Hiking is a hobby enjoyed by millions around the world. One of the highlights of hiking is being able to do it with your whole family. Even babies and toddlers can enjoy hiking with a little patience, planning and perspective. Here are some of our top tips for taking your toddler hiking.
Invest in a Quality Hiking Carrier
A quality, dedicated hiking carrier is going to do wonders for your hiking experience with toddlers. They are beyond the age of being able to you the traditional baby carriers so a hiking carrier is must. If you have younger children or even an older child check out this post which goes over the best types of carries based on the age of your child.
A hiking carrier is great because it is both comfortable for you and your child. There are plenty of pockets to put accessories as well as a place to secure their drink bottle that is easily accessible to them without you having to stop every 5 minutes.
I love the Osprey hiking carriers because of their high standard of manufacturing and design and as well as being well priced for such a quality product. Their products come with a life time warranty which is really saying a lot about both the company and the product. These carriers are so well designed Osprey really has thought of everything and has both child and parent at the center of their designs. You can see their current range and prices here.
Be Consistent
Hiking is just like everything in life. If there is consistency it is always going to become easier and more enjoyable. That is to say don’t just go out once and not have a great experience then never attempt it again.
Try again. Consistency is everything. Learn from what went wrong the first time and try to remedy it. If your child has never been in a hiking carrier they might need a bit of time to get used to in and to become comfortable enough to relax and enjoy the ride.
The more and more you do it the easier it becomes and the more enjoyable it is. Don’t let a bad experience discourage you.
I would say try to get out at least once or twice a month if you can manage it. Talk it up, be excited and your little one will follow suit.
Snacks
If you have kids you obviously know how vital snacks are for any kind of outing. Snacks on hikes are even more important. There is no running into a store quickly to grab a box of apple sauce or cherrios when you are half way up a mountain!
Snacks for toddlers should be easy for them to eat while walking, or in a hiking carrier. Some of our favourites include:
- Dry cereal
- Pretzels
- Popcorn
- Sandwiches
- Baby carrots
- Yoghurt pouches (freeze them and let them defrost as you hike to keep them nice and cool)
- Cut fruit
Keep them separated into little zip lock baggies that you can quickly hand to your toddler. This works better than having a big bag to share between various people.
Try to ration the snacks out a little. We will often say “okay when we get to the next sign we can have another snack”. This way we don’t use up all out bargaining privileges within the first 20 minutes
Go to Interesting Places
One of the best parts about having children is being able to see their wonder and curiosity. Hiking opens up so many opportunities to grow their little minds and give them experiences they could not other wise have.
Keep things interesting by finding hikes that have fun aspects like a waterfalls, or little swimming holes. Kids love hikes that involve water, even if it is the middle of Winter they will still want to jump in it.
Take note of what your children are interested in. If they are interested in certain types of animals see if you can find a hike or National Park where you might be able to spot them in real life. These sorts of experiences stay with children forever, even when they are very young.
Take it Slow
There is no need to rush. This eludes to two different aspects of hiking. Firstly walk at a slower pace, and let your child enjoy their surroundings and take it in. Let them stop to collect sticks and examine the moss on the rocks. This is how kids learn.
The second aspect is try not to do too much too soon. Start off with a small and easy hike. Once you are all comfortable with that then move on to hikes that are increasingly more difficult and long.
If you try to do too much at the beginning it quite often goes South and ends in tears and frustration.
Let Them Explore
If you are hiking with a toddler you will more than likely need to carry them at some point along the way. In the mean time let them get out for a bit of energy release.If you are on a long hike being stuck up in a hiking carrier not matter how comfortable it is can get boring and uncomfortable.
Letting them out to stretch their legs will make the hike much more enjoyable for them and for you. They will wear themselves out rather quickly and be happy to get a ride again and will likely fall asleep which is great if you have skipped nap time!
Like I mentioned earlier, children learning through play, and they learning through touching and doing. They will discover so much about the world and nature if they are able to get out and be in nature, feeling it and being a part of it. Let them. Even if it means you move a long at the pace of a snail do it. Even if it means you head home with pockets full of special leaves and stones do it. You will probably find those little stone years later and shed a few tears…experience speaking here.
Include Them in the Conversation
When we go hiking with friends or our partner it is so easy to use the time to talk about the big questions in life, or work through problems. Nature has a great way of bringing out the philosopher in all of us. It is away from the business and chaos of everyday life.
Remember the little person up on your back and try to include them in some of your conversations. Point out interesting trees or help them spot some animals. Use this time to ask them questions about life too. It’s never too early to start enjoying nature induced conversations!
Dress Them In Layers
It is important while hiking to dress you children, especially toddlers in layers. Hiking trails often take you through pockets of differing temperatures. In one part you might me completely shaded and chilly while in another hour you could be in full sun and needing protection from the sun powerful rays. Remember that you child is not walking to keep themselves warm so if it is chilly they need to be kept warm, both to keep them healthy and to stop them from complaining.
If you start out your hike in the morning the temperature could still be very mild however on your return the mid-day sun can have you heating up quickly.
Several light layers that are easy to remove and put back on are better than one or two heavy layers.
Buy Yourself Good Hiking Boots
Hiking with a toddler on your back adds a whole new element to hiking. It is important that you are wearing footwear that offers you the most stability and protection. If you go tumbling down the trail your kid is going with you!
Keen hiking shoes are are choice for providing the stablilty you need. There are other brands out there that are cheaper but they just don’t stand up to the job. They are weak where is matters most. One of the highest priorities when it comes to hiking boots while you are carrying your child is stability. I really feel that Keen offers than stability and security that you really need. Keen hiking boots are avaliable to purchase here, if you would like to see the different styles and price points.
Lower Your Expectations
Be realistic about what you feel you can cover in a day and what you can expect of a 2 year old. They are temperamental at the best of times!
If you go in with an attitude of “we are just going to give it our best” you will be much more satisfied with the outcome.
Lowering your expectations can be frustrating if you are an avid hiker who is now having to scale down their hikes to accomodate little ones. However it is just a time and a season. I promise you it will be worth it in the end when you have a bunch of kids who love to hike with you and be out adventuring together. You don’t want to kill their love of hiking before they even got to experience how wonderful it is.
