How to Camp with a 1 Year Old
We have taken our 1 year old camping, and it was (mostly) wonderful! Car camping is a great way to experience nature, see how your baby will handle sleeping in a tent, and have a lovely time together. I’m going to tell you all about how to camp with a 1 year old. What to pack, how to sleep, and more.
I also have a post about Camping with a Toddler. If your kiddo is walking and more in the 2-3 year old rage, you might want to read that one instead. Camping with a non-walking 1 year old and a curious 3 year old was very different for us!
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How to camp with a 1 year old jump to:
Top Tips to Camp with a 1 Year Old:
Just do it. If outdoor adventure is important to your family, take your little one camping. Prepare as best you can and then just go and enjoy it.
Don’t wait until your 1 year old is older. Not being able to walk yet can actually be advantageous to camping. They won’t be able to wander off quickly to anywhere dangerous.
Be picky when choosing a campsite, if possible. Try to find a more secluded site so a 2am cry won’t disturb your neighbors as much. Ideally, find a site with the tent pad in the shade if you’re trying to do an afternoon tent nap.
Try to pick a campground not far from home for your first time out. What if you have no choice but to bail on camping at 2am? You don’t want to have a far drive. My husband and I had a plan that if we had to drive home in the middle of the night we were just going to leave our tent set up and go get all our stuff the next day. Prepare for the worst.
Check the weather beforehand. Honestly, camping in constant rain with a 1 year old would suck. They don’t want to be contained; they want to explore. If it’s going to be super rainy/stormy consider cancelling or postponing your trip.
Delegate baby duties. One adult cooks while the other watches the baby. One adult sets up the tent while the other keeps baby from eating rocks. You get the picture..
Keep them warm at night. I highly recommend a sleeping bag sack and have a whole post about how to keep them comfortable and safe overnight in cold weather.
The campground should have available clean water. A bathroom and trash areas are also helpful.
Our sleep set up. Large tent, pack n play, and a slumber pod. Yes, I realize how crazy it is to have a tent within a tent….
Advice for Sleep
Try to set yourself up for success as best you can.
Sleeping in a tent will affect some babies more than others. If you have a chill baby that will sleep anywhere, congrats! They’ll probably do fine while camping. If you don’t have that miracle sleep baby, just do your best.
I highly recommend using a tent big enough to fit a pack n play. If your child is used to sleeping in a crib or bassinet, this will work much better than sharing a sleeping bag, using a tent pad, etc. We set up the pack n play and even used a Slumber Pod over it to block out the early morning sun.
A Slumber Pod is basically a dark tent for your pack n play. It’s breathable and honestly one of the greatest inventions for parents who want to travel with their kids. It keeps the environment consistent, helps with bright spaces, and is pretty compact to pack. They sometimes run sales or sell returned items if you don’t want to pay full price.
We also brought a travel white noise machine and plugged it into a portable charger.
Yes, we might be crazy, but our 1 year old slept for 12 hours straight. Can’t be mad about that.
Do your usual bedtime routine… books, put pajamas on, be calm, sing, etc.
If your babe is screaming and won’t go to sleep, now is not the time to try sleep training. Sound carries in a campground. We got our 1 year old out of the pack n play a few times at bedtime because she was screaming. We comforted her, sang to her, and she eventually figured it out.
Be flexible with baby sleep while camping.
Nap Time
Naps are hard while camping. It can get quite hot during the day when the sun is beating down on your tent. We were able to do a morning nap in the pack n play before the tent was too warm.
Other options for naps if the tent is too warm:
If your baby naps well in the car, plan to take a scenic drive during naptime.
Bring the pack n play and slumber pod out of the tent and use a fan to get some air flow in the slumber pod.
Go for a hike with a comfortable baby carrier and let your baby nap that way.
Clothing for Baby
Layers, layers, layers. You want to keep your baby comfortable, and weather can change drastically while camping. Be prepared for cold and warm weather. Have a light base layer, a medium warm middle layer, and a rain-repellent outer layer.
I highly recommend buying a Morrison baby wearable sleeping bag to keep your kiddo warm at night. I was worried about our little one’s face getting covered or her slipping out of a sleeping bag and getting cold. This wearable sleeping bag is perfect.
I have a whole post on how to keep a baby or toddler warm while camping — I was SO stressed about this.
Check the high and low temperatures for where you’re going and dress your baby appropriately.
Read Next: Tips for Iceland Travel with a Toddler or How to Canoe Camp in Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota.
Meal Planning
Try to keep this uncomplicated.
If your baby is still breastfeeding, continue to do that while camping.
If you’re baby is bottle-feeding, bring all your usual supplies. Bring clean water if your campground doesn’t have it. Bring soap to clean your bottle parts.
Because you’re car camping, you can keep things cold in a cooler with ice packs.
Most 1 year olds are trying out solid food. Keep it simple. Pack some easy snacks and meals. Puffs, pouches, cooked veggies, etc. Or share whatever the adults are eating.
We brought a bumbo seat, so she’d be contained while eating. Put a disposable table cloth or something under your kiddo to catch dropped/thrown food, especially if you’re in bear country. You don’t want food scraps all over your campsite.
Eating set up: bumbo seat, towel under the bumbo seat to catch dropped food, sun hat to protect little one from the sun.
Packing List to Camp with a 1 year old
You’re car camping, so you can bring whatever fits in your car. If you think something is going to make your camping trip more enjoyable, bring it. Sure it will be a pain to pack/unpack, but you want to camp with a 1 year old and have it be a success.
Here’s what we brought, you can eliminate/add things as needed:
- Pack n Play and Pack n Play Cover
- Slumber Pod
- White noise machine and Portable Charger
- Bumbo seat/somewhere to put baby while eating and towel to catch dropped food
- Large Tent
- Clothing – lots of layers, hat/mittens if really cold, sleeping bag sack. Bring extra if outfits get dirty.
- Shoes
- Diapers and Wipes
- Everything for the adults
- Food, snacks, milk
- Utensils, bottles, etc
- Garbage bags
- Medication just in case
- Mats/blankets for the ground around the campsite – if your little one is still crawling and you don’t want them to have to crawl in the dirt the whole time
- Some small toys
- Fan if it will be hot
- Hiking Carrier if you plan on hiking
- Walker (optional) – our kiddo wasn’t walking yet but loved walking with her little rolling walker
- Shade Tent (optional) – depends on how much time you’ll be spending at your campsite during the day
Safety while Camping with a 1 year old
You’ll have to watch your baby like a hawk if they put everything in their mouth. There are rocks, sticks, etc all around the campsite.
Be careful if you’re having a fire. Do not let your baby near it.
Keep your baby cool or warm depending on the temperature.
Use sunscreen, hats, and UV blocking clothing to protect your 1 year old from the sun.
Bug spray and citronella candles if there are a lot of mosquitoes.
If you’re in bear country, keep your smelly items in your closed car or a bear locker. Don’t leave food out around the campsite.
It’s alllll worth it, I swear. Just do it. Camp with your little one.
Final Thoughts on How to Camp with a 1 Year Old
Be flexible. Your baby might act differently than normal. Naps might be different than normal. Bedtime might be later. Realize that you’re on a bit of an adventure and try to roll with it all.
Enjoy the little things. Watch your child’s eyes light up when they see deer or a double rainbow. Savor your cup of coffee in nature and be grateful that you were able to go camping as a family.
For your next adventure, try taking your toddler to Iceland! Or take your toddler camping in Glacier National Park.
Happy Camping!
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I could feel the excitement in your words as you described a camping tip. Can’t wait to experience it for myself and look for Viewscape Nature’s Park.
Aw thanks! It was so exciting to take our little one camping. I hope you get to!
Hi! I’m going to be camping with my 2-year-old in June. She still sleeps in a crib, so I was just wondering if a pack and play or a toddler mattress in the slumberpod would make more sense? Also, do you think it would it be bad to just have the slumberpod on its own right next to our tent (since it’s kind of a tent in itself)? Thanks!
Hi Jacqui! I’m so happy you’re going to take your little one camping! We put the pack n play with the slumber pod over it inside our tent…. I don’t know that I’d feel comfortable not having her in the tent with me. If she’s always contained in a crib while sleeping, I would probably do the pack n play. Otherwise you risk her climbing all around the tent all night. We used a 4 person tent with the pack n play/slumber pod. And we set it up beforehand to make sure everything fit ok. Good luck and happy camping!!