Camping with 10 month olds?

DH is dying to go camping this spring, as we missed the season last year..at that time our boys will be 10-11 months. Is it possible to survive a long weekend in the wilderness with 2 little ones? Also, is it worth the efforts? And lastly, does anyone have any suggested sleeping arrangements? We have a pop up trailer. I am guessing one big family bed?

 

We also love camping but haven't tried it yet, although I may be up for it later this year. I think a pop up trailer would make it a lot easier. We usually camp with tents. I would consider trying for a campground not too far from home, just in case it isn't working out and you need to cut the trip short. I think the family bed would work well, but I imagine that DH and I would stay up a lot later than our boys would and I'd hate for them to wake up, be confused, roll out of bed. We'd probably try to fit a pack n play inside the tent. Our tent is pretty big so I think it could work.

I'd also probably avoid a campground where open water was too close by.

 

We did. We had a camper with tent like beds. Hubby had one side & I had the other. Our twins were horrible sleepers. They were about 8 months old. It was horrible. (Sorry) We forgot to bring a pack n play for keeping them in when we were out of the camper. The people we were camping with went into town for celebrations and when they got back (after we FINALLY got the twins to sleep) the dogs started barking. We did not get much sleep. It probably would have been easier if we formula fed because every time a baby woke up, I had to nurse him or her.

WE were just not prepared. I've heard of some success stories. GOod luck! I wish my experience was better.

 

The first time the boys went camping was last May 2010 over Mother's Day Weekend... so yeah I guess they were only about 10 months old. It was a bunch of friends (10 + us 4.. I may have forgotten a few couples). We were the only ones there with kids. We were across from the beach (still lived in Hawaii at the time). During the day the boys hung out in their pack n play outside around all of us.. When we went over the beach they hung out on blankets.. Passed around quite a bit since everyone loves them lol. We slept in a tent. So we had our air mattress set up on one side and their shared pack n play on the other. They napped in their pack n play twice during the day and then slept the night in there. They had no problem sleeping through any of the ruckus going on outside around the camp fire. It was a successful 3 day weekend camping trip.

We went again Sept 2010, but that time we drove from Cali to Moab, UT where we camped in a tent for a week. Again, they napped in their pack n play and slept there at night. They weren't walking by then, but trying so they hung out in the pack n play outside.. or if we walked over to our in laws rv they were allowed to crawl around in there (which you could do with your pop up), but that was more of a pain than a help. Sometimes they were strapped into their single umbrella strollers just so they could sit out with us without everyone holding them.

We will be going on our 3rd camping trip here in May. This time we'll be driving to Cali to Denver where we'll stay for a month, but that's at my sister's house. Then we're driving from Denver to Moab, UT and camping for a week again. Pretty much the same set up for sleeping, except this time they'll be sharing an air mattress on one side of the tent and then we'll have our own air mattress. They are crazy walkers now so we won't have to contain them in pack n play outside, but just make sure they don't run out in front of cars in the camp ground, don't eat every little thing they pick up haha... and take them to the playground to burn off some energy.

 

Thanks for the insight...I forgot to ask, how did you position them for solid feedings if you did not bring highchairs? Also, they are BF babies, so I would have to set up a 'nursing station' somewhere inside the tent.

 

I am SOOO not a camper but if I was I would say pack n play is a must and for solid feeding without having to drag around highchairs what about bumbo's with trays? If you don't have them maybe you could borrow them from someone for the trip.

 

Could you use bouncy seats?

 

I suppose I could bring bouncy seats...we have the infant to toddler rockers... which are a bit big to transport and do not fold up. I thought about investing in the chairs that mount to the table. But am not sure we should make another investment just yet. We are just about to purchase their next car seat.

Thanks!

 

This: Booster seat

I bought two of them for the boys when we went to other people's houses/restaurants. Best.Money.EVER.Spent. They didn't leave the back of my car. I took them everywhere. We used them on a weekly basis at my parents house. If we went to restaurants, we could sit in booths with them-no hot food passed over their heads, drinks spilled on them, food thrown on the floor(food stayed on the table/bench-not all over the floor), and no touchy/feely strangers wanting to touch them. Annabella is 21 months old, and she uses it as well now. They used them until they were 2.

I take them EVERYWHERE. So that should help with the feeding. We went camping last year and Annabella was a year old, I brought the seat, put it on the picnic table, and she ate up there.

So we took the twins camping last year, but they were 2 1/2. Annabella was just a year old. We bought a pop up camper, that sleeps 8. A king bed on one end, queen on the other. DH and I slept on one side, put the boys on the other side with a rail, and put the PNP inside the camper for naptime/bedtime for Annabella. We just moved the table out and it just fit perfectly in that spot.

With camping, they get exhausted! Being outside, in the sun, the beach-it's tiring for them. Now, the boys would pass out at the end of the night(9/10pm), so we had no problems with them. Annabella was a bit more difficult, but she wasn't too bad overall. It could have been much worse. She was/is just so busy and walking everywhere, that she was the most work. Hopefully this summer will be a bit easier with her!

Could you possibly bring a sound machine or something to help with noise, if that became an issue?

It's definitely doable! If you go-good luck and have a great time!

 

We camped ALLL summer last year with our Duo. We started in May when they were 8mths old and our last trip was on their 1st birthday! I had a pack and play and also another type of 'cage' that we used outside to corral them when I needed all hands but yet didn't want them strapped into a stroller. It gave them a bit of freedom. We do have a larger trailer tho for the space. In a Popup I'd do the pack and plays on one of the beds - they should both fit side by side on one of the pushouts. or one on there and one on the floor beside if there is room. BUt you mentioned a family bed - if they are used to that then go with a family bed.

We had an awesome time each and every camping trip. The kids slept thru it all as long as they went to sleep with the noise. Sometimes I would put the monitor right by the door and then we would go to the campsite next door if I could see our camper. That way the noise was a bit removed.

I can't wait to go camping again May Long weekend as long as our snow is gone!