Surviving Yellowstone with a Baby (and a 3 year old)
Pregnancy doesn't treat me well, so as soon as the baby comes and some resemblance of a health is restored, I am ready to get out. I planned both of my pregnancies so that the babies were born in the spring. At 6 weeks and 4 weeks respectively, both sons were out camping. When the youngest was 5 weeks of age we took the whole family to Yellowstone. How did we do it with a 3 year old and 5 week old? Patience, teamwork, and patience. Why would we put so much stress on ourselves. Because with FMLA it was the only time during the summer my husband would have time off work for a week long vacation. Plus I have to feed the baby either way, and I would rather do it while looking at the beauty of nature.
So how did we do it? First we had a camper trailer (or a hotel room would do), so we had heat, water, potty, and a sleeping area. In my opinion, these are a must.
We also took the key baby items:
-a bouncer for baby to sit in,
-a Boppy pillow for feeding and sleeping,
-Pak n Play (or for son number two, it was the Rock n Play),
- and an off road stroller like the Baby Trend Jogging Stroller or a carrying device like the Boba Wrap (we forgot the stroller in Yellowstone, but remembered the Boba and it worked great).
When you tackle camping with a baby you have to realize the baby's necessities don't change, and may become more challenging without the convenience of home. Plan extra time for feedings, pumping, getting dressed, and meals. Go to be out in nature and don't have a inflexible agenda.
Sleeping may be the biggest challenge. Make sure you have heat in your trailer or a Heater Buddy for your tent trailer, (we used this camping with son number one). With both boys we initially started the nights with them in their cribs, but by midway thru the night the boys were in bed with us. Maybe it was warmth or the comfort of being next to us in a strange place, but the babies slept better on our chests or in the Boppy laying next to us. If this doesn't bother you, I recommend it. Yes, I know this is not recommended for SIDS prevention, but it's also important that mommy and daddy have some sleep, so that we don't loose it.
Feedings can be a challenge. We pump and bottle feed. Ice packs work great during the day on road trips to keep the milk fresh. I also would take my pump, and pump in the car on a 30 minute stretch. Kind of tricky at first, but saves time and pain from engorgement (yes, my husband was driving), and remember the batteries. At night we used room temperature, filtered water to make bottles (our boys didn't mind as long as the milk wasn't cold).
The road trip part was easy (in context with two kids). We planned to only travel 3 hrs per day on the way to the park. And in the park we made stops ever 30 to 60 minutes so that everyone could get out and see something. We didn't overextend ourselves and made sure to stop every 40 miles or so for a potty stop. We spent an hour or so every morning getting supplies together such as changes of clothes, sweatshirts, lunches, drinks, extra diapers, etc. This may seem like a lot of time and a hassle, but it made the rest of the day easy. In total we spent 4 nights in the park and 2 nights (one up and one on the way home) at an intermediate stop. We took lots of pictures; went on 3 boardwalk hikes (one was a record 1.3 miles for the 3 year old), saw things we never had a chance to see in previous trips to Yellowstone; traveled the main parts of the park; saw lots of animals; and completed the Junior Ranger activity book and patch program with our 3 year old. All-in-all it was a successful and enjoyable trip, and one I would consider again.
#affiliate
