Hiking with a Toddler

[Pomeroki]

Hi all, New member, first post.

I'll jump right into it. I'm planning a trip to Yellowstone this summer with a friend. She has a boy who will turn 3 a couple months before our expected travel dates. I'm curious if anyone has any recommendations on various hikes that they've done in Yellowstone with toddlers in regards to ease/safety. Both my friend and myself are very capable hikers. I regularly hike 5-7 miles 1-2 times per week, sometimes over 10 on a weekend while carrying a 35lb pack. My friend also used to hike a lot, though she has tapered off since becoming a single mother (she is still an avid gym goer). 

We're still discussing whether we're just going to camp and then day hike, or if we want to attempt a short back country camping trip. From the physical perspective, I don't see an issue with the back country.

I have plenty of experience with 'camping' outside of a standard campground and carrying all of my gear in a pack with fishing and a few onions as my only food source for a few days. I've also done a few week long floats with my dad in the past. 

My friend is excited about the idea of back country hiking, but I'm not sure if she is aware of all the potential difficulties associated with it. 
I have found this post on the forum that links to a great article about the fun and excitement with a few pointers on how to keep kids going during a hike. Excellent read!

And then I came across Trail Groove Issue 51, which I purchased to read the section on 'Backpacking with Kids: The Early Years'. Also a great read with some brilliant pointers for gear and prepping for backpacking. 

So, with all that back ground info out of the way, I would love to hear any tips and tricks, feedback, or insight that anyone more experienced backpacking with children might have. I'm also interested in hearing what trails at Yellowstone you might have done that would great candidates if we decide that we're going to camp/stay in a cabin and only do day hikes.

Thanks in advance to everyone who can offer any help!!!

[Michael aka Mac]

Hi Pomeroke and welcome to Trailgroove,

You are probably not going to like this answer, but despite what you may think, your friend and your hiking ability is going to be heavily out weighed by the child.  It is les about the two of you and more about the little one, let me explain:

Children are rather unpredictable to say the least.  They may be struck with aww and speechless,  or they may non stop talk and point at everything they see. I have seen some hikers with children that were non stop crying on the entire hike too. You really do not know how the trip is gonna be until you are on it.

With that said, due to age and being 1st time  I strongly suggest a lodge or cabin with indoor plumbing.  With regard to the hike,  I would suggest trails that have the greatest chance on seeing wildlife.  Distractions are your friend when it comes to hiking with a child.   Swimming is always a fan favorite too.

I would also have on hand children's Benadryl, Desitin cream, sun screen, wet wipes, moleskin, fruit drink boxes, and a first aid kit.  I would even download a couple cartoons  on your smart phone for entertainment. ( also a children's cap to prevent sunburn on the child's face).

Google  " Trout Lake Trail"     &   "Beaver Pond"   in Yellowstone as these are rather kid friendly trails.

[Aaron Zagrodnick]

Welcome as well and great to hear that you've been able to find some good reading on the subject here at TrailGroove. I don't have any particular Yellowstone suggestions but so far as hiking with a toddler goes and for your particular situation, the cabin would be the easiest without a doubt. But easiest isn't always the most rewarding, just depends on what you're looking for. That age can be tough since you are getting into the too heavy to carry / kid can't walk far at all stage. And like Michael said kids especially at that age can be unpredictable. I'd say if you are set on backpacking in, the easier / shorter the better or plan something out that has multiple places you can stop along the way for the night, so that when the group runs out of steam you don't have to keep pushing on through it.

Let us know how the trip goes!

[Pomeroki]

19 hours ago, Michael aka Mac said:

Hi Pomeroke and welcome to Trailgroove,

You are probably not going to like this answer, but despite what you may think, your friend and your hiking ability is going to be heavily out weighed by the child.  It is les about the two of you and more about the little one, let me explain:

Children are rather unpredictable to say the least.  They may be struck with aww and speechless,  or they may non stop talk and point at everything they see. I have seen some hikers with children that were non stop crying on the entire hike too. You really do not know how the trip is gonna be until you are on it.

With that said, due to age and being 1st time  I strongly suggest a lodge or cabin with indoor plumbing.  With regard to the hike,  I would suggest trails that have the greatest chance on seeing wildlife.  Distractions are your friend when it comes to hiking with a child.   Swimming is always a fan favorite too.

I would also have on hand children's Benadryl, Desitin cream, sun screen, wet wipes, moleskin, fruit drink boxes, and a first aid kit.  I would even download a couple cartoons  on your smart phone for entertainment. ( also a children's cap to prevent sunburn on the child's face).

Google  " Trout Lake Trail"     &   "Beaver Pond"   in Yellowstone as these are rather kid friendly trails.

Oh that answer does not disappoint me at all. I was leaning more towards camping/cabin myself. I discussed our options with my friend last night, and we both agreed backpacking is not the ideal for us. Maybe in the future we might do a short trip. But yes, at the moment the boy is simply too big to carry and too young/small to walk. 

I'll keep those recommendations for on hand items in mind. I always carry a first aid kit with me, even on short hikes just in case, and the rest is of course easy to find. 
I appreciate the recommendation for the kid friendly trails. I'm going to look more into them later. 

[Pomeroki]

18 hours ago, Aaron Zagrodnick said:

Welcome as well and great to hear that you've been able to find some good reading on the subject here at TrailGroove. I don't have any particular Yellowstone suggestions but so far as hiking with a toddler goes and for your particular situation, the cabin would be the easiest without a doubt. But easiest isn't always the most rewarding, just depends on what you're looking for. That age can be tough since you are getting into the too heavy to carry / kid can't walk far at all stage. And like Michael said kids especially at that age can be unpredictable. I'd say if you are set on backpacking in, the easier / shorter the better or plan something out that has multiple places you can stop along the way for the night, so that when the group runs out of steam you don't have to keep pushing on through it.

Let us know how the trip goes!

Thanks for the insight! As I mentioned in my reply to Michael, I was leaning away from the backpacking. Obviously we are months out from the summer, so we're still working out details about dates/lodging arrangements and the such. 
I do think a few day hikes along well traveled trails are the best option at this point. That way we can reduce the gear we would need to carry and only have to worry about the boy until we can both get a feel for how he responds to a kid carrier/being out and active for such a long period of time. 

As for how the trip goes, it's already evolved to include my best friend and his family, and immediately after I leave yellowstone, I'm going to head down to Arizona and hike down into the Grand Canyon for a few days. So I can get my backpacking fix there instead.

[Michael aka Mac]

The suggestions on what to bring Pomeroki were based on the complications that I have had with friend's children on the trail, over the years. Many of these outings were stopped short due to insect bites, rashes, blisters, sunburn, lack of sanitation (think diapers and number 2's on the trail for children), allergies, and minor cuts and scrapes, and rashes. I would even suggest bringing tampons, as if they are not used for sanitary purposes, the tube can be used as a bellow for a fire, and the cotton can be used for fire starting, nose bleeds, or as a sterile gauze pad.  The fruit drink boxes  are also not only for hydration but incase the child is suffering from low blood sugar.  I forgot though to mention Calamine lotion, incase of poison ivy or prickly heat.  

This may seem like overkill,  lol, but trust me when I say I have used all of the above suggestions at one point or another when kids were with us on the trip. And, no, the parents were not the ones that had these on hand, I brought them myself in anticipation of the unknown and from past experience on the trail.