Infants and young children/exploring the outdoors/health and safety

July 26, 2010

Posted in Outdoor Recreation, Safe & Healthy Travel No Comments »
Tags: adventuring, backpack, biking, breast-feed, camping, child-carry backpack, Chris Van Tilburg, Columbia River, exploring outdoors, Health, hiking, Infants, kids, nutrition, Oregon, safety, skiing, Vancouver Island, young children

Hi Readers. This is a first for our website, a posting by someone other than myself. This posting is by Chris Van Tilburg, MD, author of Introducing Your Kids to Outdoor Adventure (Stackpole, 2005). 

The question I get most often regarding adventuring with kids is, is it safe?  When people read in magazines about my adventures with my two girls – canoeing the Columbia River, skiing the Chilean Andes, backpacking Vancouver Island, snorkeling in the Pacific – they think we’re crazy or, at least, that I’m crazy. Every since publication of my book, I’ve been speaking, writing, and continuing to learn about safe outdoor recreation and adventure travel with my daughters in tow. And yes, it’s safe, safer than driving to the mall. 

Parents also ask me at what age it is safe to take infants hiking and camping so that they can experience – and, hopefully, enjoy – these and other outdoor recreational activities. Lots of outdoor enthusiasts want to get outside with their kids when they are still less than one year of age. But parents worry, and rightfully so, about weather, sun, insects, and other unpredictable issues. 

A good time for basic trips is when kids are old enough to hold up their heads. At this age you will probably have them in a stroller or carry them in a child-carrying backpack or a front pack. Thus they need to be able to support their head on their own. Generally, this means they should be between six and nine months of age. But it’s earlier for some kids  and later for others. If you aren’t sure, ask your doctor if your child is ready. 

I believe that it is preferable to get started with outdoor recreational activities at an early age, though it may take additional time and energy on your part. But getting started early can also be easier in some ways. Nutrition is simple if children are breast- or bottle-feeding and you don’t need to worry about potty breaks if they are still in diapers.  Rest assured that adventures will be fun and rewarding for you as a parent. And the more you go, the easier it gets. Perhaps most importantly, you will lay the groundwork for your kids to develop lifelong enthusiasm for the outdoors.

Start with something simple, like a short hike or baby jog. Short trips give you, the parent, some healthy alternatives to regular day-to-day activities, and your kids will have a blast. My kids started doing outdoor activities before they could walk. They loved having the wind in their face when they were little. Now, camping, biking, hiking and skiing are regular activities we do as a family.

I took my youngest child, Skylar, out hiking when she was six months old. Our first adventure was a two-hour hike up a popular trail in the Columbia Gorge National Scenic Area near our home in Oregon. Timing is very important. We picked a warm sunny day with a clear blue sky. I packed food and clothing in the morning. We waited to leave so we could make the 30-minute drive during Skylar’s morning nap. She slept during the drive and at the parking lot. This gave me time to get all the hiking stuff ready: child-carry backpack, diapers, wet wipes, extra clothes, hat, warm coat, snacks, water, and her musical stuffed Pooh doll. When Skylar woke, we took time to change her diaper and give her a snack in the car. Then we set off, with Skylar in the child-carry backpack.

Does everything always go smoothly?  Of course not. About 30 minutes and one mile later, we stopped along the river in the sun to have a snack and point out birds and the rushing water. After another half hour of hiking, Skylar wanted to get out of the backpack. We found a warm spot in the sun where my wife could breast-feed her. When we had enough for our first adventure, we headed down the trail. On our way back, Skylar started crying for no discernable reason. The only thing that soothed her was my voice singing, or rather yelling, “The Ants Go Marching.” We sang it all the way down the trail. Skylar had a big smile on her face when we got back to the car.

But that was an exception. In fact, she had so much fun on hikes that later that winter, just before her first birthday, we took her skiing in the child-carry backpack.  She loved it.

Posted in Outdoor Recreation, Safe & Healthy Travel No Comments »
Tags: adventuring, backpack, biking, breast-feed, camping, child-carry backpack, Chris Van Tilburg, Columbia River, exploring outdoors, Health, hiking, Infants, kids, nutrition, Oregon, safety, skiing, Vancouver Island, young children