Because Babies Need Vacations Too!

This post contains affiliate links. I may earn a small commission off of purchases made through these links at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support!

I have some really fun memories of camping as a kid. Everyone snuggling down in a tent together at night to stay warm, delicious bacon and egg breakfasts (thanks, Mom!), and fishing with my dad are some of the times I cherish, and am trying to replicate with my own kids. I can’t wait to see my son’s face when he finally has enough patience to catch his first fish! And I’m pretty sure my daughter is going to be a stellar hiker, because she's already trying to scale whoever is holding her. But camping with small children and babies requires foresight and planning, and help however you can get it! It can be challenging keeping different aged kids occupied, and if baby can participate with the bigger kids it helps everyone to have more fun. Here are ten amazing things to check out before your next family camp out. What works for you will be dependent on your kids’ ages, but with these essentials you will not only survive camping with the littles, everyone in the family will thoroughly enjoy a great outdoors vacation!

#1 Deuter Kid Comfort Active

If your family loves hiking this is a must. This backpack fits different length torsos well, and makes easy work of hauling kiddos on the trail. My husband is 6’1” and I am 5’6” and we can both adjust this pack to comfortably fit. Both of our kids have loved it, they sit high enough to look out easily but in bad or sunny weather the built in (read: not another component you must purchase!) canopy provides a lot of protection from the elements. Baby can easily stay in the pack when you slide it off for rest breaks with the sturdy kickstand out. Pack is rated for 6 months and up.

#2 Ingenuity Comfort 2 Go Portable Swing

I bought this swing in sheer desperation to soothe my colicky daughter while on a trip to visit family. And then I broke it down (a 3 minute process) and flew home with it in a duffle bag without needing to borrow an extra suitcase. This swing packs down fairly small without disassembly in 2 seconds, has 2 recline positions, multiple speeds and is battery operated. All components can be easily wiped down with a cloth or thrown into the washer, making it ideal for camping. This is a perfect camping accessory for young babies 6 to 20 lbs who otherwise wouldn't have a lot of options aside from being held while camping.

#3 KidCo Portable Go-Pod

The go-pod is used regularly in and outside our house. It’s pretty light weight and easy to carry one-handed, and adjusts to different heights to accommodate those always-growing babies. The pod has little tabs to attach different toys so that no one loses interest. The only down side is that the fabric is not removable to wash, but it can be spot cleaned with a wet cloth. Appropriate for kids 4 months and up.

#4 Summer Infant Playard

This is a great solution for a kiddo who is mobile but still wants to shove dangerous things into his or her mouth whenever you blink. It also works if baby has older siblings that he or she needs protection from (i.e.: the one that hands them rocks to eat also when you blink). The Playard is pretty spacious, so crawling and walking are ok here. And it will easily hold multiple toys to keep the contained kiddo content. This will fold up nicely for easy packing into the car. If you are going somewhere without shade it does have a compatible sun shade as well. Appropriate for all ages.

#5 Summer Infant Booster Chair

An amazingly sturdy seat that is perfect for little eaters, this chair also works great as a mini camping chair without the tray. As a bonus, it also packs pretty small into its own carry case if you want to fly with it. The chair is easy to clean (soapy water and a brush, tray is dishwasher safe), and a hit with little ones who feel like they fit in with the big adults in their own special seat. We cart this thing to BBQs, camping, and farmer’s markets because it’s just that useful. For kids up to 37 lbs., and who are able to sit independently for short periods (the buckles helps with support but don’t stabilize baby).

#6 S’more Roasting Sticks

And don’t forget the marshmallows too! But seriously, these sticks are easily identified by their owners thanks to the color coding, and more importantly they are 32” long when telescoped out. This means that little bottoms can be firmly seated in camp chairs while roasting, and as far from the fire as possible in the process. Call me neurotic, but the further from the campfire little ones are the more relaxed I can be.

#7 Tent

Think about what size tent will fit all of your gear and sleeping beauties,  and then go one size up. We're thoroughly enjoying the REI Kindom 4 with the attachable mud room (at a small additional cost;)). It was a decent investment, but we'll fit in it for a long time to come. Plus it meets my strict criteria of being able to fully stand inside and has room for a Pack 'n' Play-while comfortably sleeping the rest of us (2 adults and 1 kiddo). On a recent trip we did a lot of playing in the mud room area between rain storms, and I now consider it essential for any trips with adverse weather conditions. I will also say that if gear gets stored in the mud room, this size tent could easily sleep 1-2 more kids.

#8 Medical Kit

If a medical issue is going to come up, it's going to happen at midnight when you're nowhere near a 24-hour drug store and forgot to pack your med kit! It's always better to be over prepared than under with kiddos, and we're still working on optimizing our set up. The serious stuff (things that would help burns and bleeding) is a must, but some dinosaur bandaids also go a long way in our kit. And we never leave home without nail clippers! It's the small stuff:) But bottom line: any preparedness is worthwhile when it comes to illness and injury!

#9 Sleep Sacks

Safe sleep is tricky while trying to keep everyone warm. Sleep sacks can be a great option over some layered clothes to mimic a sleeping bag. Whatever you choose to do, regularly check in with baby to avoid over heating, and I highly recommend some kind of night light to make sure no little one's face is covered by blankets. This particular sack is one of the warmest I have found, with a TOG of 2.5 meaning you will still have to layer but less so than thinner sacks.

#10 Coffee Pot

If Mama ain't happy, no one is happy. Start your day strong with your warm beverage of choice. Camping with littles is awesome but it's not without its challenges, and I highly recommend putting your best foot forward. In our campground, we do that with a French Press!! This bad boy is sturdier than the traditional glass, and insulates against that cool morning air while waiting for you to enjoy the fruits of its labor.

Now you've got some tips and tricks for surviving a campout. Time to put all these good things to use and make some reservations! On our recent trip we brought along a few other things not mentioned here: a Pack’n’Play for a nap/bed time option, a Thule stroller/bike trailer for more napping and getting some bike time in, and an F150 to carry it all (not joking). What are your camping essentials for little ones? 

This post contains affiliate links. I may earn a small commission off of purchases made through these links at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support!