Bringing a Baby Camping

[Just Whipperwhirl 24]

It seems like we should have a home here for those with wee - little ones.  Any tips or advice you can share?

[vacamper 6]

Don't be afraid to take them.  It will be worth it.

[MLM5.. aka Judy 97]

The greatest advice to live by when at Disney with the babies, BE FLEXIBLE!!  There is nothting worse than seeing a stressed out family, pulling/dragging a stressed out baby.  The crowds can be over whelming for the little guys.  I know sometimes it's hard for mom and dad's wallet to accept the fact that they will not get every minute of their 5 day park hopper dollars but take it from me ( 5 kids, smallest ones are 8 months and 2) it's not worth the drama and I'm sure fellow vacationers appreciate your willingness to remove yourself and your child from a negative situtation.  Last October I had plans to see all parks, had the 6 day base ticket, threw my agenda out the window the first day after I realized my little one had crowding issues, we did 3 days at MK, 20 minutes (literally) at Epoct, half a day at HS and skipped AK all together (dedicated the entire day to the fort which the little one LOVED!)  Yes, we missed out on some things, yes my big kids were a little bummed, but at the end of the day, we had a awesome vacation and planning for this years trip, I'm planning in down days to hang at the fort, skipping EPOCT all together (we'll hit that one when it's mom and dad's alone trip) and bascially playing it by ear, I probably will buy the 6 day ticket again, just "in case"  the babies are feeling froggy :banana: 

oh yea, snacks and drinks..  not alot of options at Disney for the little guys, and the few options they do have cost you a kidney..

JMHO :wiz:

[~Kristina~ 10]

One word: babywearing!

Ergo

Beco

Moby

Baby Hawk

[jjbescher 17]

I agree that being flexible is the key.  If you do decide to do the parks, definitely do not plan to be at the park the whole day without going back and relaxing/napping.  When actually camping, make sure to bring sunscreen.  On hot days, try to stay in the air conditioned as much as possible or the shade if A/C is not available.

Make sure the babies are keeping hydrated.  When the little ones start to run around, they will not remember to drink juice or milk.

jon

[Momof6....aka Marty 769]

Camping with baby:

I love camping with a little one.  I can just plop her/him in a pack-n-play and let them enjoy the fresh air.  If bugs are an issue, I put a mesh tent over the top.  I bought one to go over the stroller that works fine over the pack-n-play.  I also make sure the baby is in shade, as they burn very quickly.

At night, I put the pack-n-play right next to my bed.  When the baby gets fussy, I pull him/her into my bed and nurse them back to sleep.  I don't do this at home, but do it to be considerate when camping.  We also train our babies to fall asleep to a certain music tape ("Sleep Sound in Jesus" by Michael Card) so I can play that softly in the tent and baby will go right back to sleep.

Disney with Baby: Sorry, I haven't done that yet.  I am praying God will bless me with another, but at my age, it is doubtful.

[charitycase20....Charity 10]

Both of my "babies" were camping before they were crawling!  :) We just love being outside.  Granted we did/do (whatever) co-sleep so that helps but we have never had anyone complain about us being too noisy at a site.

Bring things for distractions, toys, "stuff". Don't just sit around the site...do something, our fave activity is looking for pretty stones, lizards, bugs.  We can't wait until Janary 2012 to do these things at the fort!  :)