Camping with a Toddler: First Impressions

I thought we would be camping with our baby pretty soon after her arrival, but it took a 1,5 years to get to this point. It’s not that we thought it would be impossible, it was more that other things got in the way. Like few fabulous road-trips in our “travel van” when our little one was just 6-months old.

The travel van is really my husband’s vehicle of necessity for his work, but I like to call it our travel van while planning new adventures with it.

We recently took a trip to Ireland to celebrate friends’ wedding, and when the almost unusual summer temperatures coupled with all-day sunshine continued past our one-night stop in Dublin, we filled our rental car with borrowed camping gear and headed west. And what did we find? The ultimate Sun & Beach holiday, in Ireland!

Based on this trip I would say camping with a toddler (and 7 months worth of pregnancy belly) is easy. And for those who wondered how much extra stuff we needed to accommodate the little one, the answer is none. It’s good to note that this was in no means a hardcore camping trip though: we stayed at a campsite with showers, toilets and refrigerators, we had proper mattresses, the weather was phenomenal, our car was parked close-by for any extras and we didn’t cook any warm meals.

What really made this holiday for me were the little things.

Sunny walks on the beach, barefooted.

Collecting seashells from the beach.

Watching our little one make new friends.

Getting sleepy with the sunset while watching, from our tent, the sun slowly disappear into the sea.

I suppose the next step is to pack our backpacks and go on a “real” camping trip, but that might have to wait until next summer when this little one in my tummy is out and ready for adventures!

For those wanting some “what & where” facts, we camped in Connemara, close to Clifden at Clifden Eco-Beach Camping & Caravanning Park. I highly recommend the spot, but if you want to stay, arrive early, spaces are limited even for tents and in the sunny weekends the camp quickly fills up. The camp is open all year around, except at Christmas.