RVing with a baby is a wonderful thing. It gives a new and authentic meaning to a Toy Hauler. Ella was has only known the RV Life. She’s lived in 19 states in the the first year and through it all we’ve learned a few things about what’s worked for us in RVing Full Time with a Baby. 

Doctor Visits

If you’re stationary this isn’t an issue, but we typically move every 3 weeks to a new location so this was a bit of a challenge. To keep the same doctor we bounced around Florida and had the same doctor in Orlando. We got cleared to head to Minnesota for the summer and while there we found out there was a complication with the pregnancy and then were able to bunker down the rest of the pregnancy with the same doctor that we found by doing online research. It’s important to have a PPO Plan so you can visit a doctor anywhere you go.

Getting Prepared

You want to make sure to dial in the RV on how you think is going to be best when your baby arrives. We did a few things right, and made a few mistakes in this but the good news is that if you’re adaptable you’ll end up with things the way you want.

We originally thought I’d keep my office in the Toy Hauler and Ella would have her space in the living room area, Bad idea… To do that we removed 2 of our 5 chairs of our couch and setup a pack & play for Ella.

We ended up never using it once. We had Ella sleep in our bed with us for months instead. This made it easier to breastfeed and I think gave her more piece of mind knowing we were so close.

The Delivery

For us it was a scheduled C Section because we had a complication with a Full Placenta Previa. It was nice to be able to have a set date where we could have family fly in for the birth.

We had a pretty neat experience with the Maple Grove Hospital in Minnesota. Not only was it top notch in every way. But after you’re released they send someone to your home to make sure you have all your questions answered and the baby is doing well. This was the woman’s first RV Visit!

Life with a Baby

Our 1st Date w Ella

Can I PLEASE GET SOME SLEEP!?!?! On top of not getting sleep with Ella we were trying to grow our business and I was working 14 hours a day (no idea how we made that work). Even though you’re busy and not getting sleep make sure you take time to go on dates. You’ve gotta make your relationship to each other a top priority because the baby will consume every other aspect of your life.

We left Princeton, Minnesota and headed down to the warmth of Sunny San Diego, CA. We were kicking off a 6 month Mega RV Surfing Trip where I would surf border to border from San Diego to Seattle. It was the perfect weather to get Ella into the outdoors and the Road Warrior’s RV Deck was perfect to enjoy the outdoors. In fact our campsite at the Pio Pico RV Resort there was nothing between us and Mexico other than a mountain. You could hike from the RV to the top (I did it) and overlook Tijuana.

Making Space

We created extra room for her clothes and other stuff. One of the things that we found to work well was putting in a portable closet in the Toy Hauler. It added so much extra space for her stuff, it was easy to put together, and stored A LOT!

The challenge is when we move we have to make sure to take the top row of clothes down and strap down the closet from tipping/moving. We learned the hard way with it tipping over the first time.

Strollers

We’ve got a number of strollers we travel with for different situations.

Umbrella Stroller

We use this for quick things and busy events where we won’t be able to squeeze through the crowd with a regular stroller.

Regular Stroller

We used this when Ella was really small for trips to Walmart if we were just picking up a few things and didn’t need a cart (the below area became the cart), and most other places we’d visit.

Jogging Stroller

We LOVE taking Ella hiking with our jogging stroller. Usually Zoey runs along side and Bailey goes beneath but once Zoey gets tired she joins Bailey down below. We take this out around the campground on our daily walk or on hiking trails.

Baby Carriers

Baby carriers are AMAZING! Not only are they incredible for going hiking but Danielle uses it at places like Walmart to do our grocery shopping. You can face them out or inward depending on the scenery and their mood. Usually when we went on hikes with Ella in the carrier she’d fall asleep.

Changes in the Living Situation

I’ve been spoiled to have the Toy Hauler as my office and the Deck off the back off my office in the most scenic areas of the country. Eventually when we realized Ella was done sleeping in the bed and sleeping in the living room wasn’t an option, we came to the realization that I’d have to share my office. During her nap time and at bed time I’d have to move into the other area.

After going through the inconvenience of moving each time she had to nap, and the fact that we weren’t comfortable with having the deck down to her room, we made the decision that we would move me permanently into the built in desk in the living room.

Shopping

Danielle LOVES to shop. Now that she’s got a baby she has another reason to justify the shopping. One of our compromises, is I told her she can shop more often if she goes to baby consignment stores. So she’s been going to once upon a child stores all over the country. This one in Portland, OR was on an island.

I think it’s been one of the things she looks forward to is to get to a new area and go shopping for new and exciting things for Ella.

Benefits of a Baby

One of the benefits of her being so young is we can go places and she’ll chill or sleep in the carrier and we can still do whatever activity without having to entertain or worry about her wanting to do something else. For example we can still visit a candy factory and since she doesn’t know what candy is, she was chill the entire time. 

Or cheese tours. She just sits and nibbles on her mum mums while we eat amazing cheeses.

Working with Her Schedule

One of the things we take advantage of is I go hiking with Ella around her nap time. She LOVES sleeping during hikes and Danielle is able to get a quality nap while we’re away from the RV. It’s a total win/win.

A Toy Hauler

You don’t need to have a Toy Hauler RV to have an RV that hauls toys. This stack-able toy holder has been great to keep them all in one place and save space.

Big Baby Adventures

The reason you RV is to enrich your life. Maybe to explore new places or even revisit some. Whatever the reason, you need to get out and enjoy life. A baby should enhance your life and experiences, not hinder you from getting out and seeking adventure. 

Walking around the RV Park

One of the ways we’ve been able to stay active is we make a point to go out walking just about everyday at the RV Park with Ella. This is great to keep us in shape and give us an excuse to get outdoors. One of the great things about moving every 3 weeks is that our scenery constantly changes.

Go on Dates & Get Sleep

You gotta keep it fresh. If you’ve got someone you trust to baby sit for you make it a priority to get out and go on a romantic date. If not, bring the baby with!

One thing that we’ve noticed about us is when we get enough sleep, the added stress of having a baby doesn’t get to us. But as soon as we don’t take sleep serious we can both be guilty of being a little snappy. As tempting as it is to clean up when the baby goes down for a nap, put first things first and catch up on some sleep whenever you can.

Just Hanging Out

Sometimes the best moments are just every day things that happen in and out of the RV. Make sure you have your camera or phone available to capture these because technology has never been better at being able to freeze these moments in time to reflect on forever.

What about you? Have you gone RVing with your baby. If you have any tips go ahead and add them into the comments!