First trip away with a 3 week old baby.

So one thing we mutually agreed on was that when we decided to start a family we wouldn’t change our lifestyle but adapt to it and so far this has worked we still go off on random adventures in the van off grid, on campsites and daytrips and still get a good hike in here and there but not so often and don’t get me wrong there is more planning involved and packing takes twice as long !!
Our first weekend away with Coben was when he was 3 weeks old, during the last month of pregnancy we didn’t go very far away from home and didn’t stay away in the van so once Coben arrived and life settled a tiny bit we were chomping at the bit to get away in the Dales for the weekend so we did.

We did things differently this time and decided to book a campsite with electric hook-up something we rarely do but I will admit we were both anxious about the whole trip and having electric meant we could make the milk properly and sterilise bottles that kind of thing just makes it easier, quicker and safe proof.
The campsite we booked was in Nidderdale the lower part of the Dales and only an hour away for us STUDFOLD CARAVAN PARK we had never been before but walked past it many times and it always looked inviting there is a activity centre and fairy trail there more info in the link and read our campsite review page well worth a visit.

Surprisingly we had a few comments which surprised us such as “you cant go away in the van with a baby” “you,ll have to stop going away on weekends in the van now” “Are you gong to sell the van now you have a baby “

Why ? Really ? What ? …We chose to ignore …..

As it happens the weekend we choose there was a heatwave which did make us anxious but none the less off we went. Arriving at the campsite we were shown our spot and surprisingly were the only ones in the camping field we had the place to ourselves.

We unpacked the essentials and set up the sterilisers yes it took a bit more time and there was less room but we worked with it and there were no dramas.

The temperature was rising into the 30 s and so we started looking for some shade and discovered a pathway down to a beautiful gorge which was drawing cool air down and felt like air conditioning it was great needless to say we spent most of our time down there.

Another bonus was that having no neighbours we could relax knowing that the 3 hour feeding times throughout the night were not going to disturb anyone so in reality better than at home with neighbours on either side of us. Coben slept in his Moses basket alongside our bed in the van it was pretty cool inside during the night, I believe much more bearable than it would have been at home. Having survived the first night learning how best to do the night time feeds and getting into a routine we felt confident and decided to move onto another campsite around 10 miles to the West but this one we have visited many times and is a favourite of ours HOWARTH FARM click HERE to read our review of this campsite.

Now there is no Electric hook up here so we had sterilised everything we needed to and prepped as many bottles as we could at the previous campsite to save messing about boiling water on the gas hobs.

When we arrived we had a warm welcome as always and introduced Coben to the owners and they gifted us the nights stay free of charge and told us to put the money in his piggy bank such a kind gesture.

We unpacked and had a walk to the local pub where a few beers in the sun were consumed then back to the campsite for tea and game of frisbee during nap times (Its the little things.) After showing Coben around our home from home it was time for his bedtime after which our campfire followed with a hot chocolate.

Feed times throughout the night went okay we had a bit of an issue with the position of the fridge when the bed is out (something we will change at some point) and we realised we will need to replace our electric cool box for a proper camping fridge as it was killing the leisure battery. Find out what we replace it with in our Everything campervan section.  Spending them early weeks in the dales , feed times looking across the dales with Simons seat shadowing over us is a memory I wont forget in a hurry.

The day after we went into Grassington with its selection of cafes and pubs we opted for a coffee and a piece of cake and had a wander around before heading back home.

So how was our first trip with our baby boy at 3 weeks old ?

We are truly glad we made the weekend trip away and have fond memory’s of them precious early weeks with our baby boy and glad we didn’t listen to any of the negative comments.

From our experience we have compiled a list of items and tips that will help you make your experience exploring with a baby as good as ours which can be found HERE