Tips for taking 9 month old camping?

[bumpy_j]

Hi guys. I'm going to Shambala festival in a few days with my 5 year old and 9 month old, where we will be camping for four nights. I've invested in a pop up cot and a lovely, thick merino sleeping bag for Emmy, but I'm unsure about how to dress her? We had a camping practice in our garden, and she was fine with a vest and sleepsuit, but it was a super hot day and very mild night. We will likely not be so lucky with the weather! But I obviously don't want to overheat her...

Thanks

 

[MindUtopia]

I think take lots of options for layers. Ours was about 15 months when we first went camping and we bedshare, so a little bit different. But it was mid-June and it was really cold at night. I had her in a long sleeved vest, sleepsuit, 2.5 tog sleeping bag with a cardi over the top of it and in the middle of the night, I also covered up her bottom with my duvet. It was that cold. It's supposed to be pretty warm in the next few weeks, so you likely won't have to worry too much, but I would take lots of options for layers you can take on and off and follow the instructions on how to dress them that go with the tog of your sleeping bag. A digital room thermometer might help too if you aren't sure.

 

[jessmke]

I took Isla camping in the mountains for 4 days when she was 7 months old. We tried a variety of sleeping arrangements but the only thing that made her happy was to be inside my sleeping bag with me. Temperature was tough because during the day it was +26 celsius but overnight it was only +4 so when she went to sleep it was really warm in the tent but overnight it got much colder. My sleeping bag is rated to -12 so she was warm in my sleeping bag with just a fleece sleeper on. When we tried having her sleep on her own she was on a sheepskin wearing her fleece snowsuit which covers her hands and has a hood, her thick fleece sleep sac, and a wool blanket over top. She had a really tough time sleeping in the daylight so we would put her to bed at her normal 7 pm bedtime, but then she would wake up around 8 pm and then be up with us until about 10 pm. Then she would be up again with the sun at about 6 am. She was pretty tired by the time we got home and slept for about 2 days straight.

Napping during the day was tough for her as well because of the heat and the daylight. I would have to nurse her to sleep during the day in the tent and she would just crash out on top of my sleeping bag, or she would fall asleep in the hiking backpack.

I would recommend taking a carrier of some sort, like an Ergo or a wrap, because baby might be awake and fussy in the evenings but unable to sleep because of the light and new environment. We spent most evenings sitting around the fire with Isla in the Ergo. She didn't sleep, but she was quiet and content to just hang out with us. In the mornings she would have her nap in the Ergo because it was still quite cold and she would sleep longer on me than if I put her in the tent on her own. That way I could make sure she had at least one good long nap each day.

 

[thexfadingpat]

My 5 month old has been camping twice already. We just take lots of layers (onesies, sleepers, socks, hat, swaddle sacks) and dress him as we see fit the night of as weather I'd so unpredictable.

 

[bumpy_j]

Wonderful tips thanks you so much everyone x