Camping with a baby: sleep, sun and feeds outdoors

Your baby's first night outdoors. They will not remember the birdsong at dawn, and you will never forget it.

Camping with a baby asks for a little more packing and planning, mostly around three things: sleep, sun and feeds. Here is a calm plan for each, and a list to pack from.

Is camping with a baby a good idea?

It can be a lovely one, especially when you start small: one night, close to home, at a campground with toilets and running water.

Mild weather helps most. The AAP's safe sleep guidance says not to let your baby get overheated, so a cool, settled forecast makes the night easier for everyone.

How does a baby sleep safely in a tent?

The AAP's safe sleep rules come camping with you. Place your baby on their back for every nap and at night, on a firm, flat surface.

That surface should be a crib, bassinet, portable crib or play yard that meets the safety standards of the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Keep soft objects and loose bedding out of it.

Share the tent, not the bed. The AAP recommends sharing a room with your baby but never a bed, so set the play yard up beside you rather than bringing your baby into a sleeping bag.

If your baby falls asleep in a car seat, stroller or carrier, move them to a firm sleep surface on their back as soon as you can.

Sun and bugs: what babies need by age

Keep babies younger than 6 months out of direct sunlight, the AAP advises. Find shade under a tree, an umbrella or the stroller canopy. If clothing and shade are not available, use sunscreen on small areas such as the face.

For older babies, use a broad-spectrum sunscreen on all areas of the body, careful around the eyes, and reapply every 2 hours.

For bugs, the AAP recommends mosquito netting over carriers and strollers for infants under 2 months. For older children, spray repellent on your own hands and rub it onto their face, avoiding eyes and mouth, and never apply it to their hands.

Skip combination sunscreen and repellent products, and do not use oil of lemon eucalyptus or PMD on children younger than 3.

Feeding a baby at the campsite

The CDC says breast milk can be stored in an insulated cooler with frozen ice packs for up to 24 hours when traveling. Once it is warmed, use it within 2 hours.

The Stenviax Bottle Warmer Pro makes a campsite feed a short one. Pour breast milk into its chamber and choose 98 °F. Measured from refrigerator temperature at a full charge, 4 oz reaches 98 °F in about 70 seconds.

It runs on its own 14,000 mAh battery, so there is no stove to light. The milk pours into your baby's own bottle. For formula, heat water on a water setting and follow the instructions on your formula.

Test a few drops on your wrist before every feed, as the CDC advises.

How do you clean baby bottles while camping?

Bring a small basin and a brush used only for your baby's feeding items. Following the CDC, wash your hands with soap for 20 seconds, separate the bottle parts, and scrub them in hot, soapy water in that basin.

Squeeze water through the nipple holes, rinse under running water, and let everything air-dry on a clean towel or paper towel. The CDC says not to rub or pat items dry.

For the warmer, rinse the chamber and lid straight after you pour, and stand it upside down to drain. Its 149 °F clean cycle runs for 20 minutes on the chamber, and our guide to cleaning pacifiers shows how to use it for a pacifier too.

What to pack for camping with a baby

• A portable crib or play yard that meets CPSC standards.
• Layers, a sun hat, and mosquito netting for the carrier or stroller.
• Sunscreen for babies over 6 months.
• An insulated cooler with frozen ice packs.
• The warmer, charged at home (about 50 minutes on the 45 W adapter in the box), and your baby's bottles.
• A basin and brush kept for feeding items, dish soap, and paper towels.
• Diapers, wipes, and bags to carry everything out.
• A headlamp for night feeds.

Driving a long way to get there? Our guide to a road trip with a baby covers the drive.

Frequently asked questions

Can a baby sleep in a tent?

Yes, in a portable crib, bassinet or play yard that meets CPSC safety standards. Place your baby on their back on its firm, flat surface, with no soft objects or loose bedding, as the AAP advises.

Can I use bug spray on my baby when camping?

For babies under 2 months, the AAP recommends mosquito netting over carriers and strollers instead. For older children, rub repellent on from your own hands, avoiding their eyes, mouth and hands.

Can babies wear sunscreen?

Yes, with care about age. The AAP keeps babies under 6 months out of direct sun and allows sunscreen on small areas such as the face when shade and clothing are not available.

How do you warm a bottle while camping?

Use a warmer with its own battery, so you need no stove or fire. The Stenviax Bottle Warmer Pro warms 4 oz of breast milk to 98 °F in about 70 seconds, measured from refrigerator temperature at a full charge.

How do you clean baby bottles while camping?

Wash them in hot soapy water, in a basin and with a brush kept only for feeding items, as the CDC describes. Rinse, then let everything air-dry rather than wiping it.

Sources

1. AAP (HealthyChildren.org): How to keep your sleeping baby safe (opens in a new tab)healthychildren.org
2. AAP (HealthyChildren.org): Sun safety (opens in a new tab)healthychildren.org
3. AAP (HealthyChildren.org): How to choose an insect repellent for your child (opens in a new tab)healthychildren.org
4. CDC: Breast milk storage and preparation (opens in a new tab)cdc.gov
5. CDC: How to clean, sanitize, and store infant feeding items (opens in a new tab)cdc.gov