Camping with a baby (UK)
Key facts
Short answer: use a travel cot, cot or flat carrycot with a firm, flat mattress for every sleep, never a car seat, and don't add padding. Dress your baby in layers to avoid overheating, and never bring a barbecue or gas heater into the tent (carbon monoxide).
Camping is a brilliant low-carbon holiday, and babies often sleep better outdoors than you'd expect. Here's how to do it safely, based on UK safety guidance.
Safety guidance from the Lullaby Trust and UK fire services, checked October 2026. This is general information, not medical advice.
Safe sleep in a tent
The Lullaby Trust says to follow the same safer-sleep advice on holiday as at home, for every sleep (Lullaby Trust: safer sleep on holiday):
- Use a travel cot, cot or Moses basket. A travel cot mattress is fine if it's firm, flat, in good condition and meets British safety standards.
- Don't add padding. No folded blankets or quilts under the baby to make it "comfier".
- A carrycot can work if it's completely flat, the mattress is firm with no raised edges, and the maker says it's suitable for overnight sleep.
- Not in a car seat. Car seats are for travelling. If your baby falls asleep in the car, move them to a flat surface when you arrive.
- Bed-sharing in a tent: the Lullaby Trust says the safest place is the baby's own sleep space. Read its co-sleeping advice before you consider it.
Warm, but not too warm
- The Lullaby Trust gives 16 to 20°C as the ideal room temperature for a baby, and says it's better for babies to be a bit cool than too hot.
- Check your baby's temperature by feeling their chest or the back of their neck, not their hands or feet. Sweaty or clammy means too hot.
- Keep your baby's head uncovered for sleep, even if it's cold.
- A tent can swing from cold at night to hot in the morning sun. A simple room thermometer helps, and so does pitching in morning shade.
Carbon monoxide and fire
- Never take a barbecue into a tent, awning or caravan, lit or cooling. Carbon monoxide can build up to dangerous levels (nidirect, Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue).
- Cook outside, away from the tent, and never use a stove or barbecue to heat the tent.
- Keep a torch handy for night feeds rather than candles.
Low-waste packing list
- A travel cot you already own, or a borrowed one (see pre-loved gear).
- Layers in natural fibres you'll use at home, plus a sleeping bag suited to the temperature. Follow the maker's room-temperature guide.
- Muslins: shade, blanket, bib and changing mat cover in one.
- A reusable wet bag for muddy clothes and nappies.
- Refillable water bottles and reusable snack pots.
- A sling or carrier for walks and uneven ground.
- A head torch for night feeds.
More ideas: packing light with kids and sustainable baby travel essentials.
Picking a site
- Facilities close by: toilets and a washing-up area near your pitch make night feeds and bottles easier.
- Electric hook-up can run a small heater or bottle warmer. Check the site's rules on electrical equipment.
- Glamping (pods, cabins or bell tents with beds) is a gentler first try. Ask whether a cot is provided.
- Get there by train if the site is near a station. Under-5s travel free on most National Rail journeys (National Rail).
Back to camping and glamping.
Sources
Last checked and updated: · Kiddieko · How we check facts
