Packing recommendations?

[chenoameg.livejournal.com]

ringrose and I will be attending our first Baitcon this year (with our seven month old daughter.)

We'll be staying in a cabin. What should we expect to find in the cabin?

Those of you who have been to baitcon with babies, what do you recommend we make sure to bring with us?

Looking forward to it!

Comments

[candle-light.livejournal.com]

There is nothing in the cabins, except possibly bunks/bunkbeds. There is no power in them, so if you want a light, bring a battery operated torch. Depending on the weather, it can be cold, bring footie pjs and blankets. The rooms are basically wooden boxes with a door. If you're worried about your daughter eating dead bugs/cobwebs, you might want to bring small broom for cleaning out the cabin. There isn't a lot of entertainment for babies there, so bring her favorite distractions and be prepared to need to walk her around a lot...

[kimberlogic.livejournal.com]

There's no power in the cabins and while there are small bunks, most folks put them outside and use an air mattress instead (inflating it in one of the main dining areas where there is power and carrying about 200 ft to the row of cabins you'll be in ...)

We don't yet have a baby so I'll let other parents answer baby-specific questions but a great list for what-to-bring is located on our website here: http://wp.baitcon.org/preparation-safety/what-to-bring/

[forgotten-aria.livejournal.com]

for me the biggest things have been having a lot of options in blankets. I'm almost always too cold and also lots of options in keeping things dry.

It will be good to see you!

[whuffle.livejournal.com]

We've been going to Baitcon since before our son, now 2, came along. His first Baitcon, our kiddo was, um, 2 months old? We used a cabin that year. We brought an air mattress that we all shared on the floor. It was a tight fit but it was warmer for the baby than being by himself. (Besides, we co-slept off and on at home anyways so we were comfortable with it at that point.) We brought a couple layers of clothing for our son for each day as well as more layers of blankets than we expected to need. If you need to pump milk to handle over-supply, bring your pumping equipment. They're usually a small special fridge reserved for families with very young children who still have milk needs. Other than that, make sure you have an electric lantern so you can do middle of the night diaper changes on one of the bunks. We also had a bear box for keeping sealed packaged foods for our kid last year when he was a little over a year old and still very picky.

For both adults, bring sunscreen and bug repellent. You don't need to use bug repellent on your kid because the repellent you're wearing along with good clothing coverage will keep most of the mosquitos off your kid assuming you're holding him.

There are ticks on site so make sure you pack carefully when it comes to socks and long pants/long sleeved shirts.

The other trick we learned long before our son came along: have an entire change of clothing for each of you - all the way down to the shoes - in the car. Don't break into this emergency change of clothing until you're ready to drive home. The one year where it rained off and on all weekend and we had the only tent failure I've experienced in a lifetime of camping; that package of dry clothing for the drive home was priceless. EVERYTHING else we owned was at least damp and cold to wear that year.

[pekmez.livejournal.com]

The main benefit of a cabin with a baby who is occupying more of your attention is not having to set up a tent or sleep on the ground, and having an easier place to set up your portacrib. The bathrooms with running water are shared by everyone, tents and cabins, not attached. :) Mostly assume you are staying in a tent that is already waterproof and structural and bring everything else you need.

One convenient thing will be a place to stash used diapers, wipes, etc as you go through them. Another convenient thing will be some form of light when you need to see to change diapers (we are happy with headlamps, ourselves, but if you've got a lantern that's handy too.)

You will probably want to bring some things that will entertain S with you,
and some things to keep her warm if it's chilly when she goes to sleep. You will probably also want your favorite carrier since there are trails to navigate between the cabin and the main open area where you are likely to hang out when you aren't sleeping, and a stroller won't do any good.

We have a similarly social child (though she was already a toddler at her first baitcon) and the main thing that we relied on to entertain her was the presence other kids and other grownups she knew and the sunny outdoor greenery. That's about all it took to put her in a good mood. :)

[dancingwolfgrrl.livejournal.com]

Things I have found convenient when attending Baitcon in the company of smallish children:
*too many of anything that is essential and can be carried around, like bottles, nipples, sippy cups, or pacifiers (it turns out you can misplace a surprising number!)
*any medicines your kid even *might* want -- they're the kind of thing you really want when you want 'em! Tylenol, teething remedies, cold medicine, even packets of powdered Pedialyte have come in handy for me
*the precise contents of your bedtime routine from home
*washcloths for pretend baths (everyone can get sticky!)

[nacht_musik]

Perhaps as parents of an infant this is irrelevant advice as you may be awake at dawn regardless, but: the cabins all have big windows; you'll have bright light (and little privacy) at sunrise unless you bring a tarp or enormous towel to hang over the window.

[skreeky]

We have no kids, just 2 adults, so the above advice will be more useful kid-wise. But here's a couple of notes.

Seconded on bringing something to use as a light-proof curtain!!! I also now bring a small toolbox with a hammer, nails (esp. small ones for tacking up said curtain), extra coathooks, twine, clothesline, and other things that may be useful. Some cabins have more clothes hooks than others.

We find the top bunk to be too close to the ceiling and useless as anything but storage. You do use the storage though, as floor space is precious. We sleep one person on the bottom bunk and one on a cot.

Our cabin-specific packing list includes, for two adults:
* Two twin air mattresses
* Battery powered pump for inflating/deflating mattresses
* Large battery powered lantern (there is sometimes a hook already in a rafter to hang it)
* sheets and comforters, pillows
* folding camp table with two stools (I am guessing you will not have space for this, but consider some sort of compact thing you can sit on to pull on shoes, etc.)
* hand mirror with hanging loop
* Curtain, tacks or nails, and cord to pull it back during the day.
* EARPLUGS!!! Oh, blessed blessed foam earplugs. You wouldn't think you could hear everything from a shriek to a whisper through thick log walls, but you can.

That list makes our cabin pretty homey. Then your usual camping supplies of course - flashlights, towels, bugspray, etc etc etc.

[thespian.livejournal.com]

"* EARPLUGS!!! Oh, blessed blessed foam earplugs. You wouldn't think you could hear everything from a shriek to a whisper through thick log walls, but you can."

This was what I was coming in here to post. Especially since, without cpaps, many people in our community seem to be quite *noticeable* snorers.

Also regardless of what you do at home, Baitcon cabins are not the place to let a child 'cry it out' (this is really a general sort of thing for a parent who did this last year, oblivious to the fact their child was disturbing people and we could all hear aforementioned parent being neutral to the child. It's a good parenting technique with some children; it's a really imposing thing to do in cabins where people in all adjoining cabins can hear normal speech, let alone 15 minutes of screeching).

[chenoameg.livejournal.com]

Sadly 15 minutes of screaming is a normal 3am wakeup for our daughter, sorry. (She doesn't always have them, but when she does, that's what happens.)