Our Hiking Tick history with Kids

I previously had never come across a Tick in all my years of hiking, playing sports and outdoor activities and I wouldn’t have known what to do if I did. Fast forward a few months after watching the @ticktalkireland video and both our girls had a tick on their tummies, at the very same time .

Luckily we had our tick removers, froze the ticks in a zip lock bag, disinfected the area and watched out for all the signs of Lyme Disease. Thank God, they were both perfect and we have never come across one since

Pictures of the Ticks

Below I will share some tips and information, but to learn more follow @ticktalkireland

The picture above is the very place where the girls got the ticks, walking through the long grass, their tops must have lifted and the ticks latched onto their tummies.

What do Ticks look like?

Picture 2 above shows the Tick buried headfirst into our kid’s tummy

What to use to remove Tick?

The Picture shows the Tick Removers and Repellent Spray that we use. We used the Tick removers to remove the ticks in our kid’s tummies and found them very effective.

The above picture shows #ourlittlehikers repellent bracelet. We find the bracelet very good and she loves wearing it.

How to Prevent Ticks on Humans while Hiking

1. Use a Repellent Spray. I spray all our hiking boots, bags and gear before a Hike.
2. When you can wear pants, tuck them into your socks and tuck your t-shirts into your pants too.
3. Try to avoid long grass if you can (although they can also be in short grass and woodland areas)
4. Try walking in the centre of the woodland paths
5. When possible, try to sit on your hiking bag, pad, blanket (shake it out afterwards) or a stone when having picnics.
6. Do a quick Tick Check before getting into the car to go home.
7. If you find a tick, don’t panic, use your tick remover (we keep ours in a zip lock bag in our 1st aid kit in our Hiking bag)
8. Remove the tick with the tick remover by getting close to the skin where the head is attached and smoothly pull in an upwards direction, then disinfectant the area and your hands.
9. Place the tick in a ziplock bag and write the name of the person, date and location on the bag and put it into your freezer when you get home. By putting the tick in a zip lock bag in the freezer it would help a lot if you start to develop any symptoms in the coming days like flu symptoms or sometimes not always a rash can appear or a bulls-eye rash. If this happens call your Doctor and they will do blood tests, test the frozen tick for any diseases like Lyme Disease and maybe give you antibiotics etc.
10. Get a shower when you’re home from your hike and do a better tick check. Make sure to check the following places

• • legs, ankles
  • behind the knees
  • around the waistline, bellybutton
  • armpits
  • Back of neck, hairline, inside and behind the ears.

Check your Dogs for Ticks

Also, be sure to check your animals too.
I’m no expert in Ticks, so to learn more or if you have any questions check out @ticktalkireland

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When I first starting breastfeeding nearly 5 years ago, I taught I needed my breastfeeding pillow everywhere. On my 1st born, I found the first 6 weeks of breastfeeding hard mostly due to sore nipples, from a bad latch,  later I found out that she had a lip tie which didn’t help.  After that hurdle, it became very easy for me and I absolutely loved my breastfeeding journey.

Breastfeeding in the outdoors while hiking

When my firstborn daughter was 6 months old, we started becoming a little bit more adventurous with our hikes. We traveled all over Ireland climbing mountains with her on our back. Breastfeeding played a big part in that journey. It took that extra pressure off and allowed us to carry fewer baby-related items which also meant we didn’t have to stick to a routine. I could just feed her on demand when she wanted, wherever she wanted. I have fed both my girls until they were 18 months and now I am back feeding my third little girl, and I am loving it.

Breastfeeding in the outdoors 11 top tips

Here are some tips that I have learned along the way that worked for me and made our hiking adventures in the outdoors easier.

1. Offer a feed in the car before you start your walk

By offering a feed in the comfort of your own car before you start your walk, you will start the hike with a happy and content baby. It will be one less feed to do on the trail. Sometimes this doesn’t work out, as they could be asleep from the car journey, I just pop the sleeping baby into the sling and keep walking until they wake up looking for a feed.

2. Try to find a comfortable seat

If you didn’t want to buy or bring a pad to sit on, you could sit on your rucksack, a stone, or a log. Try to find somewhere dry and comfortable to sit on, you don’t know how long you could be there.

3. Bring a small Umbrella

An umbrella is fantastic to use to protect you and the baby. The umbrella can block the sun, stop a light breeze and it can give you that extra bit of privacy if you are in a very public place. It also stops your baby from becoming distracted from being too nosey, which leads to her stopping mid-feed to look around.

4. Wear breastfeeding-friendly layers

Breastfeeding bras and tops are handy but you don’t have to go out and buy them, you can use what you have.

I wear a strap top, a loose-fitting t-shirt or top, and a zip jacket. All I have to do is pull up my top and pull down my strap top and bra, therefore you are completely covered, keeping your back, tummy, and chest warm while helping you feel modest and less exposed.

5. Wear a light scarf

I find a scarf handy as it acts as extra coverage and you can also use it as a blanket

6. Bring a rain cover

I bring the rain cover from my pram just in case I ever got caught out in the rain and needed to feed the baby and we couldn’t find shelter. You could drop it over your baby or use your rain jacket or poncho. In my bag I also have a little mosquito net just in case I need it for when you sit still there are more chances of little flies etc annoying you and your baby.

7. Feeding your baby in a Sling

When I use my ergo baby carrier, I loosen the strap on the side, that the baby is feeding at and get her into a comfortable position. I then hold her as I would when feeding her and the carrier acts as extra support for the baby.

8. Feeding your baby in a Deuter carrier

While Breastfeeding in the outdoors while hiking, sometimes I found that it might not suit to take our daughter out of the carrier to feed her. The weather could be bad and she could be protected in her carrier, we might be in an unsafe part of the hike, etc. We learned over numerous hikes, that if the baby is happy in her carrier that it might be easier to just feed her in the carrier. Sometimes, when you take them out of the carrier they might not want to go back in. They might just want to walk or to be carried to get a better view of the sheep, I learned to feed her while she sat in the carrier.

I just opened the side strap of the carrier, I kept her strapped in and I just leaned in and hugged the carrier and she would feed away, you could tilt the carrier a little to get a better position. This is easier to do when they are older, around 1 year old.

9. Feeding your baby when you have active toddlers with you

Now when we go hiking and I need to feed my youngest it’s harder to stop for long periods of time as my older two girls love to be on the move. To encourage everyone to stop, we put down a blanket and have little picnics (loads of snacks).

We let them empty out their hiking bags to look at the treasures, that they collected along their hike and sometimes I pull out a little notebook and pen to let them draw their favorite things that they have seen along the hike. When all of the above fails, I walk and feed at the same time.

10. Stay hydrated while Breastfeeding in the outdoors while hiking

While hiking, it’s important to stay hydrated and the same when you breastfeeding so make sure to bring extra water and keep hydrated, I usually hike with my husband, and he carries all these extra items in his hiking bag. We also bring Lifestraw bottles in case we run out of water. They are extremely handy and provide that little bit of security you need.

11. Relax and enjoy feeding your baby in nature

It can be stressful feeding in public, especially when it’s your first time. My advice is to try to ignore strangers passing by and relax, smile down at your baby and enjoy both the view of your baby and the view of the mountains or wherever you are.

The post Breastfeeding in the outdoors while hiking appeared first on Our Family Hikes.

We have been on many great adventures but we always insist on having a hiking guide book with us. Before we commit to buying a good guidebook, we research them like crazy, maybe it’s us being stingy or just the fear of being lost due to having a poor guidebook but we like to know we have the best information to hand.

For us, the best hiking guide book would need to have plenty of good quality maps similar to Ordinate Survey maps. The maps should have some form of contours and longitudinal sections showing the possible elevation ascents and descents for the trip days. The hiking guidebook should also have lots of photographs of awkward little intersections of tough to describe hiking sections. Obviously, the hiking guidebook should have clear concise directions that translate to the map in some form.

The below Top hiking guide books are all guidebooks that we have used on our hikes previously. Gina always says that when we are hiking, I will always have one hand on the guidebook, keeping an eye on our progress on the trail.

Tour du Mont Blanc Guide book Review

We used a guidebook by Kev Reynolds called “The Tour of Mont Blanc: Complete Two-way Trekking Guide” to do our 10-day hike around the great mountain of Mont Blanc. If you want to see the guidebook in action just flick through our blog post on Tour du Mont Blanc here, we have it in numerous photographs, this book never left my hands.

The Tour of Mont Blanc: Complete Two-way Trekking Guide Review

Admiring the views with our TMB guidebook

Initially, we slightly struggled with this guidebook as the descriptions are quite detailed and if you are trying to read a few days ahead of yourself it becomes quite confusing.

On our first day of hiking, we took the scenic route by mistake and we quickly realised the value in this book’s detail!!

The book gave us step by step instructions that were reinforced by the maps and TMB signposts scattered along the hike. The timings in the book are very optimistic, bare this in mind when you are planning to cram 2 days itinerary into the one day.

This book is essential for the Tour du mont blanc and we wouldn’t have dreamed to do it without it.

Pros:

• Detailed maps
• Tonnes of information and phone numbers
• Gives multiple routes for the same stage

Cons:

• Complicated to follow at times
• The scale of the maps are too large at awkward sections

Final word:

I wouldn’t even dream about hiking the TMB without this book. Yes, it is possible as the signage on the route is extremely good but it’s very comforting to know the hostel phone numbers and the location of the next coffee shop.

Camino de Santiago Guide book

The Camino de Santiago was our first hiking adventure and by pure luck, we brought John Brierley’s “A Pilgrim’s Guide to the Camino De Santiago: St. Jean – Roncevalles – Santiago (Camino Guides)” book with us. When we first started the Camino in St. Jean we quickly realized how good this book really was. The book gives realistic walking durations and distances between towns/cafes & hostels. The maps on the book are very good with all the important information highlighted on the map and its easy to follow and understand. 

Pros:

• Very detailed description
• The best map of all guide books
• We never needed to refer to the internet to look for missing information

Cons:

• It doesn’t cover Finisterre or Muxia (additional book required)

Final Word:

This book fits perfectly into my hiking pants pocket, which is essential because I would usually refer to it every 30 minutes.  Like every other walker that completes the Camino, they all want to walk to Finisterre but this book doesn’t cover this section.

When we walked to Muxia and Finisterre after Santiago we had to buy John Brierley’s other book Pilgrim’s Guide to the Camino Finisterre: Santiago * Finisterre * Muxia. This is another good book but we felt that he could have easily included this information in the Camino de Santiago guide book. Still, this is a good book with great information. 

Ireland’s County High Points: A Walking Guide

In 2016, we had our first child. This put a stop to our long-distant walks. In 2017-2018 we purchased a baby hiking carrier to carry our daughter on our next adventure up Ireland’s mountains. Kieron Gribbon wrote this wonderful resource of a walking book, which covers Irelands County high points. We found this book to be amazing on our adventure to every high point. It gives coordinates to park the car and very informative descriptions on the routes, along with maps and expected walking times.

Pros:

• Provides coordinates for each mountain
• Full of pictures and maps
• Detailed maps and descriptions

Cons:

• None really- Our book fell apart but I think that’s more to do with overuse

Final Word:

This book has become a big part of our family hikes. When we pack our hiking bags we always bring this because we never know if we’re going to be far away from a high point. The format of this book is perfect. We highly recommend it.

The Wicklow Way Guidebook

We are lucky enough to live at the end of the Wicklow Way. The Wicklow Way is Irelands oldest waymarked trail and was established in 1980 by J.B Malone. The Wicklow Way is 127km long and it spans from Dublin through the heart of Wicklow and finishes in the small village of Clonegal in Carlow. The Wicklow Way is one of Ireland’s best hiking trails.

We shamefully didn’t know much about the Wicklow way before we started our hiking adventures. We gradually walked the Wicklow way over a number of weekends throughout the summer months. It’s quite a tough little hike but the landscape is spectacular and it provides some of the best walking scenery in Ireland.

We bought Barry Dalby’s book “The Wicklow Way Map Guide” in a local shop but the guidebook can also be ordered from Amazon or from Barry Dalby’s website direct. The book provides necessary maps of the route along with little snippets of history and local facts.

Pros:

• Very detailed maps
• Interesting local knowledge

Cons:

• Not much information about supplies
• Additional information about close towns would be helpful

Final Word:

The Wicklow way passes through one of Ireland’s top tourist attractions, Glendalough round tower. There are some nice walks and historical tours in this area. Make sure to stay one night here to explore the area.

Mountain Man by James Forrest

Having followed James on Instagram for a few years, we instantly bought this book about his amazing adventure. Every time we look at James’s stories on Instagram we always have a good giggle and he has brought that sense of humor to documenting his hiking achievements.  He really inspires us to hike higher and longer. His honest approach to not being trained and getting lost makes it feel like lots of our adventures.

Be careful, because after reading this book you will feel that you will want to do something adventurous with your life. This is an inspiring, uplifting book and should be in everyone’s top 10 hiking guide books.

Hike it baby

If I am to be totally honest, when I first considered hiking with a baby this was the first book that I bought. After some initial research, I found the Hikeitbaby website and social media sites. It was a natural progression to buy the book, which proved to be super useful in answering my novice questions and insecurities of hiking with babies.

The book gives 100 outdoor adventures and hikes in the US. Obviously, this is not much help to our family, as we live in Ireland but the book is really smart in its layout because each hike gives great inspiration and also an idea of the type of hikes that is possible with babies.

This book is more than just 100 baby and toddler adventure stories. There are sections in the book on gear, ambassadors, inspiring stories and lots of useful tips.

Pros:

• Inspirational
• Full of baby hiking information
• New hiker tips and tricks (Very useful)
• Seasonal hiking tips

Cons:

• The walks are only applicable to the US
• No individual gear reviews
• Majority of the book is about US hikes

The hikeitbaby website is a useful resource with a very active community.

The National 3 Peaks: Taking Up The Challenge

We received the “The National 3 peaks: Taking up the Challenge” guide book for a Christmas present in 2018. Due to family commitments, it took us a few months to eventually get over to the UK to hike the three peaks. We didn’t take part in the challenge, even though we found the challenge of it interesting. When we hike we love to take in the surrounding areas and cultures. Because of this, we hiked the UK three peaks over three days. It was great fun and a great experience.

The book proved to be a great resource and we found the estimated times and accommodation recommendations very helpful.

Babes in the Woods

The best way I could possibly describe Babes in the woods is a book of 187 pages which provides wonderful baby hiking advice. This is an amazing resource that is obviously written by a loving parent and an avid hiker. The book is an easy read and is broken into very easy to navigate sections.

One of our constant worries while hiking with babies is the weather and if the babies are warm enough. Babes in the woods cover the baby’s clothing, weather conditions, and some great general little tips and tricks.

This book covers food for babies and toddlers like no other hiking book that I have read before. There is a six-page table covering all foods to take on all types of baby adventures. This is a great idea because food can be the main reason many babies start becoming irritated on the trail and it can be a quick fix to get the baby back happy again.

Pros:

• Wonderful tips and tricks
• Cost-saving advice
• Covers other activities, not just hiking

Con:

• The main focus is on camping
• Orientated around Alaska

Final Word:

This is a great read and a very encouraging book. If you are on the fence regarding hiking with Toddlers, this is the books for you. The book is full of great advice wrote by an expert passionate about the outdoors.

The post Top Hiking Guide Book Reviews 2022 appeared first on Our Family Hikes.

I would advise not rushing back to physical activity too soon and to ask your doctors permission first and also listen to your body. When I gave birth to our first baby I had to be induced and it was a much harder birth, so I didn’t do much hiking until our baby was about 4 months old. We now have 2 healthy and happy girls thank God. After the initial realization that we forgot all the small intricate things a baby needed, we decided we might try a small local hike with our new baby.

We were itching to get back out hiking with the kids but we decided to wait for the weather to improve before venturing out in the cold with a baby hiking. I am always prepared for a hike, so 6 weeks after having our new little hiker, we got a good spell of warm spring weather and off we went hiking with the kids.

Our first-time hiking with a baby and toddler in Ireland

We had planned to hike up our local mountain, Mount Leinster but when we arrived it was extremely busy. We decided to keep driving to Kilkennys highest mountain, Brandon Hill as we wanted a quieter hike. This would allow us to get used to our new carrier and hiking with two babies. Plus, the kids were asleep in the car and the 1st mountain was only 10 mins drive and we didn’t want to wake them. The extra 30-minute drive was welcomed and they got a great nap and would be in good form for a walk.

When we arrived at the 2nd mountain, Brandon Hill there were only 4 cars parked, so it was nice and quiet. It took us about 20 minutes to get going, I was breastfeeding in the car, while Paul brought Ourlittlehiker for a little stroll down the country road to look at the sheep and the newborn lambs.

I put Ourbabyhiker in her Columbia wind and waterproof suit. I would highly recommend it. I bought it on Amazon here. I wore a strap vest top with a jacket that can zip down, the reason behind this is the Ourbabyhiker can rest her chest on my skin, and its easy access to breastfeeding while walking. I can also check her temp easier and she can get heat from my body.

When is too Early to be hiking with an infant?

This question can be only really answered by the parents of the baby. Remember, you are the ones that know your baby the best. Therefore, you can only make this decision. I would advise that when you do decide to bring your baby out hiking to make sure they are wearing the appropriate clothing and that you are familiar with the hike. Always start small and try to have another adult with you. For more tips click here to see our tips for hiking with a baby.

Our first hike with our Baby

Our first mountain climb with our firstborn was when she was 6 months old. We had never hiked with a baby before so we were sticking to small Forrest local walks. But this time around we brought our 2nd baby on a mountain hike at just 6 weeks old. This time, the seasons were different and the baby LOVED being on my chest in the strap. Which made the hike very easy and stress-free. We had a nice mild day with a very content baby for our first mountain walk.

Hiking with a baby and toddler Ireland

So far my experience with hiking with both baby and toddler has been enjoyable, but you need a lot of time and patience. It takes longer to pack, to leave the house and to leave the car but it’s so worth it. That is, once you make it to the trail and get to take in your 1st breath of fresh mountain air and to watch the big smile on your children’s faces.

Allow additional time while Hiking with young kids

I find you have to stop more as the baby might need a nappy change, then you get going and toddler wants to relax and eat, etc, so make sure to start with small hikes. Try to allow lots of time for all the unforeseen, therefore, you will all relax and enjoy the adventure more.

Go with family or friends to start off hiking

We always go hiking together when going to the mountains, I always carry my baby on my chest as its easy access for breastfeeding and I carry a rucksack with 1st aid kit, water, extra clothes for everyone and most importantly snacks. My husband carries ourlittlehiker in her Deuter Kids comfort when she gets tired from hiking herself.

Start hiking with kids anywhere or anytime

I am self-employed, on my breaks I bring the girls for short walks and carry both kids myself. It is hard but once you get the straps of the carriers correct it can work. It’s hard work though but so good to get outside even if it’s just 10 minutes around the garden.

Why Kids Love Hiking in Ireland

Hiking with a toddler is just fascinating, you start to see the world through a child’s eyes. They slow you down to look at the butterflies, flowers, etc, which make it more about the journey than the destination.

Ourlittlehiker just floats and skips along when on a hike, the outdoors really is her happy place. I read a quote one time which went something like this

” A Child can’t climb the walls, if the walls are removed”

It is so true, they don’t be bored or restless in the outdoors, Don’t get me wrong they can get tired and fed up in outdoors as well but it’s nice to have a good balance.

Tips to keep a toddler motivated while hiking

Here are some tips you can use near the end of a hike to keep your toddler motivated:

• Big Bubbles, so you hold them and walk ahead and your toddler has to run to try to catch them. This is so much fun for children as well as us adults.
• Save their favourite snacks for when they get a bit fed up or upset and tell them you can get some of your treats when we get to such an area. We try to all eat healthily during the week so treats while hiking is extra special.
• The simple” I’m going to get youuuu” game, works every time.
• Eye spy, treasure hunts, hunt for certain animals.
• A Camera. let them take pictures, we had an old camera we didn’t use anymore and we gave it to Ourlittlehiker and she loved it. Believe it or not, but she takes some great pictures (a lot of bad unflattering angles of us ha) but some great nature shots which is cool to see from her angle. For Christmas, we bought her a kid’s action camera which fits her little hands perfectly.

Hiking with the Ergo Baby Carrier 

Our impressions of the Ergo Baby Carrier

I had to watch a few youtube videos to see how to use it with the baby insert but I found our baby wasn’t comfortable with the inset. Initially, I used my sling wrap for the first few months, she was a big baby and never seemed to be comfortable in the Ergo Baby Carrier. But after a couple of months, I took out the baby insert (which you have to buy separately) she was more content and wasn’t trying to wriggle out of it.

Now she is 6 months old and absolutely loves it. I Have her front-facing so she loves looking all around her and laughs at her big sister singing and dancing on the trails.

Would we recommend the Baby Ergo Carrier?

Yes, I would highly recommend the Ergo baby carrier but in my opinion, I wouldn’t buy the separate baby insert unless you don’t have a sling and you were planning on hiking in the very early days or you had a smaller baby to get more use out of it. I only used ours once.

We bought the rain/wind cover separate and I would recommend getting it especially if you live in Ireland as the weather can change very quickly.

Tips for using the Ergo Baby Carrier

• Always check that your baby has good air circulation and not squashed to your chest and that the baby doesn’t overheat or get too cold.
• Be careful putting the baby in and out of the carrier.
• Have someone to help you secure your straps for the 1st couple of times until you get used to it.
• Listen to your baby, as they will let you know soon enough if they are uncomfortable by wriggling around or crying
• Practice wearing around the house and garden
• Read the instruction manual well
• Watch some youtube videos about using it and babywearing
• Make sure baby’s legs are in the correct position so it doesn’t put a strain on their hips, here’s a diagram below:

Gear to bring hiking with a baby and toddler

We previously did a blog post about hiking with a baby here we cover tips and gear to bring on hikes with kids. Below are some additional items that I find we use more now that we have two small kids to take care of in the mountains.

• Deuter kids comfort 3 plus Wind/Rain cover
• Ergo Carrier plus Wind/Rain cover
• Columbia ski suits (winter/cold weather)
• Reima suit (great for summer not to overheat)
• Regatta wind and waterproofs
• Keen hiking boots
• Sun hats
• Sunglasses
• woolly hats and gloves
• 1st aid kit
• Water & Water bottle
• Snacks
• Nappies
• Water wipes
• Hiking sticks
• A mirror (to see a toddler in the carrier on your back)
• Bubbles (when a toddler is hiking you can blow bubbles and they will run ahead to try to catch them, it’s fun and helps speed up a hike)

Hiking with kids in a pushchair versus a baby carrier for an Infant

Mount Leinster versus Brandon Hill. There is a tarmac road the whole way to the summit of Mount Leinster and Brandon hill

is all trail walking. We decided to use the pushchair on Mount Leinster to see which method we preferred. We had our baby in the Quinny Buzz Xtra 3. It is a 3 wheel pushchair which is great for the outdoors but not so great going around shopping centres which is okay as these days most of my shopping is online .

We had our two-year-old hiker in our travel buggy, which has 4 wheels and is a lot lighter. She walked for a good section of the hike and then we had to bribe her to sit into the buggy, as she got very tired.

Physically we found it much harder to push the prams compared to carrying the girls in the rucksacks, especially coming down the hill as you are in a half squat position trying to control and prevent the pram from getting away from us and rolling down the hill. We will continue to use our hiking carriers to hike with our toddler and infant as pushchairs did not give us the options we needed while hiking.

The post Hiking with a baby and toddler Ireland appeared first on Our Family Hikes.

Having a baby doesn’t have to stop you hiking and enjoying the outdoors, in fact, they will add to your adventure and make it an enjoyable and memorable family experience. Here are some tips that we have learned while hiking with our daughter, aka “ourlittlehiker” to help you get started hiking with your baby or toddler.

Invest in a good baby carrier backpack

Once your baby can hold their head up you can go from carrying them in a sling to sitting them in a backpack carrier. Deuter kids comfort III is the carrier I bought for my husband as a Christmas present from our baby. I felt a little pressure picking out the “perfect” bag. My husband Paul is great for researching stuff like this but as it was a surprise I had to do my own research. Deuter kids comfort III got great reviews and I have no regrets, it was the best buy ever. I use it more than our pram. Ourlittlehiker absolutely loves been in the bag, she gets so excited when she sees the hiking rucksack.

Here is an REI link to the backpack. We bought ours in Ireland’s 53  Degrees North Adventure store in Dublin here.

Wearing the carrier around the house: 

This is a great way to help both you and baby get used to the carrier backpack. Sometimes when I do the housework like hovering, sweeping the floors, preparing the dinner and hanging out the washing etc I put her in the rucksack and she does be so happy. It is great because I know she’s safe, and she is getting to see what I am doing and she gives me the odd little kick if I slow down. She’s like my little cheerleader and we are always having a sing-song. These are the memories I will treasure forever.

Hiking with the baby carrier: 

Wearing the Deuter kids comfort III allows you to hike and adventure in places where a pram won’t allow you to go. You can climb mountains, steps,  and go through narrow trails and muddy paths basically, you can go where your two feet will take you.

Yes, they can nap in the carrier: 

This was one of my concerns when buying the bag and going on long hikes. Well do not worry ourlittlehiker has had the best naps and has slept through some pretty great views too, it’s ok we took pictures so she can look back on the views and memories when she’s older. There is a padded cushion built into the bag that they can lie their little head on but a tip I recommend to do is roll up a little blanket and have it placed around the back of their head so they can lie their head back or either side for more comfort. This works best when the rain cover is on as it holds it in place better.

What clothes to bring for the Baby?

When out hiking the weather can change at any moment especially when hiking in Ireland. You could have rain, sun, and wind all rolled into one hike. So we always bring extra clothes and towels.

We find baby and toddler jackets with built-in mittens/gloves are great because it keeps their little hands warm and you are not worried about them losing the gloves or throwing them away. (We learned the hard way)

We are after buying an all in one Columbia suit which is waterproof and fleecy on the inside, it also has a hood and flaps to cover over hands and feet if needed.  We bought it on sale in 53Degrees North, It cost us €34, We put it over her base layers so she is extra cosy.

DIY TIP-

If you didn’t want to spend money on something like that you could always bring a spare warm hiking jacket of your own and put your child’s legs in the sleeves of the jacket and zip it up. Put an extra cosy pair of your socks over theirs and use their own warm jacket and it can be a DIY all in one hiking suit for them, along with blankets and rain/wind cover on your hiking bag, they will be happy campers and hikers.

What’s in our Deuter kids comfort III baby carrier:

• Nappies, wipes & creams- Always bring extra nappies and it is no harm to bring some reusable cloth nappies just to have. We use the disposable as we only go on day hikes at the moment with ourlittlehiker but we plan to go on longer hikes and camp during the summer so we are looking into biodegradable nappies and the cloth nappies and wash as we go. We use the water wipes and we also pack nappy cream and powders just to have.
• Her favourite toy- She got a pink flamingo while down in foto wildlife zoo, she picked it out herself and it has come on all our hiking adventures since. We lost it a few times but luckily after backtracking our steps we found it. So since then, we tie the flamingo’s leg to the bag so she can hold it and then if she falls asleep and drops it then it will still be hanging in there.
• Her beaker of water- There is a section where she can store her water bottle and as she has grown she can reach it and take a drink whenever she gets thirsty.
• Extra blankets and a spare change of clothes-  There is a deep pocket in the back of the bag where its handy to store her extra clothing so if there is a windchill you can pull out an extra blanket and make her cosy.
• Rain cover/windbreaker. We also store this in the front pocket and it is fantastic as it keeps out the cold wind and rain. It is a must.
• Snacks- There is another small pocket which is handy for small fruit and baby biscuits. It saves you stopping and searching your food bag, you can just snack on the go.
• Mirror- There is a little mirror that comes with the rucksack and is kept in the front pocket where the bag attaches around your waist. The mirror is so handy, if your hiking on your own with your baby.

Checking Ourlittlehiker sleeping in her baby backpack

• Thermometer- I keep this handy in the bag so I can check if she is too hot or cold. Of course, you use common sense and your own instincts but it’s nice to have an option to check the temperature.
• Sun hat & woolly warm hat- As the weather changes so often I keep a few different types of hats to suit all weathers.

Below are pictures of Ourlittlehiker reaching for a bottle of water.

Heres whats in our own Deuter backpack:

As there are generally two adults hiking, we take turns carrying a smaller backpack for additional supplies.

• Compass and Maps
• Sleeping Bag
• Poncho
• Extra clothes
• Food and Water
  • Our First aid kit has:
    • needle and thread (helps with blisters)
    • blister plasters
    • hand sanitiser
    • plasters
    • Scissors
    • CPR small mask
    • tinfoil blankets
    • bandages
    • vaseline (helps prevent blisters and helps stop a bleed)
    • wound dressings
    • would closure strips
    • painkillers for adults
    • pain relief for babies and children
    • kinesiology tape
    • aloe heat rub
    • Suncream (child-friendly)
    • insect repellent (child-friendly)
    • survival bracelet that can turn into cord rope
    • whistle
    • splinter tweezers
    • antiseptic wipes
    • waterproof matches
    • firefighter
    • chapstick

Bring plenty of water and snacks (Top tip for hiking with a baby)

I am currently breastfeeding so that makes hiking so much more relaxed for me as I am not worried about time, bottles or sterilizing bottles. So if we happen to be out hiking longer than planned I will always have milk for her. I have seen in some chemists and supermarkets that you can buy ready-made prepared bottles designed for on the go so if you are bottle-feeding, you could look into buying a few of them for backup. I think they’re more expensive than the formula powder but the peace of mind would be worth it.

Snacks and food ideas for babies and toddlers: 

Once she became six months we did a mixture of BLW (baby-led weaning) and spoon-feeding and after a few weeks she was feeding herself and didn’t want to be spoon feed, she loves picking up the food and feeding herself. We found the handiest foods to bring hiking were fruits like bananas, oranges, strawberries, and raspberries which we kept washed and chopped up in a plastic airtight container. avocado, cheese, yoghurt and chopped tomatoes are handy to have in a small lightweight cool bag. We find the organic baby biscuits are very handy and also tasty for us grown-ups too. Tins of tuna and a few forks and rice cakes are also a handy snack for everyone.

Ourlittlehiker eating a Bananna on Croagh Patrick Mountain

Food for the grownups: For us, we like trail mix, protein bars, a few sandwiches and if you have followed our journey you will see I love ice-cream and chocolate, oh and crisps.  What can I say the mountain air makes me hungry, although I try to eat healthier now that I have little eyes watching me from my backpack.

Water, water, and more water: And of course, the most important thing on a hike is water. We fill our girl’s little beaker up, our own bottles and also our Hydration packs as well. The packs are handy as they have the plastic straw so you can keep walking and taking sips as you go along. If you are going on a longer hike you can bring the tablets to purify water so if you do run out you will have safe water if drinking from a river or stream.

Start hiking with babies on small adventures.

• Start with walking around your garden, local parks or someplace close to home. This will help you and your baby get used to the carrier/backpack.
• We used a front carrier when Ourlittlehiker was small.  We bought it in Aldi and also I bought a sling at the pregnancy and baby fair. Then once she was able to support her head up we used our Deuter kids comfort III (They recommend around the 6-10 months) every baby is different.

Our final of the tips for hiking with a baby

Get outside as much as you can together and have fun. It’s easy to find an excuse and no time is perfect but when you are outside hiking, you will be wondering why you don’t do it every day. Happy Hiking.

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