Camping with young children: choose the right sleeping or napping gear and clothing

Bundling up a little one for sleeping is sometimes easier said than done when camping without the comforts of home. To keep everybody happy during the day, a good night’s sleep is still the best way to enjoy camping away from your usual environment.

Here are some sweet dreams suggestions by age range.

Newborns - Infants (0 – 18 months)

The challenge with little babies is that they tend to lose body heat easily, are very dependent on body contact and can be the squirmiest creatures. The best solution for newborns, especially if the mother is breastfeeding, is to have the baby co-sleep in the same sleeping bag as the mom. Soothing and feeding will be a lot easier, and mom will sleep better if she doesn’t need to get out of her sleeping bag to attend to baby’s needs.

If the mother’s sleeping bag isn’t very large, zip up two sleeping bags together and have baby sleep in a Bundle Me or Snuggle Nest next to mom. Remember to leave baby's head clear of all blankets and stuffed animals for easy breathing.

To keep warm, the ideal clothing combinations include the following: hats with flaps, fleece onesies, fleece sleepsacks and fleece sleepers (with gloves if you are camping in cold weather).

Toddlers (18 months – 3 years)

After kids start crawling, you have to reconsider sleeping arrangements. Your new sleeping gear will have to be able to contain escaping endeavors and ensure safe play time. While upgrading to a regular sleeping bag is way too early, toddlers still need a cozy place to lay down and sleep or nap. At this stage, sleeping arrangements will still be a big part of your camping set up and more than likely you'll be using a 4 to 6+ person tent to accomodate sleeping gear as well as bags and toys.

Two main sleeping options co-exist:

The travel tent: the only manufacturer on the market is KidCo, Inc., a company that carries a line of foldable travel beds called the PeaPod. They are miniature tents with an incorporated inflatable air mattress and they come in circular zippered storage bags. Two sizes cater for younger or older children. Easy to fold and unfold (after you read the step-by-step instructions), the smaller PeaPod weighs about 4.5 lbs and the bigger Pea Pod weighs 6.9 lbs, making them both portable solutions for all occasions. Mesh sides protect your child from bugs at night (a huge plus in mosquito climates) and during the day and you can set it anywhere inside or outside for a nap under a tree. As far as playing, it can be packed as its own little play room but won’t work well for physical toddlers who need to get up and stand. Unfortunately the PeaPod currently doesn't offer any UV protection.
The travel crib: there are several models on the market, from the lightweight and compact Phil & Ted's Traveller Portable Crib or the BabyBjorn Travel Crib Light to the heavier duty Pack’n Play made by Graco. All folding cribs can easily be set up inside a tent provided you have a 4-person tent or bigger with a high ceiling. They take up a lot of floor space and you will need to be able to stand over them to take care of your child. Much like the crib you use at home, they are wonderful contained play spaces for young children when you need grown-up time. Think about setting up the tent or preparing meals. In those instances, most parents simply take the travel crib outside of the tent and position it next to them so that children can be close by when they play. Additional tent tops that snap on top of the crib provide protection from the heat and bugs, some with UV protection.

Preschoolers and up (3 years and older)

Basically when a child has transitioned from a crib to a toddler or regular bed, you can upgrade tent sleeping arrangements. Go ahead and invest in a kid-size sleeping bag but make sure to look for better quality sleeping bags if you want to avoid nighttime chills. If you are going to camp in the sierras (Tahoe, Yosemite), get a sleeping bag with 30 or 20 degree rating so that your kids stay toasty at night. Check washing details so that you can wash the sleeping bag and put it in the dryer. Night accidents do happen, even when camping.

To “improve” the thermal rating of a sleeping bag, you can also add a fleece liner such as the Kelty Lightweight Fleece Liner. For crafty types, you can easily make one if you have a sewing machine. Sleeping bag liners are basically rectangles with a possibility to open or close up the opening and a narrower base for the mummy shape. Here are instructions on how to sew a sleeping bag liner. Just substitute fleece for silk, pick a fun print and you’ve got an easily washable child-friendly extra insulation layer.

To keep warm, fleece or warm pajamas will do the trick but remember that if your child is potty-training, you will want pajamas whose bottom can come down fast.

Last, you may want to bring your home pillows or if room is tight in the car, get a camping pillow. Therm-A-Rest makes compressible camping pillows that come in three sizes and are covered with a comfy brushed polyester top.

Now all you need, really, is to set a date on your calendar to go camping with the family.