{"id":271,"date":"2020-12-31T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-12-31T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/opensourceoptions.com\/publiclandsjournal\/?p=271"},"modified":"2021-01-20T06:03:19","modified_gmt":"2021-01-20T06:03:19","slug":"7-tips-for-hiking-with-a-toddler","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/publiclandsjournal.com\/7-tips-for-hiking-with-a-toddler\/","title":{"rendered":"7 Tips for Hiking with a Toddler"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Kids are great, but hiking with a toddler can stretch the patience of anyone to their limits. Still, parents need their outdoor time too, and the easiest way – often the only way – to get it is to go as a family. Besides, how will your kids learn to like hiking if they never do it? Over the last couple of years, my wife and I have been fortunate enough to have some great hikes with our kids. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The most important thing to remember when hiking with a toddler is to make it enjoyable for them. You can make it fun by going to places they will enjoy like lakes or streams where they can fish or play in the water, and bringing special snacks. Keep the hikes to a distance your toddler can easily do on their own or be prepared to carry them when they get tired. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n You’ve probably heard the story of the tortoise and the hare. Most likely it was a situation that required diligence and the admonition was to be like the tortoise. Slow and steady. Just keep moving forward and you’ll satisfactorily accomplish the task at hand. <\/p>\n\n\n\n When you hike with a toddler it’s time to embrace the attitude of the hare. Go fast when you feel like it. When you see something interesting, stop until it’s not interesting anymore. Then go fast (or maybe just go) again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In my experience, I’ve found the following ideas help me embrace my inner hare. More importantly, they seem to help my kids enjoy hiking with me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sorry to bring the bad news, but you’re not going to be doing a 10-miler in three hours with a toddler. I’m not saying you can’t do a 10-mile hike but that kid is probably going to need a little time to play, so it’s going to take you longer than three hours. <\/p>\n\n\n\n We’ve transitioned from trying to do 10-mile hikes in three hours to three-mile hikes in three hours. Our son is three and he willingly (with lots of encouragement, snacks, and ‘rests’) hikes the entire distance. Mentally, we know it’s going to take a long time and it feels slow to us, but he has fun and is usually excited to go hiking with us. He likes hiking enough that we don’t even need to bring the kid carrier anymore. He won’t get in it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If your child is good about riding in a child carrier then you can get in some longer hikes. We did several 6-mile hikes and even backpacked in 7 miles one weekend, all with our son in the carrier. It was still important for us to stop to let him ‘hike’ with us. He wanted to be part of the adventure and journey, not just a passenger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Toddlers love being the center of attention. It’s no different on a hike. They’re probably not going to enjoy a hike to an overlook with vistas that they’re too young to appreciate, though some might. You know your kid best, so find a hike with a destination, or stops along the way, that cater to their interests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Usually, this is not too hard to accomplish. One of our son’s main interests is dirt. Mud, sand, soft, or hard he doesn’t care. He just likes dirt, as long as he can play in it. Luckily for us, we like to hike on dirt trails. To keep him entertained we just have to stop every little while to let him check out a new dirt feature, or let him chase us down and throw dirt on our pants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Water is another one of our son’s favorite things. One of his favorite hikes is Elk Creek Falls in northern Idaho (you can read my write-up here<\/a>) because just before the end of the hike there’s a place he can play in the creek. He also likes to see the three waterfalls. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Most kids love to spend time outside. If you do a little research and exercise a little creativity you’ll be able to find some destinations that your kids will love. The next challenge will probably be to keep them moving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Food may be the biggest reason our son likes hiking. Some of his favorite snacks are things he only gets to eat on hikes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n We make our own jerky, fruit leather, and dried fruit. Because quantities are limited we reserve those snacks for our hikes. And they are great motivators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n1. Adjust Your Expectations<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
2. Make it About Them<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
3. Bring Lots of Snacks<\/h2>\n\n\n\n