Camping with an 8 month old...any advice?

[StepInTime]

DH & I are taking our son to the Fort Dec. 4th - 10th. He'll be 8 months when we're there. It'll be our first time camping with him and we'll be in a tent. Any advice, tips or suggestions would be great. Especially about the weather( not sure what to expect ).

TIA
Krissy

 

[MissChris]

One thing I would recommend camping with a baby is a pack-n-play. I don't know what kind of sleeping arrangements you're planning on, but even if he doesn't sleep in it, it's very nice to have a place where you can set him down while you're at the site and he can be comfortable and safe and still see what's going on.

Other than that I think in some ways it's easier to camp and travel with babies, at least you know he isn't going to wander off

Have fun.

 

[disney4dan]

Plan lots of down time to just chill with the little one. I remember carrying our 1 year old around in a front carrier most of the time, and she was pretty cool with just being around Mom and Dad so much. But she went through a ton of clothes. For some reason, the food or water or something did not agree with her and we had to change her outfits two or three times a day.

 

[PrincessNP]

You are going to have such a great time! We just came back from our first trip with TWO (DD2 and DD4mos).

I agree with taking it easy. Do not over plan and try as much as you can to stick to your little ones schedule even if you have to go back and forth to the camp site a few times. Also I dont know if you use the Sleep Sacs or not but they are great to keep little ones warm that cannot yet have blankets in their cribs.

Take advantage of the Baby Care Centers in all of the parks. MK and AK are probably the best. If you go to the Disney Family forums there is a lot of information about them. They are a lifesaver when you have accidents or need a cool resting place while at the parks.

Also I would suggest to bring your own stroller if you can as the ones in the park are cold and hard for little ones like yours.

Good luck!

 

[5stljayhawks]

The DW and I have made two trips with little ones 6 mth & 9mth. Like other posters say, the Baby Center Rocks. Map them out ahead of time, they have extra stuff at a cost but when you need wipes $10 for 20 are a great deal!!!!

My suggestion would to try to limit new experiences such as sleeping in a port-a-crib. Sleep out in the family room. Also you may want to visit your local REI, they have heavy fleece jump suits, that would be great to keep the little one warm. Layer, layer, layer. You can always test run at home and how they sleep...

Bring what you need into the park, if they don;t like it at the front gate, they will let you know. Don't be afraid to hope the boat back and ALL take a family nap in the afternoon.

Introduce the mouse, you may want to show a few cartoon ahead of time. kids at diffently some love MM other yell..

 

[snocrossmechanic]

I think you will do just fine in the tent. I would use a pack-n-play to sleep in as it will keep baby off the ground. You may also want to look to a site further away from the main roads and the comfort station. We found the closer to the road the more vehicles and loud garbage trucks you hear at night. We have added a small CD player to add some music and drowned out the noises a bit.

You may also want to bring an EZup type shelter for the daytime or a tarp and some rope. If your site is not shaded well you can setup the shelter and still have a nice cool area for baby to relax and crawl around. Speaking of crawl around. You may want to bring a nice outdoor blanket to play on. It could also get a bit warm so nap time in the tent may be a bit hot.

Last, but not least, my family will be there from Nov. 30th to Dec 10th. I have one 16 month old and one 3 3/4 year old. Not sure where we are gonna be but if you send me a PM I would be more than happy to give you our site number and the kids can hang out.

Have a great time.

Mark

 

[LMC]

Take some type of noise machine to use while you sleep. I think they call it white noise or one of those things that sounds like waves. This will help drown out noises while you sleep. Also, when you check in (or before you even go) you may want to request a site that is in the back of a loop so you are not having to hear bus traffic or as much traffic in general while the baby is sleeping.