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E's Mom
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E's Mom
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PostSun Aug 13, 2006 6:14 pm 
Any tips on hiking with babies? Specifically, how long can a little one go comfortably in a pack? We have a nice Kelty frame pack and, so far, we've been out on a few hikes- between 3-4 miles in length- with our baby (almost 10 months old). He did great- looked around in fascination, didn't cry, fell asleep. It would be nice to do some 5-6 mile+ hikes, but not sure how our little guy would hold up. He's not walking yet, so that's a lot of sitting. Once he's walking, we can let him out for breaks. Looking forward to hearing about your experiences!

"I will lift my eyes to the hills. From whence does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth." Psalm 121:1
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Davidą
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Davidą
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PostSun Aug 13, 2006 7:33 pm 
Our $0.02

Warning! Posts may contain traces of sarcasm. Hiking Website: http://members.shaw.ca/karenanddavid/Index.htm
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Canuck
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PostMon Aug 14, 2006 8:02 am 
We took our son in a Kelty fairly often when he was a baby, but because he was wiggly, loved to pull my hair, and was heavy, we usually only went a couple miles. The longest hike we took with him was 7.5-8 miles round trip, in the Kelty (on dad's back), and he did great. He was 9 months old then. I'm very proud, because he took his very first steps ever on that trip (Snow Lake, at Alpental)!!! biggrin.gif Within a couple weeks he was practically running and he was never happy in the Kelty for more than a couple miles after that.

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moosefish
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moosefish
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PostMon Aug 14, 2006 8:16 am 
I've done hikes of about 10 miles with my daughter in a Kelty backpack with no problem. I took a bottle of milk/formula along and a thermos of hot water to heat it. Once my daughter got good on her feet she really didn't want to go back in the pack so our mileage has dropped precipitously, but she's slowly gaining stamina and is up to three miles and 800 feet of gain in a day.

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napali2004
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PostMon Aug 14, 2006 8:24 am 
We just took our 18 mo. daughter to Pete Lake, which was 8 miles rt. She rode in the pack and then we let her run around by the lake & had lunch before we headed back. We decided that we were really pushing it going this far with her and that 6 miles should be our max. I think it really depends on the child. Ours usually falls asleep on the way back down the trail. I would also feed the baby right before you hit the trail so you don't have any fussing on the way. We have been using the Sherpani Rumba Light backpack which is great for both me & my husband and we haven't had any complaints from our toddler. I like that I can adjust the straps while I'm wearing it which I don't think some of the other packs do.

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Brain
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Brain
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PostMon Aug 14, 2006 8:49 am 
The distance your kid can go is very much an individual thing...some kids go a long ways and some can't go 100'. If your kid was fine on 5-6 mile days then extending that to 8 or so miles is probably not going to be a problem. The other thing is that your kid's ability to stay in the pack can vary from hike to hike. There were times when I could get my kids to ride in the carrier all day and not want to get out; then there were days where they were whiny and restless after a mile...kids are moody and you never know what you're going to get until you try it.

"It appears my hypocrisy knows no bounds." Doc Holiday (Val Kilmer) in Tombstone
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Hiker Mama
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PostMon Aug 14, 2006 9:46 am 
I've done a lot of hiking with my son over the past four years. He was pretty good in the pack, but we learned our limits were about 5 miles and not too much elevation gain. I carried him in a Kelty pack, which I mostly liked. I chose hikes that I knew I could handle physically, and that were not too far away. I always took extra clothes for him, since it never failed he'd have a blowout or crawl in the mud. I also brought extra clothes, diapers and food to have in the car for the drive home. I got some clips to clip his hat onto his shirt so it wouldn't fall off. We were really strict about keeping the hat on, and I tried to set a good example. I also found some little snack cups that had lids and handles. The lids have slits in them so the kids can reach in and pull out the crackers or whatever, yet the food wouldn't spill out. The handle could be tied with a short piece of string to the pack so they wouldn't drop it. That way he could get a snack without me having to stop. I got hiking poles to help my stability and stamina. They were one of my best purchases. My friends and I went through phases where the kids would pull our hair a lot. That is frustrating, but it does pass. Some kids have a hard time in the pack; you kind of have to see how your child is and plan trips you have a greater chance of being successful on. I hiked a lot when my son was in the crawling phase, and sometimes that was really frustrating, since he would get so dirty. But I just had to let some of that go, and expect him to be filthy and eat dirt and be OK. I have some hilarious pictures of that time. When we hike with our kids, we take lots of breaks, and sometimes a quick little hike turns into an all-day event. It's more fun to go with other kids, especially as they get older and more social. This board is a good place to find partners (check out the hiking with children thread on the partners page.) There are some good books you can get for trip ideas. The Hiking With Children series by Joan Burton is excellent. up.gif We like to choose hikes that have some kind of "reward" at the end, like a lake or a waterfall. I like to bring water shoes and a swim suit for my son so he can play and get wet. Some times its kind of a hassle and you have to bring a lot of stuff. You don't get the same wilderness experience that you would with adults. But my son now loves to be in the woods and mountains, and is interested in everything along the trail. He wants to climb mountains and see waterfalls, and is not afraid to get dirty or wet or be out in any weather. Now he's four, and we're doing short mileage trips with a new baby, so we're adjusting again. I don't regret any trip I have taken (well, OK, Maybe the 10 mile hike up 3000' where we got devoured by black flies and he cried for most of the trip - but that's the only one!) I'll try to stop babbling now. Keep it up, you're doing a wonderful thing taking your child out with you.

My hiking w/ kids site: www.thehikermama.com
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E's Mom
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E's Mom
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PostMon Aug 14, 2006 11:51 am 
Hiking with Children
Thanks for the link, David and Karen. Lot of great advice- appreciate it!

"I will lift my eyes to the hills. From whence does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth." Psalm 121:1
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E's Mom
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PostMon Aug 14, 2006 11:57 am 
I really appreciate all the posts- THANK YOU! It sounds like hiking distance is really variable and that we might be able to try those longer hikes now- while we still have a crawler. How exciting that one baby started walking at Snow Lake! smile.gif Hiking Mama- I really appreciate the hat clip idea. We battle keeping that hat on the head. I have heard of the book you suggested, so will pick that up. It's inspiring to hear from others who got their kids outdoors at an early age and now their children share their love of the outdoors. That's our goal! We'll be embarking on our first overnight car-camping trip next month, so may ask for tips in a later thread.

"I will lift my eyes to the hills. From whence does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth." Psalm 121:1
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Noon
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PostMon Aug 14, 2006 4:50 pm 
I've got a Kelty too and have been taking my 10 month old out. He doesn't seem to last for longer than an hour in the back pack unless its around a naptime and he falls asleep... if yu have an antsy kid maybe the hikes t a place where yu can stop for lunch and running/crawling around at the destination will work better for you...

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