Baby on Board

[Nichelle]

My little one is now a year old, it's time this mama bear gets back on the trail. Any suggestions for hiking/camping with a real newbie? I want it to be enjoyable for everyone.

[Jen]

It's great that you will be bringing your little one on the trail with you! My first thoughts are: be realistic with your distance/time expectations, go on some shorter day hikes if you haven't already, and stay positive. Keeping calm & being prepared help a lot too.

On our first hike with our kiddo, just a couple of months old, he cried and screamed in the parking lot. It was stressful at the time, but we got him settled and decided to just start hiking.... if he got really upset, we would turn around and come home. But he was fine, so we kept going and ended up having a great time, even if it was pretty tiring for me. He was in carrier, so we stopped every so often to let him move his legs and make sure he didn't get a rash.

There is so much to do and see that you don't need to bring a lot of entertainment. We usually bring 1 small toy & a book. Rocks and sticks and miscellaneous hiking gear do the rest. Caribiners and headlamps are favorite toys!

For clothes, layers and synthetics like fleece are great, especially if a diaper leaks & you need a quick dry fabric. When he was younger, our kiddo slept in a down bunting with fleece PJs & another layer (and cuddled with me part of the time).

There are some other things to consider if you are in bear country (like food & milk spillage & storage), but for the most part it's just fun to get out there and see things through the eyes of child.