Camping with Twin Infants- Trial Run

Saturday night we set up the tent in the backyard for our first camping adventure. I had to work Saturday morning, so Sean set the tent up on his own.  It took him ten minutes and was easy to do by himself. This is good to know in case one of us needs to keep the girls occupied during a camp setup in the future.

After that we set up the air mattress and figured out the sleeping arrangements for the girls. We were trying to figure out economical ways to contain the girls while they slept and we think we found a pretty good solution.

We used some large plastic containers that normally are used as under-bed storage. We repurposed them as camping cribs. Their lengths are 44” and 38” so the girls have room to stretch out. To make sure the beds were soft AND safe (not too pillowy), we bought cushion material from Michael’s Arts and Crafts and cut it into two pieces and wrapped a baby sheet around it. The cushion was soft enough for comfort, but firm enough so they could sleep safely.

Through the night, they slept GREAT. They got up at their normal times, got a quick bottle, and went back to bed.

Sean and I were the ones who had the hard night’s sleep. We both forgot how tricky it is to sleep on an air mattress. When one of us tended to the girls, the other shifted all around the bed. In addition, our air mattress is relatively tall, making the tent seem small,even though it is 9’x7′. I have a few ideas in mind to improve our sleeping setup for when we go camping in September and for when the girls are sharing the mat with us down the line. I’ll share them as we figure it out.

All in all, our first night “under the stars” was a huge success. Everyone says it, and it’s true, kids are far more resilient than we give them credit for.

Next stop- San Onofre State Campground in September for some beach side camping.