Today I’m going to talk about how we did our first camping trip with our little kiddo, which happened to be our first-ever camping experience as well. Rhyna was only 4 months old, and we decided to camp outdoors on a cold November night. We chose a campsite listed on Airbnb. At first look, the campsite seemed nice, and the people behind this arrangement had quite good reviews on Airbnb. So, we booked one night. It was located around 45 miles west of Charleston Beach, South Carolina. As it was our first time, we wanted to be on site as early as possible. We reached there at around 3 in the afternoon. But there was bad news waiting for us. Because of the storm in Florida, here in South Carolina, the river was flowing above its usual water height. As a result, our campsite was flooded. There were some two-story huts that were safe to stay in, but our tent was supposed to be on the ground. We contacted the camp supervisor, and he told us there was another field just a 1-minute drive away, and they had arranged something for us there. We went there, and it was an open field surrounded by numerous trees. The whole of South Carolina is like this, and this is why I love this state so much! Anyway, once we reached our new campground, we immediately started to set up our tent. We had practiced how to raise a tent back at home before coming here, so we didn’t face any trouble this time. Once the tent was raised, we took out all the necessary things that we brought for our camping and put them on the table provided by the organizers.
To make our journey hassle-free, we brought two sleeping bags for us and one sleeping bag for our little one. We brought one all-purpose tarp to lay under the tent so we wouldn’t get cold from the ground. We brought one stove and butane fuel for light cooking, and we brought all the arrangements for coffee. We also packed some packets of chips, snacks, and some ready-made food items from the nearby Walmart closest to the campground. We also brought a camp light and mosquito repellent. We made sure that no mosquitoes or bugs would bite Rhyna by putting mosquito repellent all over her exposed skin, especially on her neck and her face. Once we had everything set, we lit the fire. The fire pit and the wood were arranged by the organizers.
As the sun set, the surroundings got dark and quiet. After a while, the moon came up, but it was still dark outside as the campground was surrounded by many trees. Probably at around 11 pm, the moon was able to surpass the trees and sneak above them. It was a surreal experience. The whole field was flooded with silver light. As most of the other campers were already asleep, we were fully able to enjoy the silence and the beauty. Rhyna had a great sleep during the evening. She took a long 3-hour nap. We had all of her necessary belongings for a smooth camping trip. We had her diapers, formula milk, a flask for hot water, a pan to boil water, a feeding bottle, and a pacifier. For her comfort during the night, we ensured we had extra gloves, socks, and a sleeping gown in case she got cold. Although we brought a sleeping bag just for her, we kept her close to us under our own blanket at night to ensure she didn’t get cold. We made coffee, tended to the fire, and at midnight, we warmed some ready-made meals we had brought. Then, once we were really tired, we went to sleep. It wasn’t the most comfortable bed I ever had, but it wasn’t bad either. At 9 o’clock in the morning, we woke up. During the night, I heard our little one crying. I’m sure my wife took care of her because I didn’t have any problem sleeping further, haha.
It was already hot outside once we started to pack up. Our mosquito repellent bottle was also finished, so the mosquitoes began letting us know of their existence. To ensure Rhyna didn’t get affected by them, I started our car, turned on the AC, and put her inside. After about half an hour, we were able to pack our stuff and clean the campsite as we found it, and we were ready to head towards our home!
Quick tips: Don’t let your baby starve even for a while; rather, it’s better to overfeed them. Because once they start crying, it’s difficult to stop them, and your camping could be ruined right there.
If you suspect your baby might cause trouble during the night, there are some herbal sleep-inducing syrups that help babies have a wonderful sleep. They are totally harmless and have no side effects (you want to make sure before buying them).
There are some camp chairs you can find in online marketplaces. They are like high chairs and have a barrier in front of the baby that prevents them from getting off the chair. We hadn’t used them because we didn’t know about them at that time. But this could be a lifesaver when you and your partner are trying to enjoy the fire sitting beside it.
Always have an extra pacifier. And you will find ribbons to tie this with the help of a clip to your baby’s dress so that it doesn’t get lost. Do this, and you will thank me later.
That’s all for today. I wish you a very happy camping!!