Mid-Summer Camping Trip

Hey friends! We're here to talk about our experience camping with baby!

Summer is in full swing here in Colorado and we are sweating it out with no AC in the Safarik household! We thought it might be the perfect time to load up our little yellow pop-up camper and head to the mountains.

We have a spot near Gunnison, CO that we love to go. It's near a huge reservoir with breathtaking views. Daniel and I had a great time camping when I was pregnant with Charlie and we were so excited to take him on his first camping trip! I will say I was nervous because toddlers can be a little unpredictable, especially in a new situation. But we love them all the more!

First things first, we had to stock up on some groceries! We got some easy-to-cook stuff that we could store in our Yeti cooler. We love taking the Yeti camping because it keeps our food (and beverages) nice and cold for an entire weekend.

toys camping with toddler boat safe fun busy

We also hit up the dollar spot at Target to find a few cheap and fun toys for Charlie to be entertained with. This was such a life saver for camping with baby! These little toys and games kept him so busy at our campsite! While we were up in the mountains, we were by a huge reservoir so we got the chance to rent a pontoon boat. I picked up a few boat- and fishing-themed toys and Charlie was hooked! Pun intended;)

nap time with toddler Parker baby quilt on boat

Napping looks a lot different when you're camping with baby. We never know how nap time is going to go on these wild adventures but we tried to keep it familiar. We brought Charlie's blanket and a sound machine on the boat with us. It may seem a little extra but we got him to nap for a full hour and a half! Hallelujah! Also on the boat we loaded up with sunscreen because that CO sun is bright and toasty. Our go-to is still Sun Bum spray. It's easy to spray on a kiddo, (Charlie hates when we rub in sunscreen) and it smells like a tropical vacation.

camping and boat with a toddler

We tried to do the same set-up for bed time. We like to keep the routine the same as we always do for going to sleep, so we set up his pack-and-play in our camper with the sound machine blaring and his Parker Baby Lodgepole quilt. It's the perfect weight for a warmer day but keeps him nice and cozy at night! He slept pretty great across the camper from us but woke up a little earlier and went to bed a little later. Who needs sleep when you are having fun camping with baby!?

camping with a toddler

Overall, camping with a little guy was a success. The best tip for the whole weekend was having a good attitude. Nothing will ever go perfectly, but that is what makes camping with baby memorable! We were so grateful for a family weekend with no cell service so we could just focus on the important stuff like spending quality time with each other. And s'mores;)

Happy camping!

Emma