When you’re hiking with little kids, everything changes. Gone are the quiet moments, listening to the woods around you. You no longer can just stop and take a moment to look at wildlife, because there’s a little noisy companion that likes to scare them away.
The enthusiasm and love of exploring can make for an interesting nature quest when you’ve got a toddler or little kid hiking with you.
Keeping Your Sanity While Hiking With Little Kids
Luckily, there are a few good strategies that any parent can adopt when hiking with their child. We figured out some of these when taking our son on short hikes in the past year. He’s three, so he’s at that stage where everything is exciting and interesting. Bugs are his best friend. Keeping him on the trails and going has been tough, but we’ve done some things differently that make for a great family outing.
1) Accept That You Will Be Going Slowly
Little legs can’t keep up with our long legs. Our stride and pace are much faster than a little child’s legs. So instead of a hiking workout, we anticipate we’ll get a slow walk. This is why long trails are a big no-no unless you have hours to spare.
Choose a shorter trail that had a cool destination that’s reachable within about a half an hour. Otherwise, you’ll have a little kid asking you, “Are we there yet?” while trying to keep up with you.
2) Avoid Hiking After A Rainfall
Even if it’s a few days after a good rainfall, the chances are that natural trails will be muddy. We learned this the hard way.
Since Peppa The Pig and her love of muddy puddles is a favourite for many two- and three-year-old, expect that you’ll have a kid who wants to jump in EVERY SINGLE PUDDLE.
Choose to hike on days when the weather has been dry for a few days in a row and the humidity low. If you can’t avoid a muddy trail, bring a roll of paper towel with you and a garbage bag to wipe off muddy shoes and legs.
3) Pack Snacks And Drinks
Never leave home without their favourite drink and snacks. I repeat, never leave home without their snacks and drinks. Even if the hike is a short one, there will be a moment when that little kid is tired and in need of sustenance.
There’s something about outdoor exercise and fresh air that brings on an appetite.
You may want to pack a little picnic lunch to make the hike special. If you let your child know that at the end of the hike there’ll be a picnic, they’ll be aware of what’s happening. Knowing what’s going on helps with keeping your child from having a HANGRY meltdown.
Related: Six Things To Pack For A Day Hike
4) Give Them The Role Of Trail Tracker
One of the best tips for hiking with little kids that I heard was to give them a role. If they feel that they have a leadership role, they will most likely be easier to keep on track… and on the trail.
We came up with the role of Trail Tracker for our son. He had to keep an eye out on where the trail was, so he could keep us on it. We did this so that he would be less likely to step off the trail. There are two key reasons why we wanted him on the trail:
- Opportunity for him to hurt himself by twisting his ankle on a rock or crevice
- Ticks! They tend to like foliage and logs.
5) Pack Your Patience When Hiking With Little Kids
Keep reminding yourself that these kinds of adventures with your little child or kids are memories that you will keep forever. If you’re freaking out over the littlest thing that they do wrong, it will be the memory you have forever.
Learn to laugh a bit at the mistakes. Expect that you’ll have to patiently explain things to them. In some cases, your best-laid plans will have to change on a dime, and you may have to turn around and head home.
However, you tried and you gave them a moment in the woods, in a natural setting and doing something so good for them!
Related: Outdoor Activities To Do On Father’s Day
More ideas for hiking:
- Exploring and Hiking Cootes Paradise in Hamilton, Ontario
- Things To Do While Exploring Owen Sound And Inglis Falls
Question: What other things should parents consider doing when hiking with little kids?
PIN THIS
