they're both at the top of the doors.