15 Must-Know Tips and Benefits of Hiking with Your Baby

Slow Life Down.

If you’re anything like me, you love a good hike to reset your mind and body. But can you still enjoy hiking with a baby in tow? Absolutely!

Was hiking with an infant always easy? Of course not, but it’s incredibly rewarding. There’s something extremely special and calming when you soak in nature with your little one. I want you to feel confident when taking your baby hiking and the following benefits and tips should inspire you to get outdoors at the first opportunity.   

4 Benefits of Hiking with Your Baby

1) Babywearing

If you’re hiking with a baby, you will be babywearing. My personal preference is to use a wrap-style carrier. When worn correctly, I find it far more comfortable than structured carriers (at least for this young age, for toddlers you’ll probably want a structured carrier). WeeSprout wraps are my all-time favorite, they are the exact same fabric as Solly Baby wraps for less than half the cost!

Here are just a few of the advantages of babywearing:

• As we wear our babies, the physical contact causes oxytocin to flood our bodies, which helps us create a stronger bond with our little ones.
• Babies who are carried also tend to be calmer as the parental heartbeat and walking rhythms provide soothing effects.
• Not only are they calmer, but one study found that babies who are carried cry 43% less during the day and 54% less at night than those who aren’t. (That study can be found here on Researchgate.net).
• It decreases the risk of “flat head syndrome”.
• The babies are closer to their parents which helps them learn languages quicker and study facial expressions.
• Wearing your baby facing inward can help your little one build neck strength and healthy hip development.

2) Improves Mental Health

Stanford University researchers have found that hiking can provide many benefits to your mental health. Are you feeling stressed? Have you been anxious lately? Do you worry about depression setting in? Going for a hike can help boost your mood in all these areas. Chances are if you love hiking, I really don’t need to remind or convince you of the amazing benefits of being in nature. But, I can tell you that being in nature with your baby makes it 100x better. Aim for at least 90 minutes of nature time to reap the maximum benefits.

3) Improves Physical Health

This one is kind of a no-brainer. Not only is hiking a great whole-body workout but adding a baby into the mix will only up the calorie burn and increase the resistance. When I was postpartum, hiking and walking were the only exercises I was in the mood for.

4) Being in Nature Benefits Your Baby Too

Research shows that being out in the sun can help your baby sleep better at night! If for some reason that wasn’t enough to convince you, it’s a great sensory experience with new sights, sounds, and things to touch. Touching all that dirt, plants, and whatever else they find can also help boost their little immune system and help prevent allergies and asthma as they grow up. You’ll also be teaching them to appreciate and love nature, which will hopefully mean you’ll be enjoying many more hikes together in the future.

11 Tips for Hiking with a Baby

1) Take a Partner Hiking with You

For safety reasons, it’s important to hike with your spouse, partner, a family member, or a friend. It’s also great to have another person to help carry the load. My husband and I often switch between one of us babywearing and the other carrying the supplies midway through the hike.

2) Comfortable Shoes with High Traction

I’m super clumsy and honestly if you saw me hike you might wonder why I love it so much. When I’m babywearing, I definitely don’t need any accidental trips or falls, so I make sure to wear comfortable hiking shoes with great traction, and if I think we’ll encounter water, I make sure they’re waterproof. Maybe you’re as agile as a mountain goat, but I prefer to trample through water like a grizzly bear rather than delicately hop across the rocks.

3) Pack Snacks for Everyone

Whatever food you would have packed pre-baby, double it. I seriously underestimated how hungry I would get as a lactating mother plus carrying my little one around. If you’ve started solids for your baby, make sure to bring a snack for them too.  

4) Bring Water and a Water Filter

Just like you’ll want extra snacks, you’ll also want plenty of water to stay hydrated. What I don’t love is carrying around even more weight. So, if you know you’ll be crossing any streams or lakes along the way, a water filter will help you here. My personal favorite is the Grayl.

5) Bring an Extra Change of Clothes for You and Your Baby

One thing I’ve noticed from babywearing while hiking is that I get extra sweaty! Especially where my son is snuggled against me. This gets me pretty wet, so it’s nice to have an extra shirt to change into after the hike. You’ll also want to bring at least 1 extra outfit, but probably 2, for your baby as well. I leave all the extra outfits in the car.

As for diapers, take WAY more than you think you need. I suggest taking 3+ on the hike and leaving a stack in the car just in case. When our son was 3 months old, he pooped 2 times in the parking lot alone. It took us 45 minutes just to walk to the trailhead from our car! This leads me to my next tip…

6) Give Yourself Plenty of Extra Time

Pre-baby, my husband and I could get out of the car, loaded up, and on our way hiking in under 10 minutes. However, life with a baby forces you to slow down. Luckily, we had mentally prepared for everything to take longer, so we were able to laugh off all that quality time in the parking lot. But, make sure to plan for everything to take a bit longer. You will probably hike a little slower, stop a little longer for breaks, and even the drive can take longer. In fact, my son hated the car until he was about 7-months old, so we would frequently have to stop for breaks to feed or comfort him. Just make sure to give yourself plenty of extra time and you aren’t in the woods after dark with your baby.  

7) Hike on Cooler Days

This goes along with tip #5 too. I mentioned babywearing will make you extra hot and sweaty, so don’t be afraid to go out on cooler or overcast days. You’ll also be rewarded with fewer people on the trails. Dress your little one in an extra layer, or wear an oversized jacket that you can zip around them.

8) Know Your Route

Now is not the time to get turned around. Make sure you are using GPS to navigate to the trailhead or have written instructions on how to find it if GPS doesn’t know the exact location of the parking lot/trailhead. You’ll also want to research your particular hike to make sure you take all the right turns. Signage on trails can be subpar, so I find reading the comments on trail reviews to be extremely helpful. Take a picture with your phone of any maps or useful instructions to help you stay on track.

9) Pack Protection

Insects, sunshine, and bears, oh my! Depending on your location and the time of year, you’ll want some bug spray. I only spray my legs and back, not where my baby is, but you can use DEET products on babies 2 months and older if you prefer according to healthychildren.org.

For sun protection, I use a billed hat with a neck cover and sunglasses for my son. After 6 months of age, you can start applying baby-safe sunscreen as well.

We also always carry bear spray, and we make sure that each person has a canister. This is one of those things where it’s better to have it and not need it than the reverse situation.

10) Pick an Easy Hike to Start

Even if you’re a pretty advanced hiker, start with a couple of easy hikes and work you’re way up. This means, choosing hikes at lower elevations, that aren’t too long, and with minimal elevation grade. You’ll also want to check trail reviews and try to find something that’s not too rocky. Whether you’re postpartum or have recently adopted, chances are high that you’re pretty exhausted already from a lack of good sleep. Make this journey about soaking in nature and relaxing, don’t push yourself too hard, and have fun with it!

11) Stop and Let Your Baby Explore

The #1 benefit to hiking with your baby is watching them experience nature. Remember to take some time to simply relax and let your baby explore. Sit down, have a snack, change their diaper, and then let them touch the dirt, leaves, rocks, sticks, or water. Let them feel the wind on their face and the warm sunshine. Let them listen to the rustling leaves, creaking trees, rushing water, and singing birds. This is why we all love hiking after all.

Now Get Out in Nature and Have Some Fun!

Do you have tips to recommend when hiking with a baby? Be sure to add it in the comments below!