My husband was incredibly lucky to have Summer 2020 off for parental leave. I was staying home with Baby OB, and at the beginning of 2020, we had lots of grand travel plans for this once-in-a-lifetime time off.

Then the pandemic threw a big wrench in that.

Once it was less dangerous to leave home, we started considering how we could travel locally without exposing ourselves to other people. Enter the camper van: self-contained sleeping, eating, and transportation.

We dove headfirst into #vanlife with Baby OB, renting a very vintage VW Eurovan before upgrading to a Dodge Ram conversion. We learned a lot along the way, including that vacation with a baby isn’t *quite* a vacation. (Yes, this may seem obvious in retrospect but we are new parents with no idea what we’re doing!)

But it’s also not not a vacation…so even though doing anything with a baby is hard, I hope you’ll give it a try too! We went on two trips with a seven-month-old, non-crawling (but rolling) baby.

How do you know if the car seat will work in a campervan?

Test it out ahead of time. Surprisingly (maybe not to non-parents) “people with a baby” aren’t exactly the van rental companies’ target audience (that would be “single people maybe with a dog”).

Most conversions aren’t done with a car seat in mind, so we had to eliminate several rental companies solely because there was nowhere to safely put one. The best way to test this is to bring your car seat with you and try to install it when you take a peek at the vans.

Testing car seat installation yourself is especially important if the staff doesn’t have kids. This isn’t a judgment, non-parents just probably won’t know how car seats work (I didn’t know this either before having a kid). One company said the jump seat in the van would likely work with a car seat, but once we got there and tried it ourselves it clearly wasn’t going to happen.

We were referred to Rocky Mountain Campervans in Lakewood, CO since none of the conversion van rentals were working with a carseat. The owners, Boyd and Erin, have extensively campervanned with their kiddos. If you’re in the Denver area, they are incredibly wonderful people and SO helpful! Their passion for camping with kids is infectious.

Our car seat worked in the Eurovan Full Camper, but it had its own challenges which I’ll get into shortly. As of 2021, Rocky Mountain Campervans also has more modern, non-VW vans which I would definitely check out next time! For our second van trip, we were able to find a converted Dodge Ram through Outdoorsy (get a $25 credit using my link) from people with kids.

Where should we go for our first family campervan trip?

Close to home! Seriously. We were way too ambitious the first time out and ultimately realized that being within two hours of home was ideal.

How do we feed the baby and ourselves while camping?

I was dead set on the idea that bottles and formula were going to be way too difficult. Fortunately, I was wrong.

By the time our second trip rolled around I had stopped breastfeeding. I only ran into trouble trying to make formula in the middle of the night with ice cold water. The formula wouldn’t dissolve because the water was too cold, Baby OB was screaming, I had to shove the bottle under my clothes to warm it up. It was a little bit of a mess but ultimately fine. So par for the course for life with baby!

The biggest challenge is not having a place to put a baby in a van (except for their car seat). For our first trip, we fed Baby OB in our laps which got very old very quickly.

For the second trip, I found the Hiccapop Omniboost Travel Booster Seat. I like it much more than the very-popular Summer Pop because the Hiccapop’s straps are are better designed. I also liked the Hiccapop better than the Ciao Baby, which has an even more poorly-fitting, awkward strap situation.

The Hiccapop isn’t a very rigid chair, so it only worked for us because Baby OB could already sit up on their own and wasn’t flopping over anymore.

The Hiccapop came in handy for a place to park them while we fed ourselves, too. We didn’t have enough room to bring a pack n’ play, but that’s an option to consider if you do have the room.

Dinnertime for Billy and I was tricky. Once Baby OB was in bed at 6:30, the van was off-limits. We had to either eat super early (but then get hungry before our bedtime) OR think through everything we needed for dinner ahead of time.

We settled on one person being in charge of baby bedtime and one person in charge of pulling everything out for dinner. Generally, dinnertime was less of an issue at campgrounds with bear boxes where we could store food outside of the van for the entire time we were there.

How does baby sleep in the van?

We didn’t co-sleep, so we got a PeaPod for Baby OB to sleep in on the floor. Leading up to each trip, we acclimated Baby OB to the PeaPod while we were still at home. By the time we left, they were already napping and sleeping in it for at least a few days.

Note: at the end of our trips, I found a warning label that PeaPods aren’t meant for children under one. We didn’t have any issues but I am in no way a professional or guaranteeing that’s the case for your kiddo. PeaPod at your own risk!

Overall, I was shocked at how well Baby OB tolerated the cold, particularly because they were too little to wear a hat while they slept (at least for our comfort level). We dressed them in well-fitted layers without a hood under a fleece sleep sack.

We did our normal bedtime story/bottle/song in the adult bed part of the van, and then put Baby OB in the Peapod while we gingerly stepped over them and tried to quietly shut the door. There was some crying involved, but it was brief and we were comfortable with letting them fuss for a few minutes.

Check to make sure the van comes with some sort of black-out curtains for the windows. Bring your own if not. We didn’t have a white noise machine because there was no way to plug it in. This ended up not being an issue, even when we had to keep the windows and vents open during the day when it was hot.

What about naps while you’re camping?

Baby OB was taking two naps a day when we did our trips. We decided to make Nap 1 “on the go” so we could actually get out and about during the day. We would hike in the morning and Baby OB would nap in the backpack. Or, we would be on way to our next stop and they would nap in the car while we drove.

For the second nap, we did the same thing we did at bedtime and hoped for the best. Typically, we did get at least 45 minutes of a nap in. It wasn’t as long as normal, but we did our best and chalked it up to being on vacation.

Take some downtime for yourself and also rest for at least one of the naps. We were all getting up WAY earlier than normal and not sleeping as well overnight, so we were eager to also nap with Baby OB. If we didn’t want to also lay down, we’d read in camping chairs outside the van. Similar to dinner, we made sure to grab everything we needed since the van became off-limits once Baby OB was down.

I was very anxious about Baby OB not getting enough sleep during the day, but ultimately I decided I would rather go on this trip and have things not be perfect than to just stay at home (where, spoiler alert, things are also not perfect).

That sounds very nice and breezy, but this was VERY hard for me. I didn’t do it perfectly. I had some panic attacks about their sleep. But looking back months later, I am SO glad we went for it and did these trips.

Obviously, sleep is a Hot Button Issue for parents. I’m not saying what we did is THE ONLY WAY TO DO IT. It’s just the way we did it, and hopefully the context is helpful for you.

Which van was better for a trip with a baby?

Five Days in a VW Eurovan Full Camper

I’m not going to lie, there was a VERY steep learning curve of the Eurovan. Coupled with the learning curve of camping with a baby for the first time, this was a difficult first few days. There were multiple times when I was on the verge of tears and THISCLOSE to telling Billy we had to go home. But I think it was still easier than tent camping.

Hardest part of the Eurovan with a baby

The biggest challenge is the main thing that makes the Eurovan cool – it’s retro and quirky. However, the quirks became very anxiety-inducing once we were in the thick of trying to make things work.

For example, the bed needs to be put away if you’re going to use the kitchen. You pull/push the bed out but it’s quite rickety and tricky to do. I tried doing it with Baby OB in one arm, but the panel around the handle that I was yanking on suddenly flew off. We both fell over, I dropped Baby OB (they were okay), and we both immediately burst into tears.

Not having a place to put Baby OB down was tough. It was easiest to put them on the bed, but we couldn’t keep the bed set up and make food. It did feel exhausting for one of us to constantly be holding or supervising them.

Driving the Eurovan

This van isn’t particularly tall or long, so it’s very maneuverable. However this is an old vehicle (obviously). We were flooring it up mountain passes and going like 30 miles per hour.

It was initially stressful, but then I really got into the forced slower pace. I noticed so much more of our surroundings, even on the part of 70 that we’ve driven a million times! Plus, the whole point of vacation is to just be together. I really enjoyed the extra time to just hang out with Billy.

Sleeping in the Eurovan with a baby

If you’re co-sleeping, it would be a tight fit for two adults and a baby in the bed. The van rental company suggested sleeping one adult and the babe on the bed, and then having the other adult sleep in the pop-up top. We ended up using the pop-up for storage (we probably packed too much) so this didn’t work for us, plus we weren’t co-sleeping.

If you’re not co-sleeping, there isn’t enough room on the ground for a pack n’ play once the bed is pulled out. That’s the other reason we went with a PeaPod (at our own risk).

Kitchen and amenities

I think it would’ve made more sense to ditch the full camper model with the fridge/kitchen and propane tank. The propane tank makes the van lower clearance, and we could’ve gotten the model with a bed out out all the time instead.

A normal camp stove and no fridge would’ve been totally fine, which is the main difference. We didn’t need a real kitchen after all! Our combination of AO Cooler and Yeti ice pack kept everything much colder than the propane fridge.

If you cook a lot of complicated meals (you probably aren’t camping with a baby?) the sink could be worth it, but we didn’t use it enough to justify having the whole kitchen area.

Charging phones turned out to be really tricky because the adapters and plugs the rental company offered didn’t work. We should’ve brought our own or had a back-up solar charger.

Three days in a 22-foot Dodge Ram conversion

A converted van is a van that used to be something else, like a delivery van, and then was “converted” into a camper van. You may also see them referred to as “custom conversions.”

The van we rented from Outdoorsy was significantly bigger and more modern than the Eurovan. This made everything easier, including packing. Not having to shuffle furniture around was also a game changer. The bed was always a bed (and it was really big) and the kitchen was easily accessible.

Hardest part of the converted van with a baby

The doors are heavier and much harder to discretely close without startling a baby. The electricity panel also was super bright at night and we had to get creative to cover it up so we could all fall asleep. Honestly, that’s it. I loved the converted van.

Driving the converted van

22 feet is a LOT OF FEET. Parallel parking this bad boy on our street in Denver was a little anxiety-inducing. But I drove it from Commerce City to Denver in rush hour traffic and got the hang of it very quickly.

The power of a modern, diesel engine was really nice. There was no issue getting up any hills, which did give me more peace of mind than the Eurovan.

Driving perhaps also felt like less of an issue because we just didn’t go as many places. We drove to the campground and then stayed there for multiple nights. This trip was also all paved roads, and very tame compared to the Forest Service “roads” we went on with the Eurovan (and survived!).

Sleeping in a converted van

The van was bigger, so the bed was bigger. The queen bed was WAY comfier for us to sleep on. I actually slept through the night several times, which is unheard for me when camping. If you’re co-sleeping, this is a more realistic fit for two adults and a baby.

Kitchen and amenities

We had a basic DIY-converted van, so it wasn’t anything Instagram-worthy (which was totally fine). The kitchen was a camp stove with no running water. We were right about not needing a fridge or running water – this basic set up was all we needed.

I also loved that we had solar electricity in the van. This made charging electronics a breeze. We probably could’ve also figured out how to bring our white noise machine, but we didn’t bother.

In conclusion

Camping with a baby ain’t easy. But let’s face it, nothing is. Just like having a baby, though, it’s worth the hardship! We may not have been super well-rested at the end of either trip, but we were mentally restored and so glad that we went.

It’s also okay if you want the nice, big, custom conversion van. I didn’t think I was “that kind of person” and then I very quickly realized that there was absolutely no problem with being a Big Van Person. Or maybe just a Modern Van Person? I’d love to check out the smaller, but more modern options available at Rocky Mountain Campervans now. But I’d also happily re-rent the big 22-footer!

I know this is a lot of information, but it’s all information I was desperately looking for when we were planning our trips. I hope it comes in handy, and don’t hesitate to let me know if I missed something!

This post was originally written before the coronavirus outbreak in the United States. It was updated when we traveled locally in our state, taking every precaution we could. Please travel and recreate responsibly based on your local area’s restrictions as well as guidelines for your destination. This website is a great resource.

By the time Baby OB was two months old, I was getting stir crazy. But jumping in the car when a newborn seemed intimidating. Fortunately, my husband was game to jump in and just try it. Since that first trip, we’ve driven across the country (thanks COVID) and gone on a camper van trip around Colorado. Here are my tips and tricks for getting on the road with baby in tow.

Route planning

First, decide how far you want to go. This depends a LOT on your baby’s sleep and feeding schedule, plus your tolerance for turning around and going home if thing turns into a sh*tshow (literal or figurative). Always give yourself some buffer time for how long you will actually be in the car.

At two months old, Baby OB could care less where or when they slept, so it made the road trip pretty smooth even though we ended up driving almost double our planned amount on the first night.

But by seven months old (our second road trip), Baby OB was adamant about not being in the car close to bed time. We left Denver hours after our goal departure time thanks to some rental van snafus, so we were still cruising down the highway an hour from the campground when the screaming started. Fortunately, my husband getting in the backseat worked out. Make sure this is an option for you too! In our regular car, we do have to shuffle things around a bit to fit in the backseat, but in a campervan we could just pop into the backseat without even stopping!

First of all, be okay with breaking your routine/schedule because it will likely all go down the toilet. The first trip, we left home right around bedtime and tried to get back home by bedtime. It went pretty smoothly, but that could’ve been luck and certainly was helped by the fact Baby OB loved sleeping in the car at the time.

What time to leave

For our first trip, we left in the evening, but before Baby OB’s bedtime (8:30 pm at the time). They were car-sleeping champs, plus we couldn’t leave any earlier because my husband had worked that day. Baby OB slept in the car for hours and it was actually really nice time for my husband and I to catch up!

For the second trip, this was not going to fly. Baby OB had recently decided that being in the car past 5 pm was reason for a major meltdown. We aimed to leave between their two naps, around mid-day. We ended up leaving WAY late and were still in the car at 5 pm. This meant my husband was climbing into the back of the van to entertain Baby OB until we got to the campground. He was pretty wiped out at the end, because it was basically nonstop singing/clapping/toy swapping.

If you have an older baby, I would recommend trying to leave between the two naps. Unless your baby can sleep in the car well, it’s not worth trying to nap or do bedtime on the road!

Where and how does baby sleep?

Naptime

I’m going to say it again. This is not the time for schedules/keeping to your normal routine. You can certainly endeavor to stick to them as closely as possible, but at least for us, it was less stressful to just go with the flow and feed/put down for naps based on Baby OB’s cues.

At two months old, naptime looked like Baby OB sleeping in the carrier and car all day, and that was okay with us. They had almost no routine or schedule anyways.

At six months old, this looked like a morning (short) nap in the backpack while we hiked and then a normal length nap at some point in the afternoon when they started yawning.

Bedtime

Our second trip, Baby OB was up two hours past their normal bedtime and still rocking on the day we left. Naturally they did not sleep in two hours the next morning, but a couple days in and they were back on schedule (for bed time at least).

I will also acknowledge that this isn’t easy. The first trip, I had a really hard time breaking from the routine we had started to build because I was worried about being a bad parent/not giving Baby OB what they needed. From what I hear, that never really goes away, but this was really good practice in following Baby OB’s cues instead of worrying about all the “what ifs” without even trying. It was hard, but good.

Ok, so where do you put them at bedtime?

We don’t co-sleep, and haven’t attempted co-sleeping while camping or road tripping. No judgment if you do, but just a head’s up that these suggestions don’t include co-sleeping!

If you’re staying in a hotel

Our first trip was only one night in a hotel, so we just brought all of our normal stuff with us since we had room in the car. During the day, all the naps were happening either in the car seat or the carrier because this was possible for us at two months old.

We don’t use a travel crib/bassinet, we just have an all-in-one that I love. The Guava Lotus Crib + Bassinet packs down into a backpack, is super light, and takes about five minutes to break down or set up.

I am well aware that the $300 price tag looks steep, but we sprang for it because that’s the only bed we’re using. We don’t have a separate bassinet, crib, or pack n play. The Guava does all of those things!

We set up the Guava in the far corner of the hotel room, plugged in the white noise machine we use, and that was it…except that Baby OB is a SUPER noisy sleeper. My husband and I had already kicked them out of our room at home, so having to go back to sharing a room resulted in very little sleep for both of us.

In retrospect, I might’ve put the white noise machine right next to us instead of right next to the bassinet so that we could’ve drowned out his snoring a little better. I also would’ve packed ear plugs!

If you’re camping

We’ve yet to pilot sleeping in a tent, but I can give you some advice for a campervan that could translate to a tent if yours is big enough (our tent is not, which is why we haven’t tried it!).

Baby OB spent five days sleeping in a Kidco Peapod, however on the last day of our trip I found the tag that said this product is not supposed to be used for children under one year. So use at your own risk!

A week before we left, we started putting Baby OB in the Peapod for naps, bedtime, and then ultimately every time they slept. In my mind, this made sure it wouldn’t be a big shock when we pulled out the Peapod away from home.

The Peapod lived on the floor of the van in front of our bed, so once again we were all sleeping in the same room. Fortunately, Baby OB was quieter overnight by this age (eight months). Unfortunately, we didn’t realize how early they actually woke up. At home, we don’t hear them until 7 am. Apparently they actually wake up at 6 and just babble until then! We had a lot of early mornings camping.

We put up blinds all around the van to help keep it dark (they went to bed more than an hour before sunset). By the time we were going to bed, Baby OB was so zonked they didn’t even hear us come in the back of the van (or noisily shut the door).

I was very worried about Baby OB just *not* going to sleep. I was prepared to pull out all the stops that we don’t at home – rocking to sleep, nursing to sleep, holding him, singing forever, whatever it took! Fortunately it didn’t come to that, and there was only one night that he took a little longer to settle down.

Both trips it only took 1-2 days at home for them to catch up on sleep and be back in their normal routine.

How to navigate eating

There isn’t a convenient way to feed an infant because they are ALWAYS eating (or at least it feels that way). Feeding on the road was all over the place and on-demand, which was outside our normal routine too.

For both trips, breastfeeding was still working for me, so we decided to not bring any bottles or my pump to cut down on how much stuff we had.

I mostly nursed Baby OB in the car or van. I personally find it easier to wedge an elbow on the door handle or car seat to help support them instead of having them just in my lap in a restaurant. If you’re feeding in a restaurant, though, make sure to ask for or snag a booth for more privacy (if you want it). I wasn’t a fan of whipping out my boob in the middle of this one very small, open coffee shop, but then managed to sneak into a booth. No one even noticed!

Note: our first road trip happened before the coronavirus became a pandemic in the United States. If you are reading this during the coronavirus outbreak, I do not recommend eating in restaurants even if they are open and particularly if you have traveled there from a different community.

For the first road trip, I packed the Boppy. I only used it once or twice, and it ended up being more of a pain in the car then I thought it would be. I would skip it!

Even with the Boppy, there were times that Baby OB wasn’t totally comfortable. During our first road trip, they definitely didn’t eat as much as normal. But by the night we came back, they just had a big meal before bed and then were totally fine. Plus, the only way to get them comfortable eating on the go is…eating on the go. By the time we went out at eight months, eating on the go was pretty easy for them.

I’ve quit breastfeeding ahead of our next trip, and I realize that my initial concerns about formulas and bottles being in convenient was totally unfounded. It’ll be easy to pack one bottle and make that work all day, plus the formula container doesn’t take up much space. Just bring lots of potable water!

If your baby has started on solids, I personally have found that making food ahead of time has been more convenient. We brought four mason jars of homemade baby food for a five-day trip. We kept them in a cooler the entire time and it ended up being way less messy than pouch purees, plus it was more cost-effective. I was also pleasantly surprised that it didn’t take more than 30 minutes to blend up a bunch of stuff at home and pack it.

I would’ve loved to have a travel high chair once Baby OB was eating solids. This could’ve also been a useful place to park him, which we didn’t really have in the campervan since he kept rolling and bonking his head on the hard walls of the van.

The Ciao Baby chair a friend handed down to us didn’t really work unfortunately. Baby OB was always slumped over in it, and getting their chunky legs in and out of the poorly placed (in my opinion) straps resulted in so many curse words at home that I never even brought it on the road with us. I want to try this one next road trip.

How to navigate rest stops

Depending on how long your drive is, and your baby’s personality, they may want a break. After spending all day in the carrier or the car seat, Baby OB got very sick of being in the car seat during dinner (before coronavirus). I finished eating first, so I just held him in my lap while my husband finished up and that was fortunately all he needed.

All that time in the car seat did end up irritating Baby OB’s sensitive skin, though. We didn’t know they had ezcema before we left, but we certainly did by the time we got home! Our pediatrician prescribed some steroid cream that cleared it up.

We didn’t pick noisy restaurants (before coronavirus) on purpose, but it ended up helping a LOT because no one notices a crying baby in an already noisy restaurant.

In the coronavirus world, we’ve made the most of town parks and other outdoor places to stop. Bring a picnic blanket with you to make sure you’ve got somewhere to set them down! When we drove to Illinois (7 hour days in the car), just 15-30 minutes of tummy time/sitting time in a park would rejuvenate Baby OB for several hours!

But what are they supposed to do for all that time in the car?

At two months old, Baby OB wasn’t super interested in toys and pretty much just slept any time they were in the car. We decided to throw the sleep schedule out the window for the two days we were gone, and it worked out totally fine for us. I like to think it was helpful in making Baby OB a bit more flexible!

When Baby OB was less than two months old, having one of us in the back wasn’t helpful at all. It didn’t do anything to stop the crying, so we decided on that road trip to both stay up front.

Now that they’re older, though, one of us usually ends up getting in the back at some point, even if it’s just to keep them company! We bring 6-8 toys (I especially love this Bug Jug since you can fit lots of toys inside it), 2-3 books, and reserve teething biscuits for a special car treat.

It’s not going to be easy, but it is going to be worth it! Drink lots of coffee and enjoy the immeasurable happiness that comes from the good moments. Take a deep breath in the bad moments.

What to pack

Clothing

• Double the clothes you think you will need (in case of poosplosion) and plenty of layers.
• Our first road trip was an overnight in February in Colorado, so I brought:
  • 4 onesies (long sleeve with covered feet) – these were their base layer for every outfit
  • 2 hoodies
  • 2 pairs of pants, to layer on top of onesies with the hoodies as needed
  • 2 pairs of slippers (we use these instead of socks)
  • Beanie/warm hat
  • Fleece bunting for an outer layer
• Our second road trip was five nights in July in Colorado, and poosplosions were no longer a problem, so I brought:
  • Four light-weight, long-sleeve, footed onesies
  • Two short-sleeve bodysuits
  • One sweatshirt
  • One pair of sweatpants
  • Warm hat, slippers, and fleece bunting for the cold mornings

Bedtime

• Bed + fitted sheet that smells like home OR Peapod
• White noise machine (ours is a plug-in, so we left this at home for camping)
• Sleep sack (fleece for night and sleeveless for daytime if you’re camping)

Eating

• 4 mason jars of homemade baby food
• Bib and baby spoon
• 1 box of teething biscuits for driving (if your baby is old enough)
• 1-2 bottles (if you’re using them, I would only attempt this for formula)
  • Bring a travel size dish soap and some extra potable water to rinse out
• Travel high chair

Supplies + Gear

• Diapers and wipes
• Portable changing pad
• 2 burp cloths
• 1 muslin blanket (use for extra layer, wiping drool, shielding from the sun, etc)
• Baby carrier (we brought a stroller frame just in case but it would’ve been a major pain everywhere we stopped and we never used it)
• For hiking, we brought:
  • Thule hiking backpack, but you can also just use a carrier!
  • Baby sunscreen
  • Mosquito net for the backpack/carrier

First Aid

• Baby Tylenol
• Snot sucker/Nose Frida
• Lotion
• Cortisol ointment for any random rashes
• Thermometer

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