Tuesday, June 09, 2015

hiking with a toddler

My husband and I have always loved the outdoors. We both grew up playing in the woods, going on outdoor trips and spent most of our lives hiking. The great outdoors is and always has been a big part of who we are. When we had Lucy we knew we wanted to pass along our passion for nature to her. So much that we picked up our life in Southern California and moved to my small hometown on the Oregon Coast with the goal of living a more simple life close to nature

Heading out into nature with a baby wasn't easy at first but now that Lucy is three, we've found a nice groove. We spend a lot of time outside, exploring beaches, hiking through forests and having family adventures and it feels normal and totally manageable. With summer here and kiddos home from school I thought it would be the perfect time to share some of my favorite tips for hiking with a kid.

START SMALL
I'm not an expert on kids but I am pretty sure that most tiny kiddos are not going to love hours and hours of hiking- especially during the toddler years. I think a great place to begin is to start small with short accessible nature walks or small hikes that are unique and interesting. We've been hiking with Lucy since she was born so she is pretty used to the process but she still only has so much focus. I've found that 30min-1hour sessions of hiking is perfect for her three year old energy and attention span.

PICK A GOOD TIME OF DAY
We all have a time of day when we are at our best and kids are no different. We like to pick a time for hiking that works best for Lucy. So far, the mornings are ideal which means the end our hikes often fall in line with lunch time and then a quick nap on the car ride home.

BRING LOTS OF SNACKS
It never fails that once we get going, one of us will get hungry and there is nothing worse than what we call "the mungries" (mad and hungry) on the trail! I always pack lots of snacks. Our favorite fast snacks are Plum Organics Mish Mash, homemade trail mix and bananas.

GOOD GEAR
Good gear is really important no matter your age but hiking with a small kiddo makes it even more important. We've never really used a stroller so before Lucy could walk, we always used an Ergo for short hikes or a hiking backpack for a longer trek.


A good backpack enabled Andy and I to go on longer and difficult hikes with Lucy. Once she started walking, she developed more interest in participating with us. We would begin our hike by carrying her in the backpack and then take her out to hike on and off.

These days Lucy typically wants to hike on her own so we have stopped using a backpack. If she gets tired, Andy will put her on his shoulders for a little while or I will give her a short piggy back ride but overall she hikes like a champ (the kid has a lot of energy)!

TAKE LOTS OF BREAKS
While Andy I would love to power up the trail for hours, now that we have a small person in tow, we take lots of breaks! Stopping for a snack, a game, looking at the surroundings are all ways to take a breather. Even if Lucy wants to keep going we make breaks mandatory because we know from experience that hunger and tired legs will eventually catch up with her.


LET KIDS SET THE PACE
Even though Lucy is only three, we encourage her set the pace.We are always close, often holding hands but we give her permission to lead the way or walk at her own speed. This seems to give her confidence in the process instead of feeling like she has to follow us and try to to keep up.

PICK SCENIC HIKES
We always try to pick hikes that are scenic and living in Oregon makes it easy! I've found, even for myself, that there is more incentive and excitement to keep pushing on when you know you are hiking toward something like the ocean, the top of a mountain, a lookout, a waterfall, a beautiful view, etc. 

EMBRACE ADVENTURE
Just because you are hiking with a kid doesn't mean it has to be boring! While we never put Lucy in danger, we do like to encourage her to be adventurous. Lately she is in a very cautious stage so we have been challenging her to go outside her comfort zone and take a few risks like hiking down a steep trail, scaling small rocks and exploring beach caves.

MAKE THE HIKE BACK EXCITING
It never fails that once we head back down the trail, there is grumbling or a meltdown. Over time I have I learned to prepare some games or stories to tell to make the time pass faster. Having something fun to pass the time distract us from being tired, bored or restless and makes the way back more enjoyable for everyone.

HAVE PATIENCE
The biggest lesson I have learned from having a toddler, is to have patience and lots of it! Lets be honest, many things are more interesting (or difficult) with a toddler but the reward of sharing the beauty, adventure and joy that nature hold is worth all of the challenges. I've found that accepting a slower pace, a shorter hike and having lots of patience gets me through the challenges that come along with hiking with a three year old.

GET OUTSIDE
I know hiking is not for everyone, let alone hiking with a kid but there is something so special about the outdoors- if anything just get outside with your kids! I am convinced that in this crazy, fast paced, media obsessed world- we need the magic and beauty that nature offers.

17 comments:

Sue Marrazzo Fine Art said...

So DELIGHTFUL! Thanks for making me SMILE!

Sue Rostron said...

Best hint from New Zealand. Let her wear a whistle round her neck so if she ever gets separated from you it's much easier to find her. Hope it never happens though.

Mrs. Kelley Dibble said...

Alisa,

We used to love outings with our little girls as well who are now 31 and 28. We took along TP and a portable potty chair, which we used to toilet-train them, plus jugs of water that could be used for hand-washing, drink, rinsing the potty chair, etc. We usually thought of everything (usually) to give our adventures the utmost enjoyment! What memories!

Loved all the photos!

Happy trails,
Kelley~

Teri said...

What a great idea!

studioGypsy said...

such good stuff! we are planning some bigger hikes this summer with all 4 kiddos so i especially like the tip of letting them set the pace.. :D xoxo thankyou!! ❤️😘

Stephanie said...

awesome photos!! Love the winter scene on the beach

Anonymous said...

What a lucky little girl!!!

themindfulbee said...

What a lovely post! I can't wait to have a family of my own to go on hikes with :)

Evi said...

You are an amazing mama! And papa! Loved this post!

Brig said...

Wonderful. Soooo inspiring. We're about to have Winter School Holidays here (Perth, WA, Australia) and I've just been Googling (before reading this) to find somewhere to go. I was looking at beaches but I think I'll go for "forest settings". We can do the beaches when it's warm. It's too hot to go to forests in Summer. Thanks for the inspiration!!!

Brig said...

What a great idea!

Unknown said...

I couldnt currently have asked for a much better blog. You happen to be ever present to give
Alpha ZXTexcellent tips, going right to the point for easy understanding of your visitors. Youre really a terrific specialist in this subject. Thanks a ton for always being there for folks like me.http://www.musclegainhelp.com/neuro3x/


Piggyback Rider said...

Wow! Lovely photos. Thanks for sharing your tips. Great help.
While having some adventure with toddlers, you can use Piggyback Rider standing child carrier for toddlers 2.5 y/o + up to
60lbs which allows parents to adventure farther and longer.

Unknown said...

Numerous folks will thanks for the wonderful data. Great task!I love your quality that you put into Your work. Please do move forward with more like Geniux this.Thanks, I have been seeking for information about this topic for ages and yours is the best Ive discovered so far.I just added your blog to my blogroll, I hope you would give some thought to doing the same.Thanks, what a good post and informative blog, I will bookmark this blog. ThanksThis is the time to shape up or ship out.That was intriguing . http://www.healthcaresups.com/geniux/

Unknown said...

since I was searching for thoughts on this subject last Brain R8 Thursday.TY, nice post! This was the stuff I had to have.I just added this feed to my favorites. I like reading your posts. Thank you!Great stuff.Id like to suggest taking a look at such as something like cheeseburger. What exactly are you looking for though?Just thought I would comment and say awesome theme, did you code it on your own? Really looks excellent!Music began playing when . http://vitafirmfacts.com/brain-r8/

ALPHA RUSH PRO said...

This is directly related to the superfood greens and is normal. Your body will adjust to this.
Athletic Greens
I ordered this product and really like it. If you call to cancel the monthly order and shipping, they will cut the cost 20% for you. You can also have them auto ship the product on any time schedule you want (30, 60, 90, 120 days).

So if you are using the product, call and tell them you want to cancel and they will cut the cost for you.


ATHLETIC GREENS - Scam or Legit | http://www.hits4slim.com/athletic-greens.html

Serwa Uerda said...

Substance of memory, which rise in the snippet of experience. To depict the connection in the middle of mental and physical, Damasio presents the idea of 'substantial marker'. Run of the mill, eg., The cardiovascular reaction to an occasion candidly captivating with the presence of tachycardia, height of circulatory strain and broken manifestations referable additionally to different mechanical assembly.
http://healthnbeautyfacts.com/geniux/

LinkWithin

Related Posts with Thumbnails