HIKING WITH A KID

DISCLAIMER: we are not experts! We made all of this up. Do what is best for you and your family!

We have been lucky enough to do a lot of hiking and backpacking with our daughter in the past several years, and almost every time we go we have people ask us about how we do it with a little one. With some trial and error, we have found what works for us so that everyone enjoys going on hikes together as a family. Below are our tips and tricks on how to successfully hike with your kid!

If you are wondering which child carrier we use, you can check out our blog post on that here.

TRAIN YOUR KID

Hahahaha that just sounds hilarious. If only it were that easy. Seriously though, training is totally required for success on the trail. If you are expecting to buy a kid carrier and the next week hit the trail for a several hour hike… good luck! As with anything in life, the sooner you start hiking with your child, the easier it is. However, I believe you can start this with any age!

When we bought our child carrier, we started out on a lot of short, leisurely hikes/strolls. Just getting our daughter in the pack and getting her used to the idea of riding in it was key. It sounds silly, but introduce the child carrier as a fun and exciting thing!

We also found that if we took her straight from her car seat and put her in the pack everyone was happier. In contrast, the times we would let her run around outside and then try to put her in the pack, she was more reluctant and more likely to get upset early on. Once the pattern was set - ride first and play at the end - the predictability made the process easier, and honestly it made sense. Think about it. Letting our daughter play for only a couple of minutes, then pulling the rug out from under her to make her sit still in a pack just isn’t fair to a little person’s emotions. As an adult, I would be upset if some one did that to me, too!

Also on that note, I have seen parents that will have their kids hike alongside them and use the child carrier as a “threat” in a way. For example, “If you don’t stay on the trail, I’m going to make you get in the backpack.” In my opinion, this makes the backpack a punishment instead of something fun. The goal is for your child to enjoy riding in the carrier, not to ride in it as a negative consequence.

However, there are the sad times. After some trial and error of how to deal with the times our daughter would cry, we decided keeping her in the pack is what worked best. In the early days, kids have very few ways of communication. Unfortunately for parents, crying is the main one. It started to become clear that if we took her out of the pack when she started to cry, the next hike we went on she would begin to cry sooner (the whole positive reinforcement thing). Now - we are not evil humans without feelings. Every parent knows what each cry means so use your best judgment! We found that using other tools (listed below) to soothe her while hiking worked better, and our hikes could last longer. Once the precedent had been set, and she knew she was not getting out of the pack, things began to work beautifully.

This is honestly where we see parents have the most trouble. We passed a couple in Sedona sitting on the side of a trail begging their daughter to get back into the pack. And that’s hard! Again, why it is key to practice before taking those big trips, but also why it is important to keep them in the pack.

However, with that being said… we have (just now) started to get Etta Rose out of her pack occasionally. She is three now and has been riding in the carrier since she was six months old. Since she is starting to get a bit bigger and has extra energy, on some long hikes we do get her down. This is usually when we are breaking for lunch, or if we think she needs to stretch her legs. We also let her down when we get to the “top” or “destination.” Meaning, if it’s an out and back trail, then we let her out at the turn around, and if it’s a loop trail, we let her out somewhere in the middle (safety considered). I think it works for us now because she is very familiar with hiking.

TRAIL WEAPONS

Honestly these are arguably more important that the carrier backpack! We never (ever) hit the trail without being prepared for our daughter. This includes her water bottle, her favorite snacks, juice boxes, and a surprise. We really use this time for some special not-your-everyday-snacks. For example, she loves Capri Suns and Veggie Straws. However, I do not think these are great choices for the every day. The trail is a great place because she gets so excited to have them, and it makes the hike that much more special to her. On our long hikes, I will sometimes bring a surprise for her as a reward for being so great during our hike. For her this is usually a marshmallow, haha!

Small toys can also be a good idea. There are times when baby dragon (her stuffed animal) really wants to go on a hike with us, and we allow her to. Sometimes her binoculars or magnifying glass make the difference in a happy hike or a meltdown. Don’t go overboard, though. One or two toys seem to be plenty. If your kid is still unhappy, chances are another toy isn’t going to fix it.

Nature also provides so many toys that are right at your disposal. Any fallen sticks, pinecones, or even rocks are fun toys for kids. Talking about what we see helps to pass the time. And, (heaven forbid you ever hear us doing this) singing is always a great last resort!

EMERGENCY

Of course when you’re hiking with a kiddo, there are other supplies that need to be thought of, especially for long hikes. If your child isn’t potty-trained then you’ll need diapers and wipes obviously. However, you might not think to go ahead and bring that diaper rash cream. I always like to bring children’s Tylenol and band-aids when backpacking. Kids get fevers for literally no reason I’m convinced, and sometimes a band-aid on an invisible boo-boo can be a lifesaver.

ATTITUDE

This applies in all aspects of parenthood. If Orry and I are excited about our hiking adventure or going backpacking, Etta Rose is excited, too! On our four-hour hike down into the Western Grand Canyon, I cannot count the times we talked about how excited we were to sleep in our RED tent (she really loves the color red). This made the build up and excitement that much more for our daughter. We also encourage her to talk to other hikers on the trail, saying hi or good job! The interaction and smile or wave from other hikers is a great positive reinforcement to her, again – making hiking more fun. Just remember, happiness is contagious!