Top Tips For Hiking With Infants & Toddlers
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If you’ve ever tried to get a kid to go anywhere quickly, you know what a waste of effort that can be. Kids of all ages tend to move at their own pace despite all the prodding of us parents. Despite this truth, I am passionate about kids being active in nature. It’s good for them on so many levels. One great way to teach them to do this is through hiking. We live in the incredible state of Oregon where there are trails everywhere. From the rocky desert, to the lush Gorge, to the high mountains, and the rolling coastline; we have endless opportunities to be active in nature.
So, how do you harness a child’s amazing energy and get them to hike down or up a trail for miles and miles?
So, how do you harness a child’s amazing energy and get them to hike down or up a trail for miles and miles?
5 ways you can introduce your child to hiking at any age & teach them to love it:
1) Talk, talk, talk about it!
Hiking doesn’t start on the trail, it starts in the house, in the car, at the park, or anywhere for that matter. Start talking to your kids about nature and particularly about your local terrain. Before our kids could even talk we pointed out mountains as we drove past them. My 5 year old knows most of the major peaks in the Cascade Range as well as many of the buttes in Central Oregon because we point them out and talk about them all the time. It’s not just mountains that matter though, it’s every type of terrain or geography. Find out the names of buttes, rivers, lakes, waterfalls, bays, caves, or whatever unique land formation is near you. Point these things out as you drive or walk. Look at a map with them and point out the unique places.
2) Gear up for it!
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Don’t just grab a few water bottles and some trail mix and head out on a hike. Start by making walking a normal family activity. Walk to the park, walk to the store, walk on your local paths. Begin to make some of your walks, just about the walk and not about the destination. Take a walk, to take a walk, not to go to the splash pad. From there you can plan your first hike. Make it short, make sure there is a destination, and make sure it will be memorable. I think a 1 mile in, 1 mile out hike is a great place to start. Steelhead Falls in Central Oregon is a great example of this. It’s 1 mile to the falls. The destination is exciting because of the falls and also because there are places where kids can play in the water. This makes it memorable and begins to teach kids that there are “treasures” at hike destinations. Having a special treat to share at the destination or back at the car can be encouraging for kids as well.
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Or maybe having something special that they only get on hikes. My daughter loves Gatorade but it’s something we never buy. We drink all the water and very little of anything sugary. That being said, a cup of Gatorade is great incentive for her to power through tough hikes. She knows there is Gatorade at the end and she looks forward to that. After all, we do that as adults. We plan where or what we are going to eat after a big hike. It works for kids too.
3) Teach them!
Teach perspective, delayed gratification, and how to push through something hard! We live in a world where we can have anything we want almost immediately. Also, kids mainly participate in activities that don’t demand waiting or persevering. It makes sense that walking down a trail for a few hours just to see a waterfall isn’t what most adults or kids choose to do with their free time. They choose things that are more immediately gratifying most of the time. However, if you can use hiking to teach kids that the journey is just as important as the destination and that they have to ability to push through hard things, you will be giving them a leg up on the rest of society. Celebrate the trail as you walk along it. Point out rocks, flowers, lizards, squirrels, etc... Don’t stop and investigate them, just notice and keep walking. We always say, “Hey, checkout that cool rock. It looks just like a heart. That’s amazing! Ok, let’s see what other shapes we can spot.” That sort of thing. Always finish with a call to keep moving and keep looking. Another aspect of this is to teach your kids how to be happy in the middle of something difficult. Sing songs, tells stories, be superheroes or do whatever you need to, to keep their spirits high even as they climb a big hill. Don’t negate the fact that the hill is steep and long and they are hot and tired, but choose not to dwell there. Move their focus onward and upward as you choose to be happy anyway and engage in something fun like a silly song. Kids will mirror your emotions so stay positive despite the circumstances.
4) Celebrate victories big & small!
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A hike doesn’t end back at the car. That’s when the celebrating starts. Tell your kids how well they did. Point out the times that you saw them push through something hard. Ask them what the coolest thing they saw on the hike was. Brag on them for their accomplishment to friends or family. Affirm their effort and speak truth into their ability to do the same thing again.
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5) Make it a habit!
If hiking is that random thing you do twice a year and usually on Labor Day, I guarantee your kids will learn to endure it, but never fall in love with it. If you truly want happy, enthusiastic hikers for the long haul, you’ve got to make hiking a regular activity. That doesn’t mean you have to hike every day, but hiking does need to be on your regular rotation of activities. The good news is that you can hike year round. You’ll need different clothing and you’ll choose different trails, but it is still very possible.
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Ok, now that we’ve gotten through the deep stuff, let's talk about some tips and tricks for hiking with babies, toddlers, or little kids.
- Plan for it to take longer than expected. It’s just going to... That’s the way it goes with little kids.
- Bring bug spray and sunscreen even on cloudy days without bugs. Inevitably the misquotes will be thick and 80% of the trail will be unshaded just when you don’t have the items you need.
- Bring more water than you think you will need. I have been amazed at the amount of water little kids can guzzle on a hot hike.
- Always bring wet wipes. Even if your kid is past diapers, wet wipes solve so many problems along the trail.
- Make sure your kids have some tread on their shoes. I know it’s not always possible to buy hiking specific shoes for kids. Their feet grow so fast and those type of shoes can be pricey. Tennis shoes with tread will work almost as well. The big thing is just making sure the bottoms of their shoes aren’t smooth. That smooth rubber may work well on pavement but it will be slicker than snot on a dusty trail.
- Bring a trash bag and a change of clothes and shoes in the car. I can’t tell you the number of times my kids have been so dirty after a hike that I didn’t want them crawling back into the clean car. I often strip them down and put their dirty clothes in a trash bag and put the clean clothes on them.
- Remember that hiking a few miles to many miles is tiring on little legs as well. Put some epsom salt in their baths after a big hike and add a pinch of sea salt or a natural electrolyte to their water bottle on hot days.
- A hat is super helpful. Not only will a hat protect your child’s face from the sun, it’s also great for flapping around to get rid of flies or other bugs.
- Bring a microfiber towel for any hike to water. Kids will inevitably want to get in, and it’s great to have a way to dry them off.
- Let them be involved in the process. Let them help you carry the pack. Let them help you take some pictures of the scenery. Let them help you look at the map. The more you get them involved, the more it will become, THEIR HIKE...not just mom or dad’s hike.
- Bring that baby/toddler pack just in case. Maybe you have taken your two year old on some shorter hikes and they’ve made it all on their own. Well, when you jump up in mileage, it’s wise to bring their pack just in case. That way when their little legs tire out, you can pop them in the pack and keep going.