21 Top Camping With A Baby Essentials You Can't Forget

Want to know all the essentials you need for camping with a baby? Girl, here are all the baby items you must bring along to make your trip a success.

Going camping is a blast but when you add a baby to the mix it is a whole different ball game. As a mom of 4, I am giving you the top baby essentials you need to go camping with a baby.

You are going to learn about all the items you need to bring to go camping with a baby like a pack and play, baby carrier, stroller, and more.

After learning about all of these camping baby products, you are going to be ultra-prepared to take on this new adventure with your infant.

Let's jump into the best items you need to know about when camping with a baby.

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Best Tips For Camping With A Baby

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So, you love camping and want to try it with a baby. BOLD MOVE! But very easy to accomplish.

All it takes is some planning, patience, understanding, and extra coffee.

When we had our first baby, we thought no way are we going camping with her. So, we didn’t and lost valuable chances that we could have been camping.

By the time baby number four came along we wanted the older kids to be able to enjoy our love of camping as much as we did so we bought a bigger tent and made camping with our infant possible.

We had to prepare a bit more for the weekend but it was worth it.

First, let’s get into some tips about camping with a baby. Then I will tell you what you all need to bring for this grand adventure.

And just to be clear, we camp in a tent.

When To Go Camping With A Baby

The best time of year to go camping is when the temperature at night does not go below 60°F, in my opinion.

Anything below this and your baby will have a difficult time getting a good rest in. In turn, that means your night sleep will also go terrible.

We like to take our kids camping when the temperature at night is right around 65°F. They are all movers and cannot keep their covers on when they sleep.

Where To Go Camping With A Baby

When starting off camping with a baby, or multiple children, it is best to find a campground close to your home.

If you have a backyard, that is a great place to start as well.

You will be tired in the morning and a long drive back can be brutal.

Start close and get your system down. Then be brave and venture further.

What To Expect When Camping With A Baby

When you go camping with a baby everything takes a significant amount of time longer to do. From setting up your site to eating to exploring, be prepared that it will just take longer.

You will not get much sleep!

Babies, and kids too, know when they are not sleeping in their own beds. It throws them off and they will wake up more.

If you know this, you can prepare for it! Bring on the coffee.

You may not be able to see or do everything you were hoping to. If you want your kids to grow up to enjoy camping, take it easy.

Take their skill and energy level into consideration or you will both become frustrated and possibly miserable.

What To Bring When Camping With A Baby

Camping Supplies

1. Tent

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You may have to invest in a bigger tent.

Having a tent big enough to hold a pack and play and space enough for you to sleep is key. You will all get better sleep this way.

We have a tent similar to this one.

At first, I thought it was too big but as the kids are getting bigger it is so nice to have the room.

The ceiling is also high right out to the corners allowing my husband and I to stand up straight in it.

2. Jet Boil

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You are going to love this thing if you want some hot coffee, tea, or food!

Before we bought a Jet Boil I would bring along a cold coffee or two and keep it in our cooler.

But I am a hot coffee kind of girl. And after a less than perfect night's sleep, it tastes so good!

3. Air Mattress

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You may like sleeping right on the ground but if you don’t try using a decent air mattress.

I love this air mattress and won't go unless we have one.

So many times I tried sleeping on a sleeping pad and just never got a good night's sleep.

It can be blown up using a wall plug in and a car charger, both of which are included.

4. Sleeping Bag

You will need some blankets for sleeping in a tent.

Try out a nice sleeping bag that can be adjusted for different temperatures.

My family gifted us 2 of these sleeping bags for our wedding.

They can be used with a wide range of temperatures and I have never been cold with them.

5. Pillow

Some of you may be able to sleep without a pillow.

Not me I need the support. We do not have separate pillows for camping but instead just take them from our bed.

6. Lantern/Flashlight

There is no doubt that you will have to be able to see at night when camping with a baby. Make sure you take along lanterns and a flashlight or 2.

We have these lanterns. They give off a good amount of light.

We like these heavy-duty flashlights. They just last compared to other flashlights we have.

7. Bug Spray

When you are camping, you are out in nature so there will be bugs.

We were lucky one time to be at a campsite where it was sprayed for bugs, so nice! But the rest of the campsites we tried we needed bug spray.

We like using this bug spray for our whole family. It really does keep the bug bites down to a minimum.

Remember though, you probably shouldn't put it on your baby. That is why we also use this fogger bug spray around the tent.

8. Sunscreen

Hopefully, when you are camping, it is all sunshine and no rain. Bring along some sunscreen.

I used this baby sunscreen all the time.

There was no way I wanted my babies getting sunburn!

Now that my kids are just past the baby stage, I love using this sunscreen. It makes applying sunscreen a breeze.

9. Easy Food

If it is your first time out, or you have only been out a few times, save yourself the stress and bring food that is easy to prepare.

I take a little time before we even leave, usually as my husband is packing the truck, to do as much food prep as I can. It makes mealtime so much easy when we are at the campsite.

Also, pack way more than you think you need; you just never know!

What To Bring When Camping With A Baby

For You (The Parents)

I am going to assume that you know what clothes and toiletries you need to bring along for a night of camping, so I am not going to list all of those.

The 2 main things you need to bring when deciding to camp with a baby are:

1. Coffee, Coffee, and more Coffee! Unless you are a tea person, then Tea, Tea, and more Tea! You can easily make it in your Jet Boil.

2. Also, don’t forget your patience! This is supposed to be fun!

What To Bring When Camping With A Baby

For Your Baby

1. Pack and Play

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You are going to want to keep your baby up off the tent floor and “contained”. A pack and play does the trick amazingly.

We have this pack and play and pack and play sheets. I could not imagine how we could have camped with a baby without it.

2. Bug Net

Make sure to pick up a bug net that is made for a stroller like this one.

It will fit around the pack and play mentioned above and will keep your baby from getting bug bites.

I love our bug net.

When our kids were babies, I didn't want to put bug repellant on them. It kept them bug bite-free, for the most part.

3. Stroller

Bring your stroller along if there are walk paths at your campsite.

Almost everywhere, in the United States, has some kind of walking trail that is stroller accessible.

We brought our single stroller and sometimes our double stroller on every camping trip until our kids were big enough to easily walk the trails with us.

It is so much easier than carrying them.

I love both of these strollers but dang that double stroller is like pushing a cloud everywhere we go.