It’s always a big concern when taking your baby to camp for the first time – how cold is too cold to go camping with your baby, and how do you keep them warm?
The good news is, the threshhold can be said that as long as you can stay warm, they can (if dressed appropriately!)
If you dress your baby in adequate layers, is is unlikely it will be too cold to camp with your baby! This includes a baselayer, wool layer, and perhaps an insulated (and baby safe) sleeping bag!
Related – Check out more newborn baby camping tips here (yes, it’s VERY possible to camp with your newborn baby!)
Let’s go over some more info about this!
What temperature is too cold to camp with a baby?
I’d say anything you can comfortably dress your baby safely for – to me, that’s anything above 20 or 30 F.
I am not a doctor, but I have found that they can do pretty much anything that an adult could do as long as the baby is dressed as warmly as an adult.
That is where the line might be drawn – as adults, we can really pile on the layers, as we have a fully developed brain and won’t roll and suffocate.
However with a baby, you have to be sure to be using things like baby safe sleeping bags, and layers that aren’t to restricting.
While blankets seem tempting (and I have used them a bit as I co slept with my babies when we camped) using any blankets does pose a risk to super little babies, and you should only do it if you feel comortable.
Therefore, you should be able to dress your baby warmly enough without counting on blankets.
Related: Learn how to get your baby to sleep at night in a camper!
What gear do you need to keep a baby warm at night while camping?
For this question, I will assume you are tent camping as most pull behinds and travel trailers have propane heat you are able to control.
I wrote a full guide on picking the best sleeping bag for baby camping here as well as how to set up a safe sleep area if you’re sleeping with baby in a tent.
- Have a proper baby sleep set up in your tent – Includes insulating ground layer and possible topper
- Dress baby in layers – Wool base layers are best and add more layers on top as needed. I like this wool onesie as a base layer – it has footies so that all that body heat circulates down to their feet too! I think it’s really important to keep extremities extra warm when camping with infants!
- Safe baby sleeping bag – Since piling on blankets can be pretty dangerous, check out these top rated baby camping sleeping bags and pick one that is the best for your baby’s age!
- A warm hat that covers
alot of their face – Most babies have little hair, and even if they do, your head can losealot of heat at night! Be sure to get a cute hat like this that is both warm and functional! It really helps to keep baby’s whole face warm while camping! - Wool gloves for night time – Make sure to get a pair of gloves that allows some air flow while still maintaining a good temperature. Wool gloves are great for this! Make sure to get a pair of baby wool gloves like these to keep baby warm at night while camping, but also to keep them from getting lost at night (they have a string on them you thread through their clothes!)
- Wool socks for use with slippers or under
onsie – See a trend here? I love these socks for babies – they are only 48% wool, but they are made from baby alpaca wool so it’s much softer than normal and hypoallergenic!
Feel better knowing how to keep a baby warm while camping?
It’s actually not as scary as you think – especially if you just think of it as investing in a good baselayer, and just adding as needed!
Camping with a baby isn’t as bad as you might think – they will get so worn out during the day, it’s possible they might actually sleep better!
More articles on how to camp with your baby
- Check out this baby camping checklist + guide to know what clothes, first aid, and toys to bring for an easy camp trip with your infant!
- So you got the basics down
.. - Concerned about the bottle situation while camping? Don’t worry – check out how to quickly prepare and clean bottles for your baby while camping!
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