I will say that one night of backpacking with a baby and a toddler had plenty of challenges and maybe it took more time to get ready in the car than we actually spent backpacking into the .1-mile away site….but I am so happy we did it. Even if it was less than 24 hours it was a memory made and sharing something with our own kids something we love. We went to Kimball Creek Campsite on the Superior Hiking Trail. Why did we go so far for one night of backpacking? We have “adopted” this campsite and needed to do our campsite duty of clearing the trail and checking the latrine. So yes it was far and there are plenty of options closer and of course, I highly recommend going closer if you are just doing one night. Here’s some logistics based on some of the most common questions I see families asking online about backpacking with babies.
How did we carry it all? Sarah carried the babies and Andy carried the gear. The gear pack alone weighed close to 40 pounds which is nearly the weight of Rory and Sawyer combined. Since the hike was a short hike in, we decided this would be a good option. The most challenging and longest part of the hike in was some steep stairs taking you down closer to the river’s edge. The Luvdbaby hiking pack carrier we use has a small bottom pack area which we used to store diapers and wipes. We brought in half used pack of wipes to cut down on weight/space. We brought in 6 diapers for Rory and 8 for Sawyer and ended up having 1 diaper left for each child at the end.
What should I pack for the babies? Clothes and diapers…this is really all you need for the kids for one night. Don’t bother hiking in books, toys, or anything. Maybe if it were a longer trip I would have considered bringing in a book or a very small toy for Rory but the weight simply wasn’t worth it…nor did we have the space! The only thing we sacrificed space for was his bunny/pacifier he loves for sleeping.
Here’s the breakdown of clothes we brought for Sawyer (6 weeks at time of trip):
-zip up cotton onesie and one spare onsie
–wool layer top and bottom
-wool hat
-shorts and shirt (never used these)
-baby shoes (this sounds silly but it acts as another layer to protect against mosquitos plus it adds a layer for warmth because let’s be honest…baby socks never stay on and shoes will stay on!)
-socks to use on her hands at night for warmth (because socks DO stay on hands but not feet!)
-thin blanket to wrap her in
-I forgot to pack it…but I wish I had brought a fleece swaddle for her to sleep in at night for some extra warmth.
This was enough clothes for 1 night. We did end up using both onesies because of course there was a blowout.
Here’s the breakdown of the clothes we brought for Rory (21 months at time of trip):
-cotton pants
-wool pant layer
-sweatshirt
-long sleeve shirt
-shirt and shorts (only did spare of a shirt, no spare shorts cause we figured we’d be in pants mostly with the mosquitos/ticks. Didn’t end up using shorts.)
-hiking sandals
-drawstring hat with wide brim
I wish we had brought one more pair of thin cotton pants because his diaper soaked through at night making his thin cotton pants soaked so in the morning we only had the wool layer for him to wear.
What was our sleeping arrangement? The tent we used was an REI Half dome 4 -person backpacking tent. This tent allowed plenty of room for everyone to sleep comfortably, and especially for the baby to sleep safely in her Kilofly tent pod. I love this tent pod because it doubles as a bug/sun shade and is super lightweight for backpacking. Safe sleeping for babies in tents is a big debate and while I don’t want to co-sleep with my baby, I do admit we did a little bit of it with Rory on his first camping trip (mostly because it was so cold and we were worried he was freezing.) With this trip, it was mid-July and I definitely was not worried about Sawyer freezing. Sawyer slept in her tent pod, I slept next to her on an REI blow up mattress, Rory slept between Andy and I in on a foam pad (these foam pads are the cheap ones we started out with when we started backpacking…a great starter mattress that is budget friendly!) and Andy was next to Rory on his REI mattress.
How do you feed baby? Well since I am breastfeeding this requires no extra items. I am beyond thankful my body and baby allow this to work out. We don’t need to pack in any bottles/formula so that saves a ton on space/weight. However, if you do need to bring a bottle/formula just measure out exactly what you will need and maybe add one extra serving in case. Of course be sure to have a water filtering system for safe water to add to the formula. What did we feed the toddler? We did the typical backpacker thing…mountainhouse! I like to caption the below photo “Real men eat mountainhouse, son.”
Ticks and mosquitoes…how do you keep babies safe? In Minnesota especially we are prone to ticks in the summer heat. One thing we’ve always done with our clothes to prevent ticks is spraying clothes with permethrin. Yes, this is safe for babies, just make sure it dries overnight. Another must-do is to layer the babies in appropriate clothing. When we began the hike in with Sawyer we had her wearing small baby shoes, a wool layer, a onesie zip-up, and a hat. Rory was wearing a long sleeve, long pants, a hat, and a wool layer once we got to camp. He was wearing wool socks with the hiking sandals. Take a listen to Hiking Thru Life’s episode #42 about tick prevention to give you an ease of mind. If you are extra worried you could even bring a TENT ONLY pair of clothes for the kids. This would be extra weight but helps with that peace of mind that those clothes haven’t been exposed to the nature elements and possibility of ticks.
How do you keep the toddler safe? The toddler age can be an age where many parents are in constant “panic mode” because the toddler is always getting into something, always putting things in mouth, etc. While this is true of the exploratory toddler stage, you need to set firm boundaries. Setting firm boundaries from the beginning at home will help your child understand their boundaries when out in nature too. Does this mean you can let them roam on their own? No, but with boundaries they will learn to go a safe distance. As far as putting things in mouth goes, it happens and it’s developmentally appropriate. I do watch close when he’s around rocks, small pebbles but continuing to give the boundary of “no eating rocks” will settle in eventually. Give them other options… let them play in dirt, grass, sticks, mud, etc. This is where the sensory play comes in and it’s so good for them. Get them involved in camp chores! Pull out the sleeping bag together, talk to them about the cooking process. The more you involve them, the less “trouble” they can get into.
The biggest piece of advice I can give for backpacking with babies is to just DO IT! Start out basic just like we did…a .1 mile hike in. Simple and easy but it’s all an adventure in it’s own. You can think up all the things that could go wrong but you could also just do it and chances are nothing will go wrong. For safety I do suggest bringing a Garmin InReach GPS so you can use it in an emergency if needed…it will give you a peace of mind.
Have you backpacked with babies? What advice would you give?
Take a look at our backpacking experience here.
