(See the Backpacking page for backpacking specific tips - this should be reserved for items that apply to specifically to hiking or that could also apply to hiking while backpacking)
Tips
How to keep your kid moving down the trail
The biggest challenge to hiking or backpacking with kids is keeping them moving. It's so important because we all need to be able to count on completing our hikes before dark or making it to our campsites in time for dinner. Here is a compilation of tips:
Get the right pacing and timing of breaks
- Take enough breaks:
- Try to time breaks to milestones based on distance or time.
- Plan for longer breaks to play/play cards every certain time/distance.
- But don’t take too many breaks - experiment to find the sweet spot, keeping in mind it changes over time.
- Communicate the timing of the breaks so kids can track their progress to the next break.
- Make sure to give the kids their own watch or map if you do this.
Be prepared with multiple options of entertainment (rotate through these as needed)
- Try Geocaching.
- Bring pocket guides for animal or bird or plant identification.
- Count how many of a common thing you can find or keep track of who can find the most varieties.
- Print out a scavenger hunt to have the kids fill out while hiking .
- But remember they have to fill it out while still moving!
- Play “I Spy”.
- Play the "Alphabet Game" - you have to find something that starts with each letter of the alphabet, in alphabetical order.
- Make up stories to tell, or tell stories from books you’re reading.
- Hike with their friends - so they entertain each other.
- Even better, if you hike with another family try splitting up the kids and their parents (because our kids often hike farther with other grownups).
- Pick up a Junior Ranger activity book at the park visitor center and try to complete the activities during the hike.
- Teach them how to use a topographic map and compass and have them practice.
How to avoid stopping in between designated breaks
- Put water bladders in the kids’ packs so they don’t have to stop hiking to drink water.
- Give them some snacks to put in their pocket to eat while hiking.
- Help them take layers on/off while walking.
- Make sure they keep the right layers on so they don't get too cold or hot.
- Pack the right clothes and check on them during the hike.
- Make sure they don't wear clothes that will give them chafing or blisters.
- Prevent sunburns by putting sunscreen on (obviously this is important in general, but it does make it even harder to hike).
- Bribe with food:
- Give them “hiking treats” that have to be eaten while moving.
- Remind them of a snack and break they are going to get after a certain time or distance.
- Give them something to look forward to after the hike (ice cream in town or at the camp store, or a swimming destination).
- Find a hiking stick to play with while hiking (although sometimes this backfires and slows them down).
- If you feel you have to let them stop, try not to let the kid sit down, tell them they can only take a standing break.
- And of course, develop standard responses to all the excuses they will come up with for stopping (because you know they will repeat them over and over). For example:
- Tie their shoelaces yourself so they don’t come undone.
- Remind them to pee during a break.
- Have them take off or put on a layer after a break.
Keep experimenting and keep getting out there! You will eventually find things that will work for your family.
Gear Selection
Food
Having the right food can be the difference between a joyful hike with kids and a miserable slog. Kids don't understand "powering-through" when you're running low on food and almost at the trailhead or don't like the food you bring. They can often just refuse to hike, even if the sun is setting and it's starting to get cold. So plan ahead with lots of options to make sure you have an enjoyable hike! Here are some tips on what food to bring:
Babies
- If you're already breastfeeding, that's the easiest way to feed a baby while hiking.
- Just plan your layers to make sure you stay warm and dry - for example, I liked using a nursing camisole under my normal hiking layers so I wouldn’t end up with a cold stomach.
- If you're bottle-feeding with powdered formula make sure to purify the water that you use water with a filter, don't use iodine or chlorine.
- For pureed foods, squeeze bags may be easier than feeding with a spoon or lighter than bringing a jar. Look for refillable ones to minimize waste.
- When you pack finger food, assume they're going to drop a bunch that you might not want to pick up and eat so bring extra, plus a trash bag for the dropped food so you don't feed the animals.
General
- Make sure to bring food that the kids like - the most important thing you can do.
- Let them pick (maybe not everything, but at least some of the things).
- Save certain foods to only have on hiking trips to make it special (for example we say no individually packaged food unless we’re out on a trip).
- Bring variety in case they change their mind because you really need them to eat so they don’t crash - it's not an option for safety reasons to let them go hungry (like you might do at home at a meal if they don't like the food).
- Save some of the treats for a surprise for when they're having a tough time, or tell them they only get the treats at milestones (every mile!) or during breaks or only if they're hiking when they hit a milestone.
- See the Tips section for more suggestions on how to use food as a motivator.
- Warm food brought with a lightweight stove or a thermos can also be a good motivator for breaks.
- Make sure to bring a mixture of sugar and fat for both slow and fast-burning fuel.
- If you’re hiking with friends, bring extra to share because kids always want what someone else has.
- Bring plenty of water, especially if it's hot, and maybe a backup water filter in case someone spills their water or drinks a lot more than expected.
Winter
- Warm food and drinks can be key here - think about warm soup, oatmeal, or hot chocolate to get the kids happy to keep going.
- Bring stuff that doesn’t freeze (frozen apples or oranges aren’t as fun).
- Bring things that don't get really hard to chew when it's cold - for example, Starbursts can be great treats while hiking, but when it's cold they're hard to eat. Alternatively, put those things inside your jacket to keep them warm.
Other useful online content
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