Scoops' 1st Camping Trip

If you look closely, you can see a sleeping
baby under that rain-soaked jacket!

Another milestone has been met: we recently took Scoops on her very first camping trip! Really, I should call it "glamping" because we were in my late grandparents' old VW Vanagon, and in my mind any kind of camping that doesn't involve the campers setting up a tent is definitely more glamorous. Also, we had panoramic ocean views, so that's pretty bougey. I figured I'd probably lose my mind trying to camp with an infant in a tent, so I was grateful to my uncle (the van's current owner) for loaning the van to us. In the end, it rained most of the time we were camping, and I mean it rained like I wish it would have all winter long, so the van was pretty necessary or we would have bailed before we even got to the camp site. As it was, we spent the majority of the first day, which was the rainiest, sitting in the van watching and listening to the rain fall all around us. 

Following my own terrible advice from my How to Take Your Baby to the Beach post, I pretty much failed to plan ahead for this trip. It was a very last minute decision, and packing up and leaving last minute for anything with an infant is challenging, let alone 2 nights away from home, never mind 2 nights away from home in a camper van. I realized when we arrived and set up camp that I'd forgotten to pack a book to read, or even a deck of cards to keep us amused. Fortunately, I remembered the baby. She was pretty entertaining. We also brought our dog, who was content at least to be with us rather than alone at the house, but wasn't fond of the rain. Or camping in general, from what I could tell. All four of us cuddled close in that relatively small space made me glad, once again, that we have a very small dog. Anyway, the point I was trying to make is that we didn't need to be entertained. We get plenty of mental stimulation when we're at home, so while we were camping it was nice to just sit and be. It was nice to have little choice but to simply sit and be, actually. We listened to the rain, we talked and cuddled with each other, we napped (oh, the naps!), we watched the waves crash on the shore. Oh, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't take advantage of the park's WiFi a little while we were there, but I kept that to a minimum and would have been fine without it, honestly. (I may have been browsing vintage trailers for sale.)

The Pack 'n' Play was necessary for everyone's sleeping (and lounging) contentment.

Surprisingly, Scoops slept great both nights we were there. We set up her pack 'n' play on the floor of the van (after removing the rear-facing passenger seat and stashing it upside-down in the driver's seat), and my husband and I slept on the fold out bed in the back. It would have been fun to use the pop up tent on the roof, but the rain made that pretty impossible. Getting Scoops to fall asleep was our biggest challenge. It was colder at our campsite, even in a solid van, than her nursery usually is, and we still follow the recommended guidelines of no loose blankets in her sleeping area. We layered on two pairs of fleece pajamas and a hat, and that seemed to keep her pretty warm. After the first night though, she woke up with icy cold legs, so the second night I put my own fleece socks over her legs, and wrapped her mattress tightly with a thick, warm cable knit blanket. That did the trick! She was a perfectly normal temperature all over when she woke up the second morning. We also packed our white noise machine, which helped us all sleep better since our camping neighbors were a large and boisterous group of teenage boys (man, do I sound like an old lady). Like I said, getting Scoops to fall asleep was our biggest challenge, but once she was out she slept better than she had been sleeping at home. Actually, so did I and my husband. We slept well at night, and since the rain kept us indoors much of the time, we napped a lot during the day, too. It was so relaxing, and such a great chance to catch up on sleep without the nagging thought of laundry, or cleaning, or housework or whatever was left behind at home.

Now, where did we go? Any guesses? We went to the new Moro Campground at Crystal Cove State Beach. If you have the opportunity to camp here, snatch it up like you'll never see that opportunity again. Despite fervent research efforts, I can't seem to figure out exactly when this campground opened, but I can tell you it's only about a year, maybe 2, old. The bathrooms are pristine. There are single stall enclosed shower rooms, and they're clean. The campsites are immaculate and each one has a stunning ocean view. The entire campground is on tiered loops, so the sites on the bottom tier (Dolphin Circle) have the best views, but really you can't complain about the view from any of these campsites. Keep in mind, when you camp here you're not technically on the beach. You're up on a bluff, across PCH (Pacific Coast Highway) from the beach. To get to the beach, you have to walk down a sizeable hill (paved road) and through a tunnel that runs under PCH. Not too strenuous if you're averagely active. Getting there is easy, it's coming back up the hill that might make you catch your breath. There are beautiful and easy nature trails at the bottom of this same hill, and lots of learning stations that would probably be great at keeping older kids entertained (I enjoyed them). 

Dogs are allowed at this campground... but not much outside the actual camp site!

Keep in mind, if you take your dog with you, he is sadly not allowed on the dirt trails (which we unfortunately didn't realize until we'd walked about half of them... signage at all entrance points would be helpful). Dogs are also not allowed on the beach, and you can't just tie them up and leave them at your campsite. So, if you bring your dog, you'll be pretty much limited to your campsite and any paved roads (which are few). If you don't bring a dog, there are miles of beaches and backcountry trails to explore. You can also walk the historic district and check out the cool old homes (which are available for overnight rental, and many are actually right on the beach!) and dine at The Beachcomber. All of Crystal Cove is really a fun, historic place, and worth checking out even for just a day trip.

In order to make your camping trip the most successful, baby in tow or not, here are the must-have items I forgot to pack (don't make the same mistake!):

1. Soap
Those bathrooms and showers are clean, but they are not equipped with soap. Even if you're not showering, washing your hands with soap is way more effective than just using hand sanitizer the whole time. This should be a total "duh" point, but I haven't camped in a while and bringing soap totally slipped my mind. (No pun intended, I swear.)

2. Towels
See above. 

3. Compressed gas stove
We did not realize until we got there that open fires are not allowed at this park. It makes sense, really. The whole state is dry with this drought we've been stuck in, but this region in particular is always pretty dry. The Vanagon has a stove, yes, but it hasn't been used in years, and we didn't bother to fill up the propane tank before we left because we wanted to enjoy an open fire anyway. Ultimately, we drove down to the local shopping center the first night we were there and picked up tacos from Bear Flag. A great decision, actually, because those tacos are the bomb (oh, I said it). The rest of the time, we relied on dry or cold stuff from the grocery store that we had packed (muffins, hummus and chips, bananas, baby carrots, wrap sandwiches). It worked, but it wasn't ideal. I would have preferred to cook something hot for dinner if we'd had the ability.

And now for the must-have items I actually did think to pack, and that made camping with a baby ever so much easier:

1. Baby
You can't camp with a baby if you don't bring the baby.

2. Diapers
Cloth or disposable, whatever your thing is, bring a crap load of 'em (pun intended). I packed an entire box of size 2's, which is like, 80 friggin' diapers. Did I use them all? No. Was I glad I had them. You bet your ass I was.

3. Wipes
See above.

4. Play Yard
I was not confident in our ability to effectively co-sleep while camping, in a bed space that was not our usual bed, so for me a Pack 'n' Play was extremely necessary. Aside from providing a safe space for Scoops to sleep, it also gave her a safe space to sit, scoot, and play. This was more useful than I even thought it would be. If you're tent camping and don't have room for a play yard, I'm sure it's not actually necessary, especially if you're a co-sleeping pro (or if you have a small portable baby bed like one of those pod things). If you have the space, though, I vote for the Pack 'n' Play.

5. Snacks
It's amazing how much I eat when I'm not at home. Actually, it's amazing how much more I taste my food when I'm not at home.

6. Journal
If you don't journal, now's a good time to start. Sitting in the quiet of nature has a way of inspiring introspection, and journals are a great way to capture the fruits of that introspection. Even if you just use it to note the basic highlights of baby's first camping trip, my guess is you'll be glad you brought the journal.

7. Pillows
And sheets, if you're feeling ambitious. Dressing a full bed (air mattress, sheets, pillows and cases) is something I've been doing on most of my camping trips for the past couple of years (thanks, Sunset Magazine, for inspiring me to be an overachiever). It's one of those things that is so unnecessary, but can make a big difference in your enjoyment of the trip. I highly recommend this tactic to anyone who is not really fond of camping. Just use old sheets, preferably not white ones, that you don't mind getting dirty. Even if you'd prefer the simplicity of a good old fashioned sleeping bag, you'll probably still want a pillow. Bonus: if you're breastfeeding, you can use the pillow to prop baby on your lap during feedings (leave the nursing pillow at home!).

Avoid the drama: pack a teething toy.

8. Baby's favorite toy(s)
Pick 1-3 small toys that your child loves, that are always comforting. You're going to be in a new place, with new smells and sounds, and it might be hard for baby to adjust. Having a few favorite things from home will probably help baby feel more at ease.

9. White noise machine
Similar to the toys, and especially if this is something you use regularly at home, this is one item that will greatly help baby's new environment to feel more familiar. Just make sure you've got backup batteries!

10. Layers of warm clothing
For you and baby. Wherever you are in the US, it probably gets cold at night. At least for a baby. Bring warm layers, and add them as needed. If you don't need them, don't use them, but if you do need them, you (and baby) will be very glad you packed them!

So there you have it. Our first camping trip with a baby was a success, and we're looking forward to trying it again soon. The next adventure will be using a tent instead of a camper van! (And just to be clear, in the photo above, Scoops is crying not because she wasn't enjoying camping, but because she was royally pissed that we wouldn't let her eat the bubble level off the side of her car seat. Gotta have boundaries, mommies.)

Have you camped with an infant? How did it go? What made the trip successful (or not)?