Camping is a fantastic way to spend quality time with the whole family. You can forget all of the day to day headaches and simply enjoy being around one another.
Roof top tents allow you to do this in a much more convenient, clean, and comfortable way. For couples with a new baby or a young toddler, it becomes a little more difficult of a task, but not impossible by any means.
The most important concern is safety. Fortunately, roof top tents (RTTs) are safe for toddlers and babies alike. There are some extra precautions you should take and the best practices to follow.
What you will get from this article is an understanding of how other families, just like yours, use their RTTs to camp in a safe and fun way for the whole family!
Using the ladder
When you have a small child one of the toughest features in a RTT is the ladder. There is no getting around it and you must use it to get in and out of the tent.
This probably won’t serve as a surprise to you but many other families simply have one partner in the tent while the other hand the child up to the other.
This is much safer than grabbing your child and climbing up the ladder with them. If they are old enough to climb, stand behind them as they climb up or down the ladder encase you need to catch them if they lose their footing.
As far as setting up your ladder, you always want to double-check that it is secure and locked in place before use. It is also important that you don’t make it too sleep or too angled. Aim for about an 80° angle for the ladder.
For more information on ladder safety and the best practices, read more at OSHA.gov.
Sleeping arrangements inside the tent
How you will sleep with your kid(s) is also something to consider. I think it is really important to have plenty of room for everyone inside the tent. These are my favorite RTTs for families. They are very spacious and offer many features tailored to a family.
If you have enough room, the sleeping arrangement doesn’t need to change all that much from when you’re at home!
Zip all of the doors closed and you will ensure no one will roll out of the tent. For more peace of mind, get a folding bassinet! This way you won’t have to worry about rolling onto the baby or the baby rolling inside the tent.
You can even get a bassinet that is raised a bit if you are really concerned about rolling over onto them. I think the foldable option is plenty safe but it all comes down to your preferences and what you feel is right.
If the bassinet is too small, a lot of campers actually get a dog bed and use that! It is plenty soft but more importantly has “bumpers” to keep your child secure!
Temperature
I would say this goes for camping in general but it can get really hot inside of a tent. Staying properly hydrated and not overheating is crucial for a safe camping trip.
To guarantee no one gets too hot inside the tent buy a hanging fan for your RTT. Running this throughout the night will be a difference-maker in helping air circulate.
If you really want to ensure a cool night of sleep or a place to escape from the heat, check out our guide on Installing A/C In a Roof Top Tent.
Lighting
Having proper lighting while camping is always a must, but I think it is especially true when you have a RTT.
When we use the ladder at night we like to keep a dedicated light attached to it. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy either! We use this Camping lantern since it doubles as a flashlight as well.
Other considerations
I feel that all of these topics are the major points of difference between using a ground tent or any other way of camping.
You can find numerous “camping with kids” blog posts that give advice on how to do it best, but I wanted to stay on the subject matter as best as possible.
Everyone will have a different opinion on how they think something should be done. So follow your parenting style and feel as comfortable as possible for your camping trip. It’s going to be a great time!
If you do want to read some more helpful posts from other reputable sources, I have hand-selected these which I came across while researching the matter!
How To Enjoy Camping with Toddlers
How To Take a Baby Camping For The First Time
All of these are great articles that I have no affiliation to, I just found them very helpful.
Wrapping up
In all fairness, it comes down to your parenting style and what you’re comfortable with. Many families take very young children camping while some feel completely uncomfortable doing so.
There is no right or wrong here! But I did want to highlight what needs to be considered and what you can do to give yourself some peace of mind and have a safe camping adventure with the family.
You might find somethings to work great and others not so much. The biggest thing is to not let these hurdles prevent you from camping because it can be done! I hope you found this article helpful and served as a baseline for what you need to do going forward.