Hi Ladies,
This year, my wife and I will be travelling with our 5 month old son, and are a little overwhelmed trying to think about what all we need. Any advice from you all that have brought babies to fest before? We know we need a pack n play, a stroller, a crap ton of diapers, and bottles. Any other suggestions?
Thanks! We're feeling a little clueless as to where to start at this point.

Sign up for Sprouts!!

I've never camped with a baby, but it seems like a no-brainer to me. You are not required to use it if you sign up for it, but it gives you a number of options, including a few hours of child care each day, a place to bathe the baby, and a way to easily find other womyn with young children, or womyn who like hanging out with the little kids. It's free (with your ticket), although there is the expectation that you will do at least one workshift in Sprouts. (As one of your regular shifts, not in addition to.)

Other things that occur to me, from having heard it from womyn with small children: sunscreen and bug repellant that works for your baby, warm clothes for nighttime, extra clothes and/or a bit of biodegradable soap and a clothesline.

A beach shelter or sun umbrella - So wonderful to be outside all day but trying to find shade can be a challenge sometimes. It is nice to set up your own shade and not have to compete.

thanks ladies!

22 years ago, I came to Fest with my 5 week old daughter. It took a few hours more to make the journey to Fest from Ohio as we stopped more often to breast feed, etc. We arrived after dark and it was raining! Fortunately we ran into women we knew who helped us set up our tent in the dark.

We brought a fold-up playpen for the baby to sleep in. That way even though our tent was on a slight hill, we didn't have to worry about her/us rolling away when we/she was sleeping. As I recall, this worked out pretty well. I'm sure the camping/daycare for very young babies/children has evolved and gotten better over the years. Another thing I remember is that that first year, when our baby was still small, was easier to get around with her than the second year, when she was 13 months old, lots bigger, but still not yet walking. Back in those days, the strollers with bigger wheels were not invented/rare and the paths at the Festival were rougher, so getting around with the stroller was hard to do.
Again, times have improved both the kind of stroller you might have and the paths at Fest are much more stroller friendly.
My daughter has grown into a beautiful young woman and I know that the Festival will always be a place she feels at home. I hope you have a great time at Fest with your baby!

We've brought our two kids, now 3 and 5, since they were each 3 months old. It's a lot of extra stuff to haul in but worth it to have what you need. Definitely register for Sprouts. They are great!

A few essential things besides obvious clothes/shoes/diapers:
EXTRA clothes -lightweight and warm since the weather can go either way
WARM pajamas (footie pajamas are great)
extra socks
LOTS of baby wipes
a few special toys
blankie or whatever is comforting to baby
rain boots! (for the walkers) it's so great when it's muddy and you can just rinse off their shoes
crocs or the like -even if you don't like this type of shoe, they are so great to hose off when they get muddy or dusty and they're easy on/off
baby carrier (ergo type or ring sling, whatever type you prefer) I love to talk about baby carriers if anyone has a question or wants to chat
wagon or stroller with large wheels
easy to prepare/cook food for if your kid doesn't like fest food
snacks! granola bars, dried fruit, nuts, etc
sunscreen
bug spray
sun hat and warm hat
meds-diaper cream, ibuprofen/fever reducer, thermometer, saline, teething gel, aspirator
mosquito netting (for stroller)
sippy cup, spoons, small lidded container for traveling with snacks
washcloths
potty chair