Would you take a Baby Camping??

You might have seen a picture on last week's Picture Board of us on our first camping trip with Samuel! In the weeks leading up to our two night getaway, we had so many people tell us we were asking for trouble by taking our little man camping. As you can imagine, I got a little worried. I did a lot of reading on parent's forums, where people had previously asked for tips on making trips away with littlies easier. In the end, I'm not sure whether it was my over-preparation that made for an easy, relaxing weekend or if everyone just thinks that it will be too hard!

We stayed at Boreen Point, which was a perfect 2 hour drive north of Brisbane. The camp grounds were nestled alongside a massive lake (which is only just above ankle deep for atleast 300m) and would have been a short drive to the beach but we didn't go. We also treated ourselves to lunch at the local pub one day, who serve some very tasty meals! There were so many activities available for big kids (like my husband!), from stand up paddle board hire or fishing to watching the local boating competition. Other people bought along their jet ski's! The forecast was rather dull and it did rain all day on the Saturday, but we were prepared with boardgames, cards, crosswords, books and good company.

So what did I take, what did I forget and what would I do differently??

One resounding comment that I took from reading the parenting forums, was that once you think you've packed enough of everything, throw in a couple more. Lots of nappies, singlets, a hat, outfits...some warm clothes and cold clothes. Don't forget swimmers, baby sunscreen, socks, baby wipes and blankets. Add in the portacot, with sheets, the baby carrier, the bouncer and everything else we normally take and our car was bursting! It was so full.....lucky Mr J is a whiz at tetris ;). 

The car, without the esky!

I will admit, we didn't use our cloth nappies. In fact, we didn't use many nappies!! The little man had a bout of nappy rash, so we took the opportunity for plenty of nappy off time. It was a good source of entertainment actually, when his Aunty T and Uncle C, risked the chance for a cuddle and were thanked with warm puddle of wee!! Lucky he's cute, they both said!

Another goodie I found in the forums, was MooGoo Tail Swat, which is an insect repellent for babies and kids. I knew I couldn't use Aerogard on his beautiful skin, so I looked for alternatives and MooGoo came up with the goods! It's fantastic. We spent two nights camping on sand, next to the lake and neither of us were bitten by a single insect. Definitely worth the $8 investment.

Lastly, this is a picture of a very clever tip for keeping out mozzies and the sun, that I came across on a facebook page.

Next time, I will remember to bring Sam's bath!! The showers were bore water, so I didn't want to risk him swallowing any (perhaps being a little overprotective, I'm not sure!). In the end we were creative and Sam had his bath in the portable kitchen sink. He was a little big for it but it got the job done. I am also going to buy a mini clothesline to take with us. It would make more sense if I washed out the burp clothes, wraps and wipes and hung them out, along with our swimmers and towels!

I've also seen other clever ideas for camping as Sam gets older. One mum uses her blow up pool as a play pen, glow sticks for torches, give kids a whistle in case they get lost, a toy tub, foam floor tiles

A toy tub

Glow Sticks for torches

Crawl friendly Foam floor tiles

A blow up pool for a playpen

We will definitely be camping again. Don't put in the too hard basket. It was great to have the time out and there were plenty of hands to help look after Samuel. As we were heading off I remember thinking "If it gets too hard, we can just pack up and go home!". 

Have you been camping with your kids? What tips or advice can you share?

Happy Camping!

Phoebe

xo