Camping with almost 1 year olds?!

My husband is intent on all four of us going on a two-night camping trip for July 4th. The twins will be just shy of their first birthday. Has anyone done this? If so, how was it? Also, how did the babies sleep or what tips do you have? We're thinking they'll just sleep with us (we'll put blankets over all of us, etc and they like to sleep with us anyway) but what do you do with them the rest of the time? I'm not sure I want them crawling around and putting everything in their mouths (their new favorite thing!). Any tips are appreciated!

Thanks!

Leigh
Mom to Landon/Tessa born July 17, 2010

 

YES! LOL Just kidding! I say this because you would have to hogtie me and hold a gun to my head to make me sleep in the woods LOL. That being said IF I had been hog tied and had a gun to my head I think I would do the following, BIG tent, pack n play for sleeping (just why risk the very slim chance of an escape while mom and dad are sleeping) are we talking camp ground or actual woods? if we are talking camp ground don't those places have playgrounds and some have swimming pools etc.? I would take (buy or borrow if you dn't have them) baby backpacks so you can load the babes up and go hiking etc. Also i think acceptance of the phrase "a little dirt don't hurt" would be a must. Yep, they will get dirty and yep they will eat bugs. gonna happen. why make yourself crazy kwim.

Not sure how much any of this helps but girl GOD BLESS YOU! If you all do end up going let us know and I will say a prayer because you sister are braver than I am! But if your into camping I bet it will be alot of fun!

 

I'm gonna say, yes, you are insane. LOL. My kiddos at that age need their structure and routine. Even sleeping over at grandma's is rough. But...I guess all kids are different??

 

Oh my...sorry to be a Debbie Downer but that does NOT sound at all enjoyable to me taking twin 1 year old's camping. I would laugh in my hubby's face if he had that ideas! LOL! Mine really need their routine or else they are CRABBY!!! And that is not fun for me to handle. But likeake a PP said all babies are differnt and for you to consider camping, your babies must be a little more adaptable than mine. I suppose I would take a couple pack n plays and hope for the best!!Try not to worry about bugs and such. Make sure you take plenty of sunscreen and make sure theydon't get too hot.

 

My guys were born July 13, 2010...so same age, and we just went camping Memorial Day weekend. It was alot of work, but not as much as it could have been, as we were with some family members.
We camped along side of my in-laws, and an aunt & uncle. They were much needed helping hands throughout the weekend.

We have a pop-up tent, and we left the kitchen table collapsed so that we could fit a play pen and a pack and play in there for sleeping. They slept separately, one in each. We did not expect them to take naps in the camper, so instead when they got tired, we took them for walks in the stroller and let them fall asleep in that and then parked them under a tree to nap...never took great naps while we were there, but enough to refresh them. We also took backpack carriers and hiked during the day. It was tough with the camper, if they are on the beds they want off (and could easily fall), if they were on the floor then they wanted up on the couch or bed...so a tent maybe easier in that regard.

During the day maybe you could open all the windows and let the tent serve as one big play room... bring some toys they have not yet seen (even things that are not toys, i.e. Tupperware, etc). We moved the play pen (bigger old style) outside during the day, we also had a screen-tent thingy for kids but our guys are standing now, so they just pushed the sides and it kept collapsing on them...so they did not like it. They did ok on just the grass, but yes ate gras & dirt, along with sticks, etc. and kept crawling away. We also have a bike trailer, but did not bring it this past time...we will when we go in July.

It seems that when you go camping you have to bring so much stuff...well, multiply that by 2! I could not believe how much stuff it took. Do you have chairs for them to sit in to eat? I bought some (consignment) just for camping, so that made meal prep a little easier. I was able to give them finger foods and know they were strapped down for at least a few minutes. It is tough, especially at this age.... they are not walking, they do not know to not eat the rocks (so you can't put them down), they are not infants that are content with just sitting on a blanket...it is a lot of work. Even from setting up when you first get there...what do you do with the kids? They can't just be put down, and they just rode in the car for a while, they may not want to get strapped into a stroller just to sit and watch you set up camp.

It will not be easy. I would stay close to home, just in case. Make your meals easy, and go with the flow. Backpacks if you can get them, portable hi-chairs if you have them, bug repellent (personally love Badger brand, deet-free all natural), and patience...and you will have a great time! Think of it as a team building workshop. That is pretty much what it is... definitely a test of your relationship. Personal message me if you have any specific ?s...I'd love to try and help!

 

Alison already thinks I'm insane...but I'll respond anyways!

We went when the boys were 2.5 years old and Annabella was a year old. The first trip we took just the boys and we camped in a tent. The next trip, we bought a pop-up camper. :laughing:

I won't lie, and say it's tough. The beach is really the toughest part I think. Keeping the babies from eating the sand, and they just don't know what to do with it when it gets all over their hands! So it gets in their hair, in their eyes, face, mouth, etc. The sun will tire them out, for sure! We still went back to the camper and took naps, or if that didn't work, we piled them in the car and took a little drive.

We brought the pnp for her and she slept in there inside the camper. The boys slept on one end of the mattresses. It worked out well. She went to bed a bit earlier than the boys. It was semi tough getting her to sleep, but there was minimal crying. If you have a sound machine and they use it, bring it. Let's see...what else....

We bring the rubbermaid totes. One has our clothes in it, another has non-perishable foods, and the other one has toys/games/activities for the kids. It keeps things relatively neat, vs everything in random bags.

You can go biking, hiking, walking. We brought our wagon which was a good idea. Anything to make life a little easier!

We are actually going camping this weekend. The boys are now 3.5 years old and Annabella just turned two. I can let you know how it goes! If you have any specific questions, feel free to PM me. Good luck! Have no expectations and it will make life a whole lot easier!

 

We love camping and it can be fun. i would take a pack-n-play to let them play in outside when you aren't watching them while you cook or do other things. I would also take backpacks or other baby carriers for walks.

Enjoy it. I am taking mine in 2 weeks.

 

We've always camped with our little ones at that age - last yr we took all 5 camping multiple times through the summer - the twinadoes were about 10mths on our first trip - our last was on their birthday! I brought a bucket of toys and we had a play yard to put them in when I needed them corralled but not strapped in a stroller. We do have a hard walled camper - so that helped us out by not worrying about them knocking a tent down on their heads!

I love camping - so I think it depends how much you love camping and how relaxed you are about them getting dirty and putting dirt in their mouths as to how good of a trip it will be. We also have lots of friends with us camping - so we always have help.

 

We were hoping to go camping this weekend, but only for one night. Now there's rain in the forecast so I'm thinking we'll have to cancel. I can't deal with rain or mud on top of all the other work that's gonna bs required.

 

thank you for all of the responses! People think we are insane but we have no expectations and we'll try it for a night to see how it goes. I appreciate all of the tips--they are very helpful. I'll let everyone know how it goes!

Leigh
Mom to Tessa/Landon born July 17, 2011