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Posted by Alicia on February 17, 2008 at 1:16:05 pm EST
In reply to Children and backcountry posted by Bryan L on February 17, 2008 at 1:59:49 am EST

Welcome, Bryan. It's great that you want to take your kids into the backcountry.

We've taken our 3-and-3/4-year-old son hiking, camping, and even backpacking quite a bit. When we camp we bring a few small toys, like a ball to play with (can be a blow-up beach one), maybe a truck, a stuffed animal, some books--pretty simple stuff that he can play with various ways. He loves his headlamp and our water reservoirs, his own spork, and things like that though, so we don't load up with a ton of toys, but do have a few familiar things along and will give him a choice in it too.

Backpacking we've don't bring much extra, except a very small book or two and maybe teddy or something. We found at 2+ when he went backpacking that he had a lot of fun just playing with the logs and rocks and water. Like Fred said, kids love water. So it's a good spot to hike to, but obviously requires a lot of supervision and safety.

There are books out there on this subject with activities and the like, but I haven't read any of them. None of them have struck my interest enough and our son already enjoys doing what we do. However I think for older kids, books on identifying things like animals, rocks, plants, and so on could be of interest.

My general advice is to take it really easy, change all of your expectations, and just aim to get your kid out there having a good time and wanting to get out there and do it again and again.

Try camping in the tent in your own backyard at first. This makes it more familiar for everyone.

Snacks are very important. So is a lot of patience.

And the same kid can vary widely from one hike to the next of how much they want to do. You and your wife will have to be prepared to carry everything (and everyone) at all times.

Think of it as getting your kids outside regularly (for short hikes, playing outside, sleeping in the tent, etc…) rather than planning a special trip you do once or twice a year. Not only is it better for all of you, but your kid will be more confident and comfortable having an idea of what to expect ahead of time.

You may be interested in a couple articles about this already on Trailspace:

Hiking and Backpacking with Kids
http://www.trailspace.com/gear/guide/hiking-and-backpacking-with-kids.html

Getting Kids Geared Up for Outside
http://www.trailspace.com/gear/guide/gearing-up-kids.html

and the thread “Hiking with Children”
http://www.trailspace.com/forums/trip-planning/topics/41357.html

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