The complete guide to camping with a baby (or toddler)

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For those of us who love camping, parenthood can bring about some serious apprehension. What will it be like to camp with a baby? How (and where) will my baby sleep while camping? What should be on my camping with a baby checklist? There are so many questions about how having a baby or toddler will affect camping, and I’m here to tell you, camping with a baby is probably easier than you think. 

Psst! If you’re pretty new camping in general, read this post that covers everything you need to know about learning how to camp. 

Read on for everything you need to know about camping with a baby or toddler: how to make the most of camping with your baby/toddler, how to sleep with your baby while camping, the checklist you need for camping with a baby/toddler, and more.

When can you camp with a baby?

First things first: You’ve had your baby, and you’re wondering, when can I camp with a baby? While my first camping trip with my son was when he was a bit older, at around 8 months old, many families successfully camp with newborns. By that I mean babies as young as a few weeks old. 

When Nico was a few weeks old, our outside time looked more like this (our backyard). He was also born in September. We probably would have camped sooner if he was born in the spring.

Now, a lot of what impacts your decision as to when you’ll camp with your baby will be related to your personal situation: what month your baby was born, how rapidly (or slowly) you are able to recover from childbirth, your energy level, and more. But you CAN camp very early on, and in some ways, it’s easier at that time, because very young babies mostly just sleep. And they can sleep anywhere.

I think the sweet spot for camping with a baby would be between 4-7 months, before they’re too mobile but when they’re a little more alert and you’re a little better adjusted to parenting. But truly, you can camp at any time with your baby.

Where should your baby sleep when camping?

One of the biggest questions is about where your baby will sleep while camping. You will need to figure out the baby camping bed situation. Safe sleep is always a concern, and it can feel stressful to take your baby out of their typical sleeping environment (like, will they sleep well or at all somewhere new? One never knows).

The safest option for sleep is the pack-and-play. It’s a portable crib that you can bring anywhere, including into your tent! However, you will need a sizable tent to make this a comfortable option. 

We have a 6-person, tall tent. This is what we wanted so we would have ample space. We are easily able to fit our pack-and-play inside.

Another option for sleeping babies while camping is to use a tent within your tent. The KidCo Pea Pod is a popular option, but can only be used for children 6+ months old.

Once your baby becomes a toddler, camping sleep options are easier. Air mattress (after 15 months), foam pads, futons, etc are all options that you can explore once you don’t need your child safely contained. 

Remember: infants under 15 months old should never sleep on an air mattress due to suffocation risk. Young children/babies need their own, safe, contained sleeping area while camping. Whatever baby sleeping option you go with for camping, be sure to read the instructions and safety manual!

Naps for babies or toddlers while camping

The way I see it, there are two main options for naps while camping with a baby: either you plan your activities around nap time and put the baby down in the tent, or you do naps on the go.

On this particular hike, Nico (9 months old) slept an insane amount, somewhere between 4-5 hours. Best trail nap ever.

For us, napping on the go proved to be the best option. Our son was never good at napping independently, but did amazing napping in the hiking carrier or in the Ergo carrier. For example, we once posted up at a lakeside beach, rocked him to sleep in the Ergo carrier, and then sat in our lounge chairs and relaxed.

If your baby is good at crib naps, it might be nice to have one of the naps of the day in the crib to allow you some time to relax in your campsite. Having your baby’s sleep environment be as similar to your home sleep environment can help.

Feeding a baby while camping

Breastfeeding a baby while camping

When babies are 6 months and younger, you’ll be feeding them breastmilk or formula as usual. For breastfed babies, this should be super easy. Find a good bench or log to nurse on and you’re good to go!

Nursing Nico on a rock off the trail.

Pumping for a baby while camping

For pumping mothers, this will be more complicated. You’ll want to bring a manual pump or an external charging battery for an electric pump. You’ll also want a separate cooler just for breastmilk, and to use your pumped milk within 24 hours.

Washing pump parts may be tricky depending on what type of campsite you’re at. I’d recommend choosing a campsite that at minimum has running water, and preferably one with sinks to make your life easier. Make sure you check the facilities descriptions of your chosen campground so you know what you’ll need to bring.

Having collapsible bins for dish washing would be very helpful. Be sure to bring biodegradable soap, your bottle brushes, and a drying rack.

Solid foods for a baby or toddler while camping

If you’re feeding your baby solids (or camping with a toddler), my best advice is to simplify food. The last thing you want is to be stressed about what your child is eating while camping.

First, my biggest hack is to cook in advance of your trip, for at least one or two of your meals.

Make things that taste great reheated. Some of our favorites are tacos (precook whatever meat you like, we love carnitas), homemade spaghetti sauce, chili, and meatloaf (sounds strange but trust me it’s great while camping!).

Other great options are stews or soups, sauce-centric dishes (like lentil curry, or chicken cacciatore, for example) because these reheat well. This will seriously reduce your stress about feeding your baby when camping.

Corn on the cob is a great baby food hack. Chances are they will love it and it will take them a (relatively) long time to enjoy it.

Secondly, pack many snacks that are easy for your baby or toddler to eat on the trail. For us, this looks like pouches, which we rarely offer at home, finger foods like berries, banana and peanut butter, baby oats, and puffs. That way you always have something on hand for your baby to eat whenever s/he’s hungry.

Finally, make sure you have a chair for your baby or toddler to eat in while camping. You don’t want to be stuck holding your child for every meal. Plus, you can pop them in their chair for a snack while you prepare dinner, provided you’re able to keep a close eye on your baby. Win-win!

Having a high chair while camping with a baby definitely makes life easier.

What should a baby wear while camping?

What your baby wears while camping will depend on what time of year you go and the climate of your camping area (obviously). But in general, a lot of us prefer to camp in the summer. So what should your baby wear for summer camping?

First, consider if your baby can wear sunscreen. The recommendation is that you should not apply sunscreen to babies under 6 months old. Even still, the sun can be very powerful and easily damage young children’s skin.

I recommend keeping your baby in lightweight wool outfits with long sleeves when hiking. Wool naturally offers sun protection, and will help regulate your baby’s temperature in the heat. I love WeeWoolies pajamas or Let’s Go Iksplor’s two piece wool sets (the adventure onesie is too hot when the weather is very warm).

I adore the bright colors of Iksplor’s wool base layers. Can you resist this cuteness?!

Wool is expensive, though. If wool is not an option, consider a lightweight bamboo onesie that will wick moisture and cover baby’s skin.

Next, cover your baby’s face with a sun hat, preferably one that has a neck cover as well. Minimizing direct contact with the sun will help your baby stay comfortable.

It also depends on what you’re doing. Here, he was very comfortable in his overalls and bamboo onesie while we chilled by the lakeside. The overalls are a great tip to keep your baby’s clothing cleaner while still allowing them to explore. And overalls are thick so they won’t rip as baby crawls around!

At night, depending on how cold the weather is, there are a few different options for what your baby should wear to sleep in while camping. 

1. You can put a fleece layer on top of the base layer if needed, or simply use your wool or bamboo base layer.
2. For blankets, you can use your normal sleep sack in warmer weather or a baby safe sleeping bag in cooler weather. Make sure your child is old enough for these options by checking age restrictions. My sleep sack is rated for babies 2 months and older, and my sleeping bag is rated for 6+ months. 
3. Check baby’s temperature when s/he wakes at night by touching the back of the neck. If it’s sweaty, remove a layer. If it’s cold, add one. If it’s warm but not sweaty, this is probably about right.If you’re camping in cool or cold weather, I’d utilize the same base layer, or keep baby in the Iksplor adventure zippy, and add wool socks, a fleece bunting, and a down bunting if it’s really cold. You can add in insulated boots, a warm hat, and mittens if needed. I also always like to have rain gear for my kids for when the days are wet.

Activities for camping with a baby or toddler

So, what kinds of activities can you do while camping with a baby or a toddler? 

Hiking is probably one of the easiest options

Many babies and toddlers are happy to sit in a comfortable carrier and take in the sights as you walk. We like to plan for our son to nap in the carrier, so planning to hike at nap time can be a good strategy. Beware though that your napping child may wake up if you stop walking! 

The farthest we’ve hiked with our son is about 8 miles round trip and I probably wouldn’t do much more than that. For one, it’s a lot of weight and work to lug your child around! And also, your baby or toddler may not want to spend the entire day in the pack (although parents certainly do go farther). It will depend on your comfort and your baby or toddler’s personality.

This was a gorgeous but tough trail (Maple Pass Loop). Thankfully Nico had a great time and napped a huge chunk of it.

Beach time

Another favorite camping activity is hanging out on a beach with a picnic blanket. Bring some toys, and keep a close eye on your baby to ensure they don’t put anything dangerous in their mouth if they are at that age. 

Beach chillin’ at Lake Wenatchee

Water activities while camping with baby

Water activities are more limited when camping with a baby or toddler. You can try a swim if the water is warm enough, and hold your baby or toddler in your arms. But at least where we are, the water is way too cold for that! Motorized boat trips can also be fun with a baby or toddler, but ensure you follow safety protocols. Kayaking, canoeing, and SUPing are all activities that I would wait until my child is older to do. At this point, we haven’t done them. I’ll update this post when we try them.

Bike rides with your baby or toddler

Bicycling can be a wonderful activity with your baby or toddler while camping, provided they are old enough for whatever trailer or seat you have. You’ll need a child seat or trailer on your bike. Trailers are recommended as they are safer and roomier for your child. Our son has enjoyed our bike rides and often falls asleep in his trailer, but not always.

Pro tip: if your baby or toddler is cranky in the trailer, try putting some music on in the space behind the trailer. This works like magic for us! 

As always, be sure to check the safety guidelines for whatever child carrying bike accessory you purchase, and follow the instructions.

Hammock swinging

Hammock time can be a fun activity for short time periods. Our son gets a kick out of cuddling and swinging in the hammock, especially with a toy or two involved.

A hammock: by no means is it a “must have” item for camping, but by all means it is a really nice little luxury.

Snow play

And finally, if you’re camping where there is snow (we have not done this and probably will not, we don’t fancy camping in freezing temperatures. But there are some really awesome hardcore parents who do!) you can enjoy snow play with your baby while camping. 

Thoroughly enjoying a snow day…while returning afterwards to the comfort of our house.

Carrying your baby on hikes

If you’re planning on hiking while camping with your baby, you’ll need an adequate carrier. This will also depend on the age of your child. If your baby is under 6 months old, you’ll want to have a soft sided carrier to hike with.

We have both the Tula Light and the classic Ergo carrier and would definitely recommend the Ergo for hiking. I’d probably get the Omnibreeze to make it a bit cooler for hot weather activities. This carrier allows you to strap your baby to your chest (or back, follow instructions for safe carrying that are provided with the carrier) and hit the trails.

Great for both hiking and camp chores. Gonza was taking a break from setting up camp to let Nico explore the tree.

Once your baby is large and strong enough to utilize a hard framed carrier, this is generally a more comfortable way to hike with your baby. I’d recommend getting one as soon as your baby is at the right age, generally around 6+ months old, but always check your specific pack’s safety manual to confirm.

We love our Deuter Kid Comfort Carrier and would recommend it. Osprey Poco is another very popular child carrier that many parents rave about.

We use this Deuter kid carrier the time & Nico seems to (mostly) enjoy it.

You can go to REI to get fitted for a hiking carrier, with your child, and that can help make your decision.

You can also often find these on Facebook Marketplace used, so if you’re wanting to save some money, definitely check out FB market first. You’ll also want a sun shade and a rain cover accessory for your backpack so that your baby can be snug and comfortable in all types of weather.

Bath time for your baby or toddler while camping

What about bath time? If you’re going camping for a night or two, you can probably just skip bath time altogether. But if you’re going for longer, you’ll want access to bath time for your baby. 

Some campgrounds have showers. This is the case in most (if not all) of Washington’s state parks. When there are showers, we simply bring our baby into the shower with us and wash up together.

When campgrounds don’t have showers, you can bring a solar shower, which will heat water while you are out during the day as long as you fill it and leave it in the sun in the morning. Then you can clean up your baby by taking a shower with him/her. 

Another option is to bring a baby bathtub with you. We haven’t used this option while camping, but it would allow you to boil water (and add cold water obviously) to create a warm bathtub for your baby in your campsite. 

Fill up your solar shower at the local creek, river, or water spigot, and leave it in the sun while you are out all day. Come back to the campsite to a lukewarm shower!

A note on walking toddlers

So camping with a small infant is in many ways much easier than camping with a walking toddler. Toddlers are curious and will want to run around and explore everything, and this will require you to be very vigilant, especially in the 9-13 months phase when your baby may be mobile but may not be great at listening to things like “Don’t put that in your mouth”.

We utilize the Ergo carrier, the pack and play, and the tent itself when we need to contain our son on camping trips. When they’re littler the pack and play is great, because you can plop it outside in the fresh air and your little one can play with toys while you do campsite chores. When your child gets bigger, this is less of an option and you’ll probably need to use your carrier or the tent itself. 

It’s great to let your little one explore nature. Definitely do that! But also, sometimes you need a break from hyper vigilance. Some good old tent time will do the trick.

General tips for camping with your baby or toddler

Let’s be real: camping is not at all the same as it once was, when you didn’t have kids at the campsite. It’s more work, you have to be a lot more vigilant, and you may never actually get to just chill in your hammock and read a book. If you go into your camping trip with your kids with the idea that it won’t be relaxing, you will enjoy your trip more.

Yes, it’s harder, and different, but oh so special to camp with your baby or toddler. Like this morning when we had a beautiful lake all to ourselves.

One way that we get some down time is by having one parent be responsible for the baby or toddler for a set amount of time. That way the other can have some breathing time. In this way I was able to actually read for a solid 90 minutes in the hammock while my husband napped with our son in the tent. It was glorious.

An upside to camping with a baby is that your child will likely be entertained by the change in scenery and may not need as much direct attention from you. That isn’t to say you won’t need to supervise carefully, but I’ve noticed my son is less fussy when we are out and about.

Generally speaking, baby is quite chill while hiking. I’ve heard the view is pretty great from up there.

Slow down. Don’t plan a million activities. It WILL take you longer to do everything with a baby or toddler in tow. Identify one or two things you’d like to do each day and take it a little easier. Watch your child revel in exploring nature. It’s a different type of joy, and a profound one.

Be flexible. Your trip will likely not go according to plan. You may have to bail on a hike due to weather issues. You may have truly awful nights of sleep if your baby or toddler doesn’t sleep well in a tent. You may have to return home early if your child gets sick. Be ready to roll with the punches and adapt on the go, because at the end of the day, you’ll be glad you got out there even when things aren’t perfect. It’s still better than staying cooped up at home, right?!

The day after this photo, Nico got sick with a fever and we had to bail on our much-awaited trip. I am hankering to get back here because we barely scratched the surface of the area. But Nico’s health always comes first.

You WILL need to pack a lot more gear than you did before; there’s no avoiding it if you want to be comfortable. Which brings me to the camping with your baby checklist.

The ultimate camping with your baby checklist

Okay, so you know by now you will need at least a few pieces of gear. But also remember that you can find a lot of these types of items second hand at thrift stores, or borrow from friends or family members, or in some cases repurpose items you already have. Here’s the ultimate camping with your baby checklist:

• A pack and play or baby tent for your baby or toddler to have a safe sleeping area. We have a basic pack-and-play (that we got used-check FB marketplace if you want to grab a used one) but if you want to be fancy and have a super nice lightweight one the Guava Lotus is (supposedly) amazing.
• A sleeping sack or sleeping bag. There are very few baby and toddler sleeping bags on the market. We’ve had a great experience with our Morrison Outdoors sleeping bag. You can check prices on Morrison Outdoors bags here now.
• A portable high chair for meals and snack time. We have this standard sized high chair which works great, but if you’re low on space, check out these short portable high chairs.
• Standard baby supplies like a wipeable bib, baby utensils, portable changing mat, diapers, and wipes
• A structured hiking carrier. We love our Deuter, and are interested in trying the Osprey Poco. Check prices on the Deuter here now.
• Hiking carrier accessories. You need a sun shade at minimum, and a rain cover if you’re going to hike in the rain or wind. Check prices on Deuter sun shades and rain covers now.
• A soft structured carrier. We love the Ergo carriers.
• Wool base layers. We love WeeWoolies and Let’s Go Iksplor. You can also find some on Amazon.
• Wool socks. We got ours from Lamington, but shipping is expensive and delayed because they’re in New Zealand. If you’re short on time try buying these wool socks for your little one. I don’t recommend Smartwool’s baby socks. They are tight and fit poorly. I adore their adult line, though!
• Fleece bunting. One of our most used pieces (not just for camping – it’s super useful in general) is our Columbia fleece bunting. Get yours now.
• Fleece booties for non walking babies and sturdy shoes for walkers. If it’s going to be cold, invest in insulated boots. We got these LL Bean boots handed down from my sister and they’ve been fantastic.
• If you’re going somewhere cold, a down bunting is a must.
• Baby snacks that are easy on the go: pouches, puffs, and finger fruits work well for us. 
• Sunscreen and insect repellent that is safe for your baby (check all instructions prior to using on your baby or toddler)
• Your breast pump, pumping bags, bottles, bottle cleaners, a drying rack, and a cooler if you’re a pumping mom
• An external battery with solar panels that you can use for charging your breast pump or any other electronics you want to access
• A bathtub for your baby and/or a solar shower. Cannot recommend the solar shower (and privacy tent) enough. Make sure you only buy biodegradable soap though.
• A picnic blanket for the campsite and any spots you’d like to picnic
• Child bike trailer for your bikes if you will be biking, and a child helmet
• Swimsuit with rash guard if you’ll be in the water
• Infant or children’s pain reliever. Talk to your doctor about what you can give your child and the correct dosage. But we needed this for teething and fever on various trips.
• Download a white noise app on your phone (there are free ones) if your baby or toddler uses white noise at home

It’s a lot more to plan and prep for when camping with a baby, but it’s so special. It allows us to go places we can’t easily do for day trips and explore areas that are simply incredible.

Phew, that was a lot. But I think it’s better to go into camping with your baby or toddler feeling equipped for the challenges and ready to experience the joys of nature with your little one. 

Camping parents, what other advice would you add to this list? I’d love to hear from you in the comments!