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Camping - Pregnant, with baby, with toddler

strickland8052strickland8052 member
in July 2019 Moms
Hey guys! We are considering two camping trips. One in May (5 hour drive to Florida), when I'll be like... 30 weeks pregnant? And another in October (4 hour drive to Tennessee), when baby will be like 11 weeks old. We also will have a toddler.

The details: We are no stranger to camping. We do stay in a tent, but we go with my parents who have an RV and it is no issue at all if I end up in RV bed with toddler and baby while husband stays in tent. We stay at places that have a bathroom with shower.

What say you? Is one or both of these too much? Will we be too uncomfortable? Should we just rent a cabin for one or both of these trips? Or not go at all?

Also thought this might be a fun place to share tips on camping with a baby and/or toddler. :) We've camped once with our toddler, and we had a BLAST! Wish we would have done it earlier.
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Re: Camping - Pregnant, with baby, with toddler

  • xtinecatherinextinecatherine member
    I went camping when I was pregnant with my last one.  But I was 36 weeks. We stayed in a cabin, so not really camping traditionally, but we had those sleepaway camp beds with the super thin plastic mattress.  I was personally miserable and barely slept.  However I am not the outdoorsy type, so if you are a camping veteran you might be way better off than me.  
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  • ameliabedelia-2ameliabedelia-2 member
    I am sort of in the same boat. We are going back and forth on whether to buy an RV (we live in Seattle), and my husband thinks its a terrible idea. He said camping (if you call it that in an RV) is a terrible idea with a baby on the way. I would consider your overall comfort level at 30 weeks sleeping in a sleeping bag or RV bed.  Also, where would baby sleep in October? Nights are cold in TN that time of year. I'd lead towards a cabin with the baby, or the RV. Tent camping with a newborn would give me anxiety. 
    Momma to Amelia Marie (7/14) and Austin Samuel (11/17). Adding baby (girl) #3 on 7/21  <3
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  • key33key33 member
    I would think sleeping in a tent at 30 weeks pregnant would be absolutely miserable. (I know I would) I'm not sure how much better your RV sleeping option would be at that time. That would be my only concern is the comfort level.

    Camping with a baby, I would go for a cabin in October. Weather in unpredictable and nights can still be cold. Baby will be just starting to grow their immune system at 2-3 months on their own. 
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  • mamanbebemamanbebe member
    @strickland8052 I think it's a great idea :) I had one friend who did a backpacking trip while 7 months pregnant and loved every minute of it, and another who frequently camped with their toddler and newborn and felt completely at home with it. I think it's doable, and I've heard that newborns tend to be pretty at-peace in nature. We had an rv trailer last year and went camping with our 4 year old quite a bit, with moderate success, and had planned to continue camping this year but we sold our trailer in the winter. This summer, we'll probably rent a small camper in June to do a weekender in the area and maybe again early fall. And in August we're renting a cabin for a week so that DS and DH can go fishing and hiking while I chill with LO, away from the city noise. 
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  • CbeanzCbeanz member
    @strickland8052 Sounds awesome!  We love camping and have camped at 30+ weeks pregnant a few times and with a toddler a few times.  The only thing we haven't done is camped with a newborn.  Would you bring a pack n play?  You could probably even set up the PnP outside during the day and the baby would enjoy the sounds and the breeze.  I would be nervous about sleep if you didn't have a PnP, unless you already have a better idea for the sleeping situation.  
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  • ameliabedelia-2ameliabedelia-2 member
    @mamanbebe, why did you all decide to sell your trailer?
    Momma to Amelia Marie (7/14) and Austin Samuel (11/17). Adding baby (girl) #3 on 7/21  <3
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  • strickland8052strickland8052 member
    To clarify - Newborn would definitely be in RV if weather gets cold. (But we go to this particular location every year during the same weekend, and it is almost always hot.)

    @ameliabedelia-2 - When my parents bought their camper, I thought it was the stupidest decision ever. Now I think it is awesome! They have it packed with everything they need - an extra pair of toothbrushes, soap, shampoo, pots, pans, plates, etc. When they are ready to go, they literally just throw their clothes in there and leave. It has dramatically increased the amount that they travel. I think the same would be true - if not more so - with a baby, because you could have all the gear packed and ready. :) Traveling with a kid is hard, just because of all the packing and prep. A camper filled with the essentials could eliminate a lot of the hassle. Then again, you may want to wait until baby is born to be sure he/she travels well. Our girl is pretty good in the car, but some kids don't travel well at all.
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  • ameliabedelia-2ameliabedelia-2 member
    @strickland8052, we are in Seattle for the next 2-3 years for DH's job. I don't mind tent camping, but much prefer an RV. I told DH that if I am going to deal with 7-8 months of shit weather, we are going to make the most of the summer/fall by packing in as much travel time as possible.  We are looking at buying one for our time out here. I think it will definitely be easier with the kids. And agreed, having everything packed and ready to go when the mood strikes is a huge selling point. 
    Momma to Amelia Marie (7/14) and Austin Samuel (11/17). Adding baby (girl) #3 on 7/21  <3
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  • nolemomma14nolemomma14 member
    Yes to the camping!! We are going camping over Memorial Day weekend, in an RV. I’ll be 33 weeks then I believe. I’m sure it won’t be the most comfortable I’ve been, but it’s only for a weekend. We will have our 4.5 and 2 year old with us. We’ve been going every Memorial Day weekend since my oldest was a year old, and it’s always a wonderful time! 

    Were hoping to get a pop pop up camper or something later this year so that we can take more trips. 
    Lilypie Pregnancy tickers
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  • cindlercindler member
    Do it! If you're used to camping, you know what you can and cannot handle. Even if it's a negative experience, those make for good stories! 

    And I LOVE that you're showing your children the outdoors at all ages! Tent camping is all I did as a kid and I have so many great memories from our camping adventures!!
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  • mamanbebemamanbebe member
    @ameliabedelia-2 We were having a lot of issues with maintenance on the particular trailer that we had. It was also pretty heavy to pull and not a great layout inside. I think if we get another one, we may look more at R-Pods, Hymer or maybe the Rockwood hard sided popups. 
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  • PanaceiaPanaceia member
    I am going back and forth with this myself. I usually take DD up to the boat for the summer. I started taking her when she was 6 months old. But I go alone with her for 2 months as SO works all summer...so I'm probably going to skip it this year. For me it's just that I'm alone and the nearest hospital is pretty far away. I might try a few day trips and see how they go if I can get SO to come with me. But I'll likely just not go this year and then get back to our regular routine next summer when LO will be 1 and DD will be 6.5.
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  • erynpdxerynpdx member
    I'm flip flopping here also. I think I've decided against that kind of driving and sleeping pre baby, but that we're going to try for 2 trips in September - one with friends one with family. Both cases we'll use my parent's little RV for me and the baby and let Kevin and the preschooler be in the tent. 
    My current irritation is that I'm just about 100% maxed out, and none of my friends or family are volunteering to take the lead on these reservations at all. Like we're all working moms with little kids, but I'm also moving and pregnant and do it every year. :neutral:
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