10 Tips For Hiking With Kids
I’m here to give you 10 tips for hiking with kids to make it fun for everyone!! People always ask me how I get my kids hiking so well. It’s true, my kids are great hikers. The other day we went on a 6 mile round trip hike with very little complaining – My kids walked the whole way except for my 20 month old whom we carried in the hiking carrier. Here’s what I’ve learned about hiking with kids!
Tip #1: Expectations
Most importantly, as a parent, be careful not to put your own expectations and thoughts onto your kids. If you are not naturally a hiker or not super fit, don’t talk about how hard it will be or how long it will be. For instance, really try to keep the language positive and be super excited about it from the beginning.
Tip #2: Start Small
Don’t start your kids out with really long hikes right away. A child’s body is just like an adult body in the sense that they have to get in shape and incrementally work up to larger amounts. My kids walk 1 ½ – 2 miles to school everyday because we don’t drive and we try and walk as much as we can. My kids go on runs with us regularly. Moreover, I would never take a kid on a 6 mile hike right off the bat. Before you start seriously hiking with your kids, make sure that walking is part of your daily life and you gradually work up to longer distances.
Tip #3: Essentials for hiking with kids
Backpacks with camelbaks are essential items for your kids. And I mean essential! A Camelbak is a water container that sits in the backpack, with a mouthpiece that clips onto the front. That way, kids can sip water whenever they need to – without having to hold or fumble with a water bottle.
It makes it much easier for the kids to stay hydrated while walking. With a water bottle, there are more steps. They constantly need to stop and open water bottles. This will slow you down and frustrate the heck out of you.
Remember kids’ thermoregulation is not as good as an adults, so you have to be really careful in very hot weather and make sure they are staying hydrated. Get your kids hydrated before they get on the trail. If they are feeling too hot and dehydrated, it decreases their ability to hike and it won’t be as fun for everyone.
love the REI kids’ hiking backpacks and you can get them here.
Tip #4: Make exploring with kids Fun!
Make it a whole family thing when hiking with kids.
Involve the kids in choosing a place. Look at the trail map and find cool and beautiful places. My kids love hiking as we frame it as exploring and make up trail hiking games.
We hiked for my son’s 5th birthday exploring for fossil shells in the rocks. It was the most amazing birthday ever.
In addition, we also make up trail hiking songs as we move along on our hike. For example, take the Old McDonald Song and turn it into Old McDonald went on a hike, E-I-E-I-O and name all the animals we see on our hike along with the sounds they make. Find all those fun little things to do and hiking will become one of your kids’ FAVORITE things!
Tip #5: Kids HIking Boots
Be sure and buy hiking boots for your kiddoes. They will do most of the walking themselves and need to be steady on their feet for hiking to be fun.
For instance, if they slip on terrain and get hurt, they will not like the hiking experience. You may end up carrying them, which doesn’t make you very confident as a hiking-parent either!
I love Merrill’s hiking boots and REI has the best selection of these kids boots.
Hiking boots are expensive and kids’ feet grow so fast. Another alternative is to check Ebay for options. My own kids love the boots by Merrill and we try not to pay full price for them anymore.
Tip #6: Join a Group
Go hiking with other parents that know how to hike. At first, it was intimidating to go hiking with my 3 kids so I started going with a local moms hiking group. Being there with other Moms made me feel empowered and for the first time I realized it was something I was actually capable of doing.
Tip #7: Strong Arms are important when wandering with kids
Make sure you can carry your children. I know that if my child is having a tantrum, I am fit enough to carry her the two miles out. I know I won’t be stranded out in the middle of the wilderness unable to do something, paralyzed by a kid with a bad attitude. If she has a tantrum, I know I am strong enough and capable enough… even if I also have my almost two year old in the carrier at the same time. You have to work out, Mama! [However, my experience is that tantrums don’t happen very often on the trail because they are having so much fun. Being outside actually calms their nervous system and keeps them engaged.]
Tip #8: Time
Finally, give yourself lots of time. Don’t do the hike super duper quickly. We did a 6 mile hike the other day and my kids didn’t even notice. We took a long time, stopped and looked at things. It was scenic and fun for them. They didn’t even notice it was long, so just plan a lot of time to look at things along the way.
Tip #9: Hats are essential when hiking with kids
Wear a hat! Hats help kids feel COOLER! Light colored hats help regulate thermal body temperature. Thermal regulation is harder for long hikes, therefore make sure they are wearing hats.
Tip #10: Hike with Friends
Finally, the last tip for hiking with kids is if your kids are hiking for the first time or had a bad experience hiking, go with friends next time. Above all, kids always have more fun when they are with other kids. They won’t even notice they are working hard alongside their friends.
I hope these 10 tips for hiking with kids were helpful to you guys. There is nothing more memorable as a family then getting out to enjoy the great outdoors and enjoy this beautiful planet we live on.
This video is action packed with amazing tips so please share it with your friends. We want to share the ❤️. That’s what friends do!
Want to Learn More!
If you want more information about me, please go to LaurenChante.com. Love you guys and talk to you soon!