Camping With a Baby: Where Do They Sleep?

A baby camping sleeps exactly where a baby sleeps at home: on their back, alone, on a firm and flat surface with nothing soft in it. In a tent, that means a travel crib or play yard that meets the federal play yard standard (16 CFR 1221), set on the tent floor next to your sleeping pad, with a foam pad under the crib for insulation and a wearable blanket on the baby instead of covers. Not in your sleeping bag, not on an air mattress, not in the stroller or car seat. The American Academy of Pediatrics rules do not change because the bedroom is nylon, and the two things that go wrong in a tent, cold and improvisation, both have straightforward fixes.

The short answer: a travel crib on the tent floor

The AAP’s recommendations, which apply to every sleep including naps, come down to this: back to sleep; a firm, flat surface that does not incline more than 10 degrees; a crib, bassinet, portable crib or play yard that meets Consumer Product Safety Commission standards; a fitted sheet and nothing else in the sleep space (no pillows, blankets, bumpers, toys or positioners); room-sharing without bed-sharing for at least the first 6 months; and no overheating. A travel crib in a tent satisfies all of it. You are room-sharing by definition.

The floor-standing travel crib is the right type for a tent, as opposed to a bassinet on legs, because its mattress sits on the ground. There is no air gap under it to chill the baby, you can slide an insulating pad under the whole crib, and there is nothing to tip. Guava, BabyBjorn and the standard Graco play yard all work this way; the Guava Lotus has no weight limit for the same reason.

What not to use

A stroller or car seat. Red Nose, the Australian safe-sleep body, is explicit that a pram is not a sleep space because of the overheating and suffocation risk, and the AAP says a baby who falls asleep in a car seat, stroller, swing or carrier should be moved to a flat surface as soon as possible.

Your sleeping bag or a shared pad. Bed-sharing is the one thing the AAP says to avoid under all circumstances, and a sleeping bag adds the risks of a soft surface, loose fabric over the face and a parent who is colder and more tired than at home. Some camping blogs recommend sharing a bag “for warmth”; the AAP does not, and this site will not.

An air mattress, even one the baby has to themselves. Inflatable surfaces are soft, and a baby’s face can sink into them.

Blankets, quilts, a pillow or a rolled towel as a bumper. Loose bedding is the leading thing parents add in a cold tent and the main thing the AAP says to leave out.

Tent size and layout

A travel crib’s footprint is about 45 by 32 inches, which is the floor space of one adult sleeping pad. Two adults plus a crib therefore need a tent sold for at least four people, and a “6-person” tent (around 10 by 9 ft of floor) is the size at which you can also stand to change a diaper at 3 a.m. Put the crib against a wall away from the door, on the flattest part of the floor; check for roots and rocks before the tent goes up, because they cannot be fixed afterward.

Keep the crib out of the vestibule and away from the tent wall that faces the wind. Ventilation matters: Red Nose calls out hot, stuffy, poorly ventilated spaces as a risk, so open the vents even on a cold night. A tent is not warmer than the air outside by more than a few degrees, so plan the baby’s layers for the forecast low, not for “inside”.

Keeping the surface warm without bedding

Insulate below, not on top. Slide a closed-cell foam pad (the folding kind, about 10 to 14 oz) under the travel crib so the mattress is not sitting on 40F ground. Use only the mattress that came with the crib; adding a second mattress or a topper is the one thing both the AAP and Red Nose single out as unsafe in a portable crib.

Dress the baby in layers and a wearable blanket or sleep bag rated for the temperature. The AAP guidance is one layer more than an adult would wear to be comfortable. No hat for sleep; the AAP says hats come off once you are home from the hospital, because overheating is a known risk and head coverings cause it. Check the back of the neck or the chest; sweating, a hot chest or flushed skin means too many layers. The layer-by-layer plan for cold nights is in camping with a baby in cold weather.

The night routine

A tent at 8 p.m. in June is bright. A breathable crib cover made for travel cribs (the kind sold as a blackout canopy that fits over the whole crib) darkens the space; a towel draped over the crib does not breathe and should not be used. A small white-noise device covers the campground. Feed, change and settle the baby as at home, then get in your own bag. Keep a headlamp with a red mode by your pillow so a 2 a.m. check does not wake everyone.

Nap in the crib too. A baby who sleeps in a carrier for every nap and then goes in the crib for the first time at night will protest; do a nap at home in the travel crib a week before the trip.

Two travel cribs that work in a tent

Guava Lotus Travel Crib

Certified to the federal play yard standard (16 CFR 1221 / ASTM F406) and GreenGuard Gold; 15 lb in a backpack that is about 24 by 12 by 8 inches; sets up to 45.5 by 31.5 by 25.5 inches with a 41.5 by 23.5 inch mattress that sits on the floor. Rated from newborn to about 3 years or until the child climbs out, with no weight limit. The side zips open, which is useful for settling a baby without lifting them. Check price on Amazon

BabyBjorn Travel Crib Light

13 lb including the bag, folds to about 19 by 23.5 by 5.5 inches, opens in one motion to roughly 44 by 32 inches with a 41 by 23.5 inch mattress. Rated newborn to about 3 years with no stated weight limit. It has no side door, but it is the fastest crib to pitch in a tent and the mesh walls go nearly to the floor, which keeps airflow high. Check price on Amazon

When to ask a pediatrician first

The AAP recommendations apply to all babies under 1 year. A baby born preterm, under about 3 months, or with any breathing or temperature-regulation concern is a conversation with your pediatrician before the first night in a tent, and so is any night forecast below freezing. The gear on this page follows the AAP rules; it does not replace a doctor who knows your child. For the rest of the baby and toddler kit, see camping gear for kids by age.