Hiking With Children

Hiking with children can be such a joy! This is an awesome guest article, written by Amy Lucas, a seasoned outdoor mom, who had some great ideas on what to think about when heading out to do some family hiking Colorado style! Amy leads a group called The Fort Collins Mountain Mamas. If you want to get out and enjoy some great hikes with other moms and tots, check out the Fort Collins Mountain Mamas on Facebook. Below the article, there is also a place for you to submit YOUR tips and ideas for hiking! Please share the tricks you use while hiking with children, to help other families!

Take ‘em Along: Sharing Nature with Your Children

You have kids, and now your hiking life is over, right? Wrong! Hiking with small children is an incredibly rewarding experience – both for parents and children. As parents, we have an opportunity to inspire a love for nature in our children. Let’s take it!

It can be a little scary the first time you venture out on the trail with an infant or toddler. Questions like, “Will they be happy in the pack? Did I remember everything we’ll need? What if they start to cry?” cross the minds of every parent. But, don’t let fear stop you from enjoying the outdoors with your child.

Tips for traveling with infants
• Find a pack/carrier that’s comfortable – for both you and your child. Try it on before you purchase it. Baby Bjorn, Ergo Baby, and Moby Wrap make great infant carriers. You may also be able to find a used carrier online or at a garage sale.
• Carry your child in the carrier around town or in the grocery store so that she becomes comfortable with it before embarking on your hike.
• If you’re breast-feeding, food and water are on-the-ready. If not, you might consider carrying warm water in a bottle and a separate formula-carrier in your pack.
• Be prepared for the weather. Check the forecast before you leave. If there is a chance of rain, bring a large rain jacket that you can stretch over both you and your child. If it may be cold, bring a hat, mittens that link together with a string (so you won’t lose them) and an extra blanket. The extra blanket can provide warmth and also offer padding if your child is a little small for the carrier.
• Many parents bring an extra backpack to hold your “gear” – carrying their child on the front and a backpack on their back. If your spouse or a friend is going with you, by all means, have them carry the backpack!
• Safety note for little ones: Bring a first-aid kit with supplies for you and your child. New parents can be unintentionally thoughtless, based only on inexperience. Precautions to keep in mind are watching for sunburn, rashes and hypothermia. Babies have no real way to communicate with you until it's too late for some things like sunburn or wind burn. They lose body heat quickly, especially through extremities, because they are not generating heat through activity. Be extra diligent, and educate your self to be aware of all the possibilities.

What to bring on the trail for your infant:
o Diapers & wipes
o 1 Gallon plastic zip-loc bag to carry dirty diapers home
o Changing pad
o Formula and warm water (if applicable)
o Hat (for sun or warmth)
o Mittens/snowsuit/rain coat – depending on weather
o Sunscreen (if the child is over 6 months old)
o Bug spray or bug wipes (if the child is over 6 months old)
o Camera
o Water/snacks/rain gear for yourself

Once your child reaches the toddler stage and begins to walk, many parents think that keeping the child entertained in the pack (when they aren’t able to walk) is an impossible task. This is absolutely not true! Our two-year-old daughter has been on an 8.4 mile, 5 hour hike with us in her backpack and remained happy the entire time. It simply takes some planning.

When your child reaches about 15 pounds and/or they can sit up, it’s time to start thinking about moving them to a more substantial carrier. Look for a carrier with “load lifters.” These extra straps pull the weight off your shoulders and transfer it to your hips. Many of them also have room to haul your gear. Kelty and Deuter both make excellent carriers.

There are lots of fun things you can do for your child to keep him entertained on the trail. At the toddler stage, they aren’t likely to be as excited as you are to just be out in nature. Handing them a pine cone or a piece of grass may only keep him happy for a few minutes.

Do your best to engage her in your surroundings. If the child is able to talk, ask her to point to the trees or the clouds, look for water, birds or butterflies. Ask her to listen for birds, rushing water or airplanes that may pass by. Point out bridges, insects or signs. Talk about the wind or the sun. Your excitement for what you see and feel will create an excitement within her, too! Sing fun kid songs (if you have enough breath) about what you see or simply songs you like.

I strap a little bag around my neck and shoulder that holds fun “treasures.” When I find that our daughter needs something to grab her attention, I’ll pull out one of these toys. Sometimes just holding a small plastic toy brings comfort and entertainment for 15 minutes or more!

List of “treasures” to bring along:
• Little People – people and animals
• Bubbles (in a container what won’t spill)
• Small board books (Ours are 2.5 inches by 2.5 inches and about 5 pages each.)
• Matchbox cars

Allow your toddler a chance to get out and walk around at least once per hour. This is also an opportunity for you to do a diaper check or get a drink or snack for yourself, too.

Snacks on the trail can be a special treat for your toddler. Use small key-chain carabineers to attach a snack container to the outside of your pack within your child’s reach. Find one that has a plastic top to allow your child to reach the snack, but when they pull their hand out, it holds the rest of the snacks inside. That way, the child can eat on the way!

When hiking with children, some good ideas for snacks on the trail are dry cereal, snack crackers and dried fruit. Put a mix of fun things in their cup to keep them interested.

Your child’s drink can be attached the same way – allowing him to grab a drink whenever he needs one. Bring extra water in a container for yourself and so that you can refill his cup if necessary.

We attach the snack to one side of the pack and the drink to the other. When our daughter needs one, she just grabs onto the links of key chain carabineers and pulls it up.

What to bring on the trail for your infant:
o Diapers & wipes
o 1 Gallon plastic zip-loc bag to carry dirty diapers home
o Changing pad
o Hat (for sun or warmth)
o Mittens/snowsuit/rain coat – depending on weather
o Sunscreen
o Bug spray or bug wipes
o Camera
o Water/snacks/rain gear for yourself
o Snacks
o Drinks

Make sure you have realistic goals in mind when hiking with your child. Start with short distances and work up to longer hikes. As they grow, they will catch your excitement for nature and begin to see the beauty of being outdoors.

Most of all, have fun! Hiking can be a special time with your child where you can explore the world together! Don’t miss out on this opportunity! Get out there!

NoCoTots Preferred Businesses
NoCo Family Hikes
Fort Collins Kids Eat Free
Working from Home
Northern Colorado Parks and Playgrounds
Northern Colorado Prenatal Care
Northern Colorado Breastfeeding Resources
NoCo Indoor Playspaces
Go from Hiking With Children to NoCoTots Home Page