Backpacking with a baby. Is it possible?

[Harlen]

Hamic wrote:

Has anyone done an overnight trip with a baby or toddler?

We think a better question would be: "Has anyone gotten their teenagers to go backpacking again?"
We took our kids into mountains all the time; that was from the age 4-5 months till they began to balk at it, wanting to spend time with their friends and surfboards. (Lizzie also climbed to the top of Shepherds Crest when 8 months prego- so we say that our son Ryan has been climbing before he was born!) Honestly, we recommend taking kids when they are young, and for us, the younger the better. Babies are light, and they fit into "Baby-bjorn" front carriers, so Lizzie could carry her own damn pack. Later, she would carry the bigger kid, in an excellent kid-backpack with our tent strapped to the bottom, and I would carry everything else.
Some tips are to take disposable diapers, such as the Seventh Generation brand, which can be burned in the campfire, or, better yet, but a lot of trouble- cloth diapers which you can wash far from water, into a big deep hole. Take a small bucket to facilitate that operation. Then the cloth diapers can be hung off your pack to dry. We had a big golden retriever at that time, and she became "the diaper dog." That is, she carried out the heavy diapers, when no fires could be had. Second tip- cover the miles when the baby is sleeping! We would go like hell and make half the day's miles then, and doddle along, starting and stopping a lot to play when the kid was awake. They loved it right up till they didn't anymore But there are signs that they are getting back into already with their friends. Good luck!

[wildhiker]

Yes, it is possible, but the parents really need to be experienced in backcountry travel already and willing to suffer!

We started our kids backpacking at 6 months. They slept between us in a double bag the first year, and then graduated to a small sleeping bag of their own. But we all slept in a big tent together. Unlike my old aching bones, the kids slept fine on simple 1/2 inch thick closed cell foam pads. I sewed a sleeping bag with polyester fill that fit up to age 3 and we had a old climber's bivouac half-bag that went to 5 or 6, before starting to buy small-size backpacking sleeping bags.

Rather naively, we took the first one in to a lake at about 9500 feet elevation, not even considering the possibility of altitude sickness. She was fine, but I would recommend now starting at lower elevations, which we did with the later two.

Like Harlen, we used cloth diapers (used them at home, too), which we washed out far from water sources in a plastic basin. Also used the basin to give the baby a bath! But unlike Harlen, we didn't try to move camp much. Instead, we basically base-camped. Then we could dry the diapers on a clothes line strung between trees and the sun's UV would help to disinfect them!

Base-camping just a few miles in is my first suggestion. This also allows our second adaptation: I was my own sherpa. That is, my wife carried the baby and baby stuff while I carried one full backpack of gear to a camp 3 or 4 miles from the trailhead. After setting up tent, I rushed back to the car and carried in the second full backpack. I thought this was more reasonable than trying to manage a single 70 or 80 pound pack (we had heavier equipment then) on my 140 pound frame. Reversed this when leaving. With the first baby, we managed a full week base-camping in the Kaiser Wilderness. Once we had more than one pre-school kid, we had to content ourselves with only 2 or maybe 3 nights in the wilderness at a time, still base-camping. Just too much stuff to carry! By 3 they were walking well the whole way and by 4 carrying a few of their own clothes. By the time the youngest was 6, they all had real backpacks and carried about 20% of their body weight on multi-day moving trips with cross-country segments. Start 'em young!

-Phil

[Wandering Daisy]

I backpacked with my babies. Actually the smaller ones are easier than the toddlers who become too heavy to carry (and too bored and wiggly to ride in a pack). I was a VERY experienced backpacker and mountaineer when I did this. It really helps to have an extra set of hands. A friend of mine who horse-packed with her kids for months on end would hire a babysitter, usually an experienced older teen. The best trip I did was with three lady friends of mine. Honestly, my then-husband was not helpful- he would get to camp and then take off fishing for hours leaving me with a fussy baby.

As for diapers, we were in areas that fires were allowed, so we simply dumped the poo in a cat-hole, and then burned the diapers. We would partially dry out the soggy diapers before burning. You need a fair sized hot fire. Once the kid could walk, I just let them go bare-bottom in camp. If walking and still not potty trained, they would also walk bare-bottom. I used my old "elephant's foot" for the baby sleeping bag.

It is a LOT of work, more adults that can help the better. It is not something you simply jump into- first YOU have to be a solid backpacker. The baby is 100% dependent on you. For older kids, keeping them safe (once they can wander off) is needed. I had no qualms about using a harness and line to keep them in camp. Perhaps if you had a dog that would herd the baby or at least bark when he/she started to run off. I always camped away from streams that could drown a kid. As for small streamlets, the kids would entertain themselves for hours with sticks and throwing pebbles in the water.

Avoid mosquito season. I found late August and early September the best. Once we had two kids, we would hire a horse-packer to pack us in and then base camp, and then slowly walk out downhill.

If it is cold, you need to check on the kid in the backpack a lot. You may be perfectly warm, whereas the baby, not moving may get cold. Also, if the kid sleeps while riding in the pack all day, he/she will be up all night. Try to take plenty of breaks and keep the baby to its' normal nap pattern. Stop early enough in the afternoon so the baby is awake for several hours.

You need not do huge long trips. I had some very nice trips that were no more than a few hours walk into the destination.