Our first camping attempt w/Brenden (6 mo old)

[shane4x4]

I wanted to share our experience & let everyone know what our new plan is, and maybe get a little feedback. Here goes:

Last weekend I convinced Angie that we should do a 2 night camping trip to break the ice a little with the baby outdoors. The plan was to convert the back of our FJ Cruiser into a nice sleeping area so her & Brenden would be nice & warm at the 10,000ft camp site. Everything was going wonderfully Friday night at first. We put a twin mattress in the back of the truck and stuffed the sides with bags & blankets so he wouldn't roll off, it was kind of rigged and not a great solution, but it seemed to be working OK. Well, we missed the area between the front seats and despite Angie checking on him every 5 minutes, the little guy rolled into that hole. He didn't hit anything or hurt himself, he just got spooked/scared since he's used to his nice compact crib. Of course we all freaked out when we found him screaming, but it seemed like we were going to calm him down & it would all be OK again. Fast forward 2 hours after multiple bouts of screaming from the baby, mommy not happy and very tired, and daddy just trying to fix everything. We finally decided to pack up & make the 3 hour drive home - at midnight. We managed to get home a little after 3am, the baby slept most of the way, and we were both completely exhausted.

Luckily Angie & I were able to talk on the way home and we're definitely not giving up. We figure since it's so late in the year we won't try again until next spring, and we're expecting to be a little better equipped by then. The plan is to go ahead & get an off-road trailer and get it fully setup for the family. A large RTT, a forced air heater (Angie gets REALLY cold in the tent), kitchen setup, and of course all the storage we need should have us much better equipped to handle anything we need to.

I know we don't NEED to do the trailer to get things setup to work out better, but I've been pining over off road trailers for a couple of years. I have no doubt that spending the cash now will result in dozens of camp trips each year, so in the long run it will be much cheaper (and more fun) than hotels. Plus with a trailer we'll still have room for our dogs to join us in the woods.

Anyone else have thoughts on this plan? He'll be about 13-14 months old by the time we go out again next May/June. I know that will present new challenges since he'll be more mobile, but other than the sleeping thing he seemed to enjoy the woods this time.

Thanks in advance for the advice

 

[Corey]

Shane, I read about the trailer over at the blue room, and I thinks it is a great idea.
The x and I took our first born out at six months in an old Sears tent trailer, and we had a great time despite him rolling off the bed and unsnapping the canvas and falling outside to the dirt.
Talk about freaking out, but he was fine.
Hope you get to try it again.

Sent via Droid

 

[5Runner]

I am dying to reply to this thread, but am at work now, so time is limited.

I have been camping with three kids, wife and 80 lb dog and using a little 3rd generation 4runner to do it. Be careful in what you offer the family as you "learn" to camp. You will be setting the precedent. Personally, I like to bring as little as necessary, but still making it comfy. In the last three years we have spend over 50 nights in a tent with kids, now, ages 4, 6, 8. I started when the youngest was one. I have learned ALOT and camped in some amazing places in our state.

I have been successful at getting the family and small kids hooked, and I am sure you can too. I have a bunch of advice to give you in regard to your post...hopefully some of it will work.

DON'T GIVE UP...and don't buy the trailer...yet...it will tremendously limit the Colorado trails you can explore and camp on. If I could do it with three kids in a 4runner you don't "need" the trailer to make it work. If you WANT one, then i'll just shut up about it...the limitations to travel it creates is just not my thing. But considering your just starting this "journey" of family expeditions, I don't think you can truly say what you want yet. In the next three years...things will change tremendously. In the future, busting out some colorful glow sticks, walking out into the dark forest and putting on a light show for your little one will be all it takes to get them happy again. After that...freeze-dried icecream. I can't wait to share the tricks that have worked well for me!

It's just plain tough with a 6 mo old...be patient...it gets GREAT in no time.

 

[shane4x4]

Thanks for the advice. As far as trails go, I think we're planning on going the base camp route. We'll probably get the trailer & it'll be parked at a campsite, then we can explore local trails (on foot & in the FJ) during the trip. Most places I want to go are accessible with a decent off road trailer (we don't do extreme trails anyway).

I'll definitely be buying a case of light sticks and freeze dried ice cream. Keep the great advice coming!

 

[4x4mike]

This is the second summer we have camped with out daughter, she's currently 17 months old.

Last summer, she was 4-6 months old, it was super easy. We spent 9 days in a tent in Oregon among our several trips. It was a car camping tent so we took our pack and play and put her in it. The nights were down to 40 so we bundled her up and used blankets, she loved it. At that time of her life she nursed a couple of times at night so we would pull her out and she would lay with mom and I until she got restless and we put her back in the P&P. For the most part she wakes up around 5am and this was the case while camping. She loves being outside and woke up with a smile every morning. The tent was cramped but it was ok. Last summer she wasn't mobile and for the most part this made our everyday lives, and camping lives, easy as she liked to sit with her toys, ride in a mobi-ergo-kelty pack, etc, or just be held.

Now she is bigger (14-17 months), walks, run, climbs, does it all. We have only been camping twice this year compared to 5-6 times last year. At home she goes to sleep around 7-730 pm in her dark and quiet room in her crib. At a campsite you've got noise and sunlight until late. We tried a campground the first time around because they are a little safer, have bathrooms, water and we liked the idea of security for the first trip. We found she is the same in the back country as she is in the campground this year. She loves to play, show off and have fun. As a result it is near impossible for my wife and I to relax, make dinner, clean, sit, etc. Her bedtime is out the window which is fine with us but that means by sun down and 9pm she has her baby breakdown. Now we are the people we didn't like, the people with the screaming baby at night. She pretty much fights sleep because she wants to be awake but is too tired to handle that so she gets loud.

In my opinion everyone will have different experiences because they have different kids. Our daughter is our only child so far and she doesn't like to ride in the car for much over an hour. We make much longer trips but they require one of us to be in the back seat most of the offering entertainment. This year for OR we have a little DVD player so we're hoping it'll buy us some time/miles. We realize she's just going through a stage and things will get better and it hasn't changed our minds about camping like it has all our other friends about camping with similar aged kids. We have changed our locations, campgrounds closer to home, and left out a lot of 4wheeling. The wheeling is harder to do when you've got a little one that doesn't like to be jostled or have to fight to hold their head straight. It's also hard to wheel loaded down with all of the stuff we now have to take camping.

In the end I wouldn't change any of it for the world. Well actually it would be nice to have a small travel trailer or tent trailer but it isn't cost effective for how little we'd use it and I'm not sure it would make anything easier. I grew up camping with my family and friends family and it was abig part of my childhood. I'd like to share the same experiences with my children so we'll do it for as long as we can.

To the OP, keep at it. As with everything that involves being a parent, you (like your kids) will learn something everyday. Embrace it and keep it in your back pocket. There will be hard nights but when I think back my parents had bad nights with my sister and I until we moved out. The hardest part for me is to be carefree. I am, and am working at being less, super anal about having a clean vehicle, packing everything perfectly, have a camp fire, making good dinners, etc but the baby comes first which may mean graham crackers for dinner and turning in at 8pm with the kid.

 

[5Runner]

Here's one of the more complicated ways I got my kids hooked on camping...as I said...I am the entertainer for the kids. These photos/vids are all from last year. I have only set it up once this year, as they are usually so distracted by the adventure of the trees, rocks, creeks etc now. I did promise them I would set it up for this weekends trip though.

Like I say...it takes a lot of work and creativity, but if you make your kids enjoyment the first priority, they will fall in love with camping/exploring the great outdoors. Yes...part of that is letting them play with fire. I only get to "help" make the fires now (i.e. cut and split the large wood). They trade off who gets to build and match the fire.

http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=45538

 

[mph]

Camping with kids...what a ride!!! I have a 28 month old. She has been camping with us for approximately 50 nights or so. We ended up getting a fleetwood e1 trailer. Love it! Yes, it is limiting but for general expedition travel; it will get you many places. There are many faces that look at me when I driving back on some roads. Slow and steady and it will go many places.
I like the route we went because the trailer has a heater that makes it more doable with a child and extends the season. I would say if you like to move camp alot you won't like it as much...we go on trips where we spend 2-5 nights at the same spot.

There are times when we leave the trailer at home...for example, we just got back from CO and went/camped on 6 high mountain trails. I like the adventure trailer setups too but I don't think it extends your season. When it is cold...it is cold. I have camped in our e1 when it was 19 degrees out at night with our child. It was 65 inside. Nice and toasty...

In reality...there are many pros/cons to whatever decision you make.

 

[1leglance]

Hey Shane....
Get a Sportsmobile....no way to fall out, most excellent heater, and everything always packed and ready to go

Ok seriously :
You mention some very important points..
#1 Angie gets very cold in a tent at night
#2 You guys have been wanting a trailer for a while (BOTH of you or YOU?)
#3 You don't do extreme trails and are looking to basecamp
And then once that caught me...you don't plan to go out again till next SPRING? dude that is a long time off. Just drive south to Arizona or New Mexico anytime in the winter, we love it!

So it sounds like a standard off road trailer with a roof top tent wouldn't meet your needs. Falling out and heating it are concerns.
So that leaves an off road trailer with a tent/wall combo or more of a rugged pop-up trailer.

With the economy like it is I would think you could hunt down a rugged popup with spending as money as a true off road trailer and if it didn't work out you could sell it off.
Also that style is more suited to using something for heat.

Lastly remember they grow really really fast, todays solution is no good next year unless you think in terms of keeping up with them.

If it was me I would go with a ground tent, playpen, tent heater and figure things out over time....oh and I would plan to drive south during the winter to get more out of the years you have together before the kid is a teenager wanting to camp with buddies instead of you

 

[spencyg]

Hey Shane....
Get a Sportsmobile....no way to fall out, most excellent heater, and everything always packed and ready to go

Seriously!

We have spent many weekends in Boomer (our van) this spring and summer with our 12 month old (her birthday is today!!). I can't imagine trying to traditionally camp with an infant. Can't even imagine it. There are just too many things that need to be "just right" for any baby, and living out of tents, totes and water jugs just doesn't work. We bottle feed our kiddo, and just being able to heat a bottle without the on-board facilities in our rig would turn into a miniature fiasco. Also, it was brought up that noise and daylight can stir a baby awake...totally true. We are able to close our daughter up in Boomer (lying in her collapsable crib which conveniently fits right inside with room to spare), turn on the monitors (which are powered with the onboard inverter), the fans, and say goodnight. We can be chatting it up with friends 500 ft away and as long as we have the monitor right by our side (the receiver is battery operated), we don't worry about her at all. Furthermore, any noise made in the camp site doesn't really wake her up since she is inside the vehicle.

At 3:00 in the morning when she wakes up wanting to eat, we turn on the stove, heat up a little water in 2 minutes, and she is eating right after her diaper is changed. All in our underwear:sombrero:

When underway, the refrigerator is keeping her snacks cold, and my wife can pop back there easily to check on her in the back seat if she starts to fuss.

I have to admit, I've never had much use for traditional tent camping, so my perspective must come with that disclaimer. Boomer isn't a serious trails machine...a little too big. But would you really take your family down trails that required lockers and tight manouvering to get out of? I personally wouldn't...too risky.

Any big change to a baby (in our experience) usually leads to unexpected behavior. Camping certainly qualifies as "change", even if for a short time. Be sure you don't spoil your oppertunity at this early stage in your family to turn the exploration of the natural world around you into something exciting and enticing. Camping is just part of it. If you need to modernize your philosophy in that regard so as to have positive experiences, than it seems like the only good option.

Best of luck...kids are more fun every second.

 

[SilverBullet]

We have a coleman Utah we used for when the kids were babies. There is a lot to be said for late night feedings in a Tent Trailer (roof, privacy, stove, etc.). As they get older, I want to transition to tents for more camping with my boys.

I will admit, the yougest daughter has not been camping yet, I honestly could not tell you why, but we have not camped in 2010 for soem reason. But she is only 8 months, lots of time left. Both my boys were camping at 4 months, now 4 and 2.

 

[BriansFJ]

First time my ex and I took my son camping he was ~5 months. We had a BIG two-room car camping tent. We set up his Pack 'n Play as a crib, loaded up the blankets around and under it (not in it) to keep in heat. We found a Pack 'n Play mosquito net at Babies 'r Us I think, and used that over the crib to keep the bugs off. Also pre-heated formula bottles and put them in an insulated container so we were ready to go at a moments' notice. he slept better then than he does now:smilies27

 

[wanderer-rrorc]

we have thought about peapods for our twins...plus at the beach...

http://www.kidco.com/main.taf?p=4,5

cheap ebay version

http://cgi.ebay.com/Outdoor-Baby-Pl...131?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2309c55ac3

but for the most part they will fall asleep in their carseats...so we lay them on one of the beds in the camper piled by blankets and a large extra foam chunk to slow them down if they crawl around...

Ive even thought about papoose style hammocks..they sleep with mom..the oldest has her own hammock that streches across the camper and the dog sleeps with me...works out VERY well..

 

[shane4x4]

Thanks for all the great info folks. In regards to the trailer, I know we could have lots of fun camping without it, and even some type of popup would work. I think long term though that our family's lifestyle will be better suited with a traditional off road trailer. Of course, I REALLY want one, but the one we're getting will also be very useful for yardwork, hauling, etc. In the future there will be plenty of nights when it's just me & the boy too, so something that can get into the backcountry a little will be a plus.

We will be sticking with it no doubt, and I'm gonna start working on a zip line setup - that's just TOO cool!

Thanks again for all the advice

 

[5Runner]

Couple more tid bits...

Snug as a bug jammies are awesome. The kids will probably start using these jammies for this weekends trip. By October we put on the standard tight-fitting jammies on underneath the snug as a bugs. Our deal every year is we are not done camping in Colorado until we get snowed on...then we have officially maxed out the Colorado season, and it's time for Moab in fall! Last year we woke up to 6" of snow at the camp, but the kids were toasty warm. They also have 20 degree kelty sleeping bags. Point is...my kids have never been cold. They also have padded feet for those middle of the night potty trips...makes it a bit easier.

http://www.snugasabug.com/

"its a pillow, its a pet, its a pillow-pet" That's the marketing jingle that sold my kids, but also they one that caught my attention. Anytime I can get double duty out of an item its a good thing (I am tight on space like you wouldn't believe!) So these are their "buddies" while in the car and to play with, but they also are the kids pillows at night.

http://www.pillowpetstv.com/?tcode=pi8&tag=google&gclid=CISJ1rOw66MCFRB1gwodE0wt2A

Just two more quick simply things to share this morning. I've got to go get us packed, but I promise I will share some more tricks I have learned when I get some time.

 

[gloriavoxdei]

Our kids are 4,3 and 10 weeks. We tried tent camping with our older two when they were younger but we always ended up packing it in at 1:00 am when they got cold and woke up in a panic (not to say my wife getting cold didn't accelerate the issue). This year we bought an old 1970 Aristocrat 17' trailer. It has an axle flip and 1.5" lift block so it will go down most of the backroads here in CO without much problem. We took our first trip out to Buena Vista and Cottonwood lake last month and it was awesome. Our 6 week old baby (at the time) slept in his car seat and the older two shared the bunk above the dinette. I have to say that feedings at night are much easier with a stove to heat the formula and the toilet and tiny shower are nice amenities. We do mostly base camp type trips so the trailer works well for us behind our suburban. When the 2 boys older I'd like to do some more tent camping in more remote areas I can't get the trailer to. My wife has fallen in love with the trailer and we are camping almost every weekend I'm off now. We're thinking one more trip before I winterize it and park it for the year. Don't give up, it get's more fun the older they get.