We are on day 1,000+ of quarantine, and slowly being driven to madness. Don’t get me wrong, we are so lucky and grateful for all of our blessings, but it’s time to (safely) leave the house. After much consideration and a lot of conversations, we decided to get a state park pass to start hiking again. It combines so many good factors: exercise, being outside, and avoiding crowds.
Hiking is a huge and significant part of our lives. We hiked all through my pregnancy and even did a 17-mile backpacking trip during my first trimester. Walks around the neighborhood aren’t cutting it anymore, and we have limited time before it starts snowing again.
My biggest priorities are for everyone to stay safe and stay sane, so I have compiled some tips and tricks to prepare and take precautions for getting outside and getting some space. Please remember I’m an outdoor enthusiast and not a healthcare professional. Use your best judgment and have fun!
Stay Humble
If this is your first foray into the great outdoors with your little one, take it easy on everyone, and don’t set your sights on a nine-mile hike that’s uphill both ways. Set yourselves up for success and ease into it, even if that means taking a long walk around the neighborhood, or checking out a local nature walk first. Be sure to add drive time to how long the actual walk or hike will take, and try and time it so naps won’t be interrupted.
Must-haves
One of the great things about hiking is that you can do it with minimal gear. The main things you’ll need are what you would bring on any outing: diapers and wipes, age-appropriate snacks, water, and milk if your baby is old enough. If you’re exclusively nursing, you are ahead of the game–although I recommend bringing more snacks than you think you’ll need if your little one is eating solids: it provides entertainment on top of preventing meltdowns. Ivy is 14 months old and loves overnight oats (we use these pouches), Happy Baby snack puffs and yogurt snacks. Yes, I pack ALL OF THOSE and maybe throw an additional baby-safe snack in there “for me” that she will end up eating on the drive home because I am a mom now, and no food is just for me.
You are going to want some means of transport for your baby. Your arms will get REAL tired trying to hold them the whole way—trust me. There are many trails and stroller-friendly walking paths, but wearing your baby is another great option. Whichever method you prefer, be mindful of other traffic and keep to the right of the trail or path. I prefer wearing to keeping baby in the stroller since we’re more agile and Ivy can see what we see, which makes for a more interactive experience. We received a hiking backpack similar to this as a hand-me-down from a friend, but the carrier is pretty much parent’s choice. Be sure it’s a tried and true carrier; you do not want a hike to be the maiden voyage (that’s a one-way ticket to meltdown central). Bear in mind that if your baby is a walker, they may want to do just that; be patient and remember that it’s more about the experience than the mileage.
Protect Yourselves
In the immortal words of Glenn Danzig, “Sometimes to have a good time, you have to dress a little lame.” That means making sure everyone is wearing weather-appropriate clothes (we usually opt for cool layers that cover as much as possible; it acts as an SPF without sunscreen), and lather any exposed areas liberally with sunscreen. We use sunscreen from Think Baby because it’s mineral-based and has fewer chemicals than most other brands. Some other must-haves for the baby include a hat (Cat and Jack from Target has a lot of great options), and sunglasses (we’re partial to Babiators because HEARTS). Do yourself a favor and cover your own damn self, too; no one has time for sunburns or skin cancer.
Let’s take a minute to talk about masks. Guidelines were very conflicting and confusing at the beginning of the pandemic. Still, now the CDC recommends wearing a mask to slow the spread of Coronavirus COVID-19, excluding children younger than two years old. That means my baby can’t wear a mask, which means that she could breathe in cooties and get infected. Even if she didn’t get sick, she could then pass it on to me or my husband. You may be saying to yourself: oh, I am healthy, and getting sick wouldn’t be a big deal. Wearing a mask isn’t for your own benefit, its purpose is to prevent you from spreading the virus to those around you. Not wearing a mask is not only inconsiderate, it can be straight up dangerous if you are positive for COVID-19, but asymptomatic. My baby can’t wear a mask, but you can. Wear. A. Mask.
Leave No Trace
There are seven principles of Leave No Trace (find them all here: LNT.org), but I’ll summarize a few of the points below for our purposes:
- Plan ahead and prepare. This includes gear, knowing where you’re heading and which hike you’ll take, and being aware of the weather beforehand.
- Travel and camp on durable surfaces. Be sure to stay on the trail or walking path.
- Respect wildlife. While we all secretly want to be a Disney princess, we have to honor that the critters don’t feel the same way.
- Be considerate of other visitors. Hey, remember how you should wear a mask? Wear a mask. This point also includes greeting other hikers, yielding to other traffic when called for, and not blaring your music.
I hope this helps you get outside in a smart, healthy way. Are there any other tips I should include? Let me know!
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