I have a few top tips that I recommend to any family taking young children camping, regardless of if your child is on a schedule or not, these will help!
- Think about how you will all sleep, ensure you have enough space for the whole family to comfortably sleep and move around. If you have siblings sharing a room or the entire family sharing, space out bedtimes and turn up the white noise, I would recommend putting your bed in between siblings to allow some space from each other.
- I would recommend keeping your baby or toddler in a pack'n'play if they are still using a crib at home. Take warm bedding, generally those cool nights creep up on us at 4-5 am in the morning. Take any loveys, favorite blanket and try to keep your normal bedtime wind down ritual. Don't forget yourself to keep yourself and the animals warm also.
- White noise.... did I mention white noise? This will be a LIFESAVER! download an app and make sure your phone is charged, put it into airplane mode and it should last the duration. The baby shusher is also a great tool to help lull younger babies to sleep as well as white noise, remember the shusher turns off after 30 minutes so don't rely on it for overnight sleep.
- Take a portable potty with you for your toddler, even if they use the toilet at home. Some toddlers will have a genuine fear for sitting on the vault toilet and have the feeling like they are going to fall in!
Regardless of what schedule or routine you are on at home, it will be slightly different to manage and I recommend doing what works best for your family to achieve sleep, relax and do not stress about sleep or what will happen when you return home - If your baby or toddler goes through a sleep regression, the ability to sleep is not completely lost, I promise! If your baby or toddler has slept with you while you are camping, avoid letting this happen when you get back home if you do not normally co-sleep, get your little one back into the crib or bed as soon as you return. Allow tired children and sick children to catch up on sleep while you are camping, even if your child no longer takes a nap, they may need one or some quiet time to rest for 45-60 minutes.
Help your family rest easy by visiting Sarah Oliver Baby Sleep Consultancy and follow on Facebook & Instagram for even more Expert Sleep Tips!
