So you want to take your kids hiking
So you are feeling inspired and you want to take your adorable offspring out for a hike- good for you! Let me give you some tips so you don't fail big time and quit after your first try.
1. Start Small- especially if your kids are little find some good trails close to home and start small. We have found that with a little searching there are so many great trails within a short drive from our house and most of them are very doable with young kids. When we started taking our kids out regularly we had a newborn, a 2 year old, a 4 year old, and a 6 year old. We literally just took them to the park down the road and let them loose on the trail. Husband helped the 2 year old and newborn road in a moby wrap and slept. If your kids are bigger and are used to longer walks by all means jump right in and give some longer trails a try- currently our kids can go about three miles without turning into a crabby mess.
2. Get yourself a comfy backpack that's built for hiking. If you think you can hike with kids without a backpack you are wrong. I don't care if you think you won't need one or you will only do short hikes- good luck and don't say I didn't warn you. I carry this:
Its a great size for me- I'm 5'2". It has a lot of pockets, a rain cover and comes with a hydration bladder. It also clips at the waist and across the chest which I think makes carrying it easier. I've had it about a year and this is a picture of it last week- it still looks great and has held up well.
3. Pack Snacks- this is huge for our kids (and husband who gets hangry). We learned this lesson the hard way and now we never hike, even if it's "just a short hike" without some kind of food. We have four boys and they are ALWAYS hungry, and when they are hungry they whine, and when they whine the hike is not enjoyable not matter the scenery. And no one wants to cut their hike short because their kids are whiney and hungry. I tend to throw in something easy such as granola or protein bars or trail mix. Any snacks with some protein in them that don't need to stay cold are great. Snacks have saved more than one hike for us- last year our three year old would hike happily for a long time and then suddenly just break down crying- he wouldn't even claim he was hungry- stopping right then and there for a snack pretty much fixed this every time.
4. Pack Water- more than you think you can possibly need. I actually prefer to pack a hydration bladder in my backpack but water bottles work just as well. Not having water is another quick way to ruin your hike. You will get thirsty, the kids will get thirsty. Pack water.
4. Get a travel first aid kit- or throw in some band-aids at the very least. When we started hiking with our very young kids someone fell and skinned a knee every.single.time. And for whatever reason we still didn't remember to pack band-aids. Not that they actually got hurt badly enough that they needed band-aids, but with our kids- band-aids fix everything and sometimes you just need the crying to stop.
5. Find a park map BEFORE you get to the park if you are doing a bigger park. Download it to your phone or print it off. I've found that my connection in most parks has been poor. I like to have a plan for the bigger parks of which trail or trails I want to hit. Iowa DNR is a fabulous resource as well as Iowa Parklands.
6. Other things we have found handy to pack:
Small flashlights or headlamps for caves or other dark palces.
Pocket knife- husband and I each carry one but that's a blog for another day
Bug spray-need i say more?
Sunscreen- same as bug spray
7. Set your expectations low. Just like all things with little kids, its probably not going to go perfectly. Our first few expeditions were hit or miss, and they didn't go perfectly. We have learned a lot along the way. Try to enjoy the scenery and the time with your kids. Because they are only little for the moment.
1. Start Small- especially if your kids are little find some good trails close to home and start small. We have found that with a little searching there are so many great trails within a short drive from our house and most of them are very doable with young kids. When we started taking our kids out regularly we had a newborn, a 2 year old, a 4 year old, and a 6 year old. We literally just took them to the park down the road and let them loose on the trail. Husband helped the 2 year old and newborn road in a moby wrap and slept. If your kids are bigger and are used to longer walks by all means jump right in and give some longer trails a try- currently our kids can go about three miles without turning into a crabby mess.
2. Get yourself a comfy backpack that's built for hiking. If you think you can hike with kids without a backpack you are wrong. I don't care if you think you won't need one or you will only do short hikes- good luck and don't say I didn't warn you. I carry this:
3. Pack Snacks- this is huge for our kids (and husband who gets hangry). We learned this lesson the hard way and now we never hike, even if it's "just a short hike" without some kind of food. We have four boys and they are ALWAYS hungry, and when they are hungry they whine, and when they whine the hike is not enjoyable not matter the scenery. And no one wants to cut their hike short because their kids are whiney and hungry. I tend to throw in something easy such as granola or protein bars or trail mix. Any snacks with some protein in them that don't need to stay cold are great. Snacks have saved more than one hike for us- last year our three year old would hike happily for a long time and then suddenly just break down crying- he wouldn't even claim he was hungry- stopping right then and there for a snack pretty much fixed this every time.
4. Pack Water- more than you think you can possibly need. I actually prefer to pack a hydration bladder in my backpack but water bottles work just as well. Not having water is another quick way to ruin your hike. You will get thirsty, the kids will get thirsty. Pack water.
4. Get a travel first aid kit- or throw in some band-aids at the very least. When we started hiking with our very young kids someone fell and skinned a knee every.single.time. And for whatever reason we still didn't remember to pack band-aids. Not that they actually got hurt badly enough that they needed band-aids, but with our kids- band-aids fix everything and sometimes you just need the crying to stop.
5. Find a park map BEFORE you get to the park if you are doing a bigger park. Download it to your phone or print it off. I've found that my connection in most parks has been poor. I like to have a plan for the bigger parks of which trail or trails I want to hit. Iowa DNR is a fabulous resource as well as Iowa Parklands.
6. Other things we have found handy to pack:
Small flashlights or headlamps for caves or other dark palces.
Pocket knife- husband and I each carry one but that's a blog for another day
Bug spray-need i say more?
Sunscreen- same as bug spray
7. Set your expectations low. Just like all things with little kids, its probably not going to go perfectly. Our first few expeditions were hit or miss, and they didn't go perfectly. We have learned a lot along the way. Try to enjoy the scenery and the time with your kids. Because they are only little for the moment.
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