Hiking with kids? What about camping and multi day walking? Any advice would be great. Ours is now 4 months.?

Answer 1

Little, important stuff: Be prepared for bugs, sun, rain, cold, and heat. Not so much for you, you can just suck it up, but for the 4 month old.

You're right at the cusp between a Baby Bjorn front carrier and a child carrier backpack (Kelty is good, REI has them). Depends a little on your own child's neck strength. We've done both. 2 months through Europe with 2-3 month old in a Baby Bjorn (great for public transit) and BP trips in CA, AK, and HI with him in a Kelty child carrier backpack when he was 6 to 24 months.

2 to 4 years old was a time for closer stuff - more camping, less BPing. By 5, he could do 3 miles in a morning OR an afternoon and then we'd make camp.

In some ways, it is as easy as it will get for the next 5 years. Mom has everything the baby wants, baby has a semi-regular sleep schedule now, but stays where you put him/her. We've got a friend who followed her husband on the fricking Iditarod Sled Dog race (1100 miles) with a little one like that so it can be done.

Note that if you are carrying baby, someone else needs to carry all the baby STUFF. And your stuff. And their own stuff. That gets to be a lot of stuff. Sometimes I (dad) make two trips to haul it in (I get a peaceful round trip as a sherpa). Or we book a remote cabin (in AK or HI) with beds, stove, pots, roof, wood stove already there. It cuts your weight a lot and lets you do it in one trip. As does going during mild weather - you pack less clothes for everyone.

Just accept that the grownups will wear the same outer clothes everyday and the baby's outfit is just fine if there's drool on it. It's a BP trip, not a fashion show.

Attitude: While on a road trip or a BPing trip or riding in a pressurized metal tube at 31,000 feet I try to think of a pioneer family taking 6 months to cross the plains in a covered wagon. Hard tack, salt pork and bad water every day. Hot and dry or too cold all the time. One kid was born on the way, one died. Makes $5 for a hot meal and another $5 for a cold beer from the stewardess seem like a bargain. Or Mac&Cheese (4 years from now on a family BP trip) seem not so bad.

As others have said, don't get too ambitious - you'll do a lot less distance than you did on adult-only trips. Keep it simple, keep it fun, test and fine-tune the concept slowly. At 3 to 6 months, we found we could do most anything (hike the Black Forest, the Louvre, a glacier hike, subways, etc) for 2.5 hours. And then get somewhere comfortable (cafe, mountain hut, tent) for another nursing session and a diaper change.

Remember - the spectacular destinations are for your sake, not theirs until they're 5 or so. They'd be just as happy with the sticks and rocks in your backyard as at 10,000 feet in the mountains. Or on a playground in any city.

And accept that it will be more of a test of your flexibility as a parent than as a stud-muffin hiker. Modelling an active, adventurous lifestyle is important to us (trying to combat the TV/supersize me culture) and we are starting to see the fruits of that now.

Answer 2

My sister took her kids out camping from the time they were small. Her best advice is to remember that you have a 4 month old with you. Don't get so caught up in the hike or trip you forget the basic needs. Also don't go some place where there is little or no help when needed, like deep woods hiking. Stick to well traveled places until the child is older. She said enjoy the time with your kids and family. Have fun.

Answer 3

Loooooong hiking trips are a pretty big challenge with a 4 month old.
Babies need a lot of STUFF. And somebody has to carry THEM too.
If you KNOW you are going to be on prepared trails where a big-wheel stroller will work, that would help a lot.
But you still gotta worry about insect bites, over-exposure to sun, and the dangers inherent in hiking (sprained ankles....can one parent manage everything alone if need be?).
It's just a big deal. Might want to keep it down to short excursions for a while.

Answer 4

carry plenty of water, keep kid out of the sun (sunscreen & hat, OR sunscreen & umbrella). follow "at home" nap/ sleep times, check kid every 10 minutes for diaper, thirst, rash, fever, sore spots, redness, etc. Bag of dry clothes, bag for dirty diapers. Stop the Hike and head Home if Kid is too fussy/ hot/ tired etc.... Camping is great, like home with more biting insects... but Your child should be the barometer of how much fun you are having, so pay close attention. (and don't forget to talk out loud about the things you see.)

Answer 5

Make sure to dress them properly. You don't want them to be too hot or too cold. Also, make sure to keep them protected from sun and bugs--you don't want a 4 month old with a sunburn and bugbites all over. Good luck and have fun!