#3 Hiking and longer distances with baby

Welcome to the third part of my guest blog post series at KOKADI!

This time it's about "Hiking and longer distances with baby". In April 2018, I hiked about 300km on the Camino de Santiago in Spain with my then 4-5 month old son. This wasn't my first long-distance hike, and of course I didn't set out completely unprepared with baby in tow. But you grow with the challenges and with your experience!

The decision

If you're considering setting out, the first thing to think about is: what are you planning to do? What is the local infrastructure like? And what about your physical condition? Are you going to do a multi-day hike or are you planning day trips from the same accommodation base? Or do you just do city-sightseeing and get like me also times on approx. 30km according to pedometer? And...of course...what is your baby used to and what will they "go with"? The bigger they get, the more they want to walk themselves ;)!

So, primarily based on our Camino de Santiago, I'm going to take you along for the ride in my mind! So most of this is about general things and the "little ones". A few experiences from recent hikes (with my son, who is now 19 months old) are also included! So here again are a few personal tips, just waiting to be tested and expanded by you:

I've always enjoyed walking and hiking a lot in the summer or ski touring in the winter. A lot also with the alpine club (which, by the way, also offers great discounts and insurance coverage with a membership!) Having kids shouldn't change that. A 1-week trekking tour with a 20kg backpack through the wilderness in Central Asian Kyrgyzstan, or summiting South American 6000m peaks may not be my first choice anymore, but that doesn't mean that you can't do anything exciting anymore ;)!

The baby carrier

When hiking with a baby, the first and most important decision is the baby carrier. Just like choosing shoes, the baby carrier should be plain and simply comfortable for you! I am endlessly grateful for the babywearing advice and patience of my babywearing consultant to go through several babywearing systems and also brands with me. As a backpack freak, I just got stuck with the KOKADI Flip. The full-buckle carrier with sling fabric just won me over personally! And while I already own about 10 backpacks in different sizes and for different purposes (traveling, hiking, ski touring, etc.), I now also have the Flip in all available sizes at home. J! Treat yourself to a babywearing consultation and find the right carrier for you and your sprog!!! It's a great investment!!! And at KOKADI there is something for everyone...from sling, flip, wrapstar etc.! We did the Jacob's walk in baby size of course (5 months at homecoming). Especially switching to the toddler size with the extra buckles on the flip that shift the weight from the shoulder to the hip has been a night and day difference for me! I find carrying it again worlds more comfortable!!!

Carrying or hiking is just perfect! It's good for the circulation, it's a kind of training and supports the regression after pregnancy, but above all it's the closeness to the child. And this closeness offers security and safety. Walking naturally wiggles and this swaying is soothing. In the carrier, my little one liked to sleep a lot from the beginning, because he simply enjoys the body contact and can thus cover his "daily need for cuddles" well. Plus, we were out in the fresh air and nature in all kinds of weather! With the Flip, I think the headrest that you can attach with the buttons is just great. As soon as my little one falls asleep, I can easily close the headrest without waking him up, as happened to me with cords on another carrier for example. Depending on the blend of the fabric, the carrier also provides additional warmth - like another layer of clothing, whereby you as a mother regulate the temperature for your treasure through your own body to some extent. With spring-like temperatures, I had done well not to be too warmly dressed myself, lest I sweat. The little one was in the carrier with a fleece suit over his clothes and his neck always felt nice and warm. Depending on your preferences and the particular circumstances, wool whale, softshell suits or just cuffs will do just as well though! And in general, I find the KOKADI sling fabric to be super adaptable and supple!

At the time of the Jacob's Way, it was very clear that I would be carrying in the front. It's always been important to me to have eye contact with my sweetheart to see how he's doing and when he's sleeping, etc. The disadvantage is that you can't see exactly where you are going when you carry the child in the front. So I avoided elevation gain when possible or walked with poles as an extra safety measure. Once he was able to hold his own little head after walking the Camino, we carried him on our backs a few times, which drastically minimizes the risk of tripping. Nonetheless, my favorite remained front carrying for a long time. Carrying your child in the front has the advantage of leaving room on your back for a small backpack. On the Way of St. James, I really only had the most important things for the day in my daypack, and otherwise had our "travel backpack" sent from accommodation to accommodation via a luggage transport service!

In the meantime my son is 19 months old. Now when we go for walks or hikes, I prefer to carry him in the back. Even compared to a Kraxe, it is much more comfortable for me to carry my son in the back of the baby carrier. The weight of my son (about 12kg by now) is less noticeable in the back than in the front. And of course the weight of the backpack is much higher than that of a baby carrier. When my husband and I are out and about together, I carry our son in our KOKADI Flip in the back, and my husband carries our daypack with the most important utensils on his back. When I'm on my own again, as I was on the Way of St. James, I only carry shorter things and in stable weather. I then strap a fanny pack around my belly with something to drink for both of us as well as wet wipes and a spare nappy. With a fanny pack, you have to be minimalist and have good infrastructure of walking & hiking destinations to fall back on if need be!

But: Tastes are different, just listen to yourselves! And from my own experience I can now say that preferences also change over time J! Keep an open mind and try things out! Take it slowly and you will grow step by step with the challenges and experiences!

The route planning

Having carried in front and still not wanting to take any unnecessary risks, I looked through the altitude profiles of the Camino de Santiago. I chose routes that were as flat as possible and avoided more difficult sections by bus or train. Relevant literature offers good route descriptions and, in addition to altitude profiles, you can find out about key sections in advance and then consider what you are confident about when planning your tour. The answer should be in any case with baby thereby "sovereign" and no real challenge. I also had hiking poles with me in case of emergency, which I was especially grateful for when it was a bit more slippery from the rain.

When hiking in the beautiful Austrian Alps, when I deliberately wanted to carry in front, I just chose (easy) (forest) trails so I wouldn't trip over roots or such. I walked such paths that I knew and trusted myself to carry in front. I still find it practical to carry my child in the front and have my daypack on my back. If there are two of you with offspring, you can of course split the child and daypack and each carry in the back, as I mentioned earlier. Once the little ones can hold their head, carrying them in the back is a great option! Try it out! But in the end it always depends on your gut feeling!

How much altitude will your planned tour take you to? Adults start to acclimatise at around 2,500 metres altitude. The little ones feel the thinner air earlier and are usually more sensitive to the altitude. Feel your way slowly and consult a doctor if necessary!

The weather forecast is also part of the tour planning. If the weather forecast predicts bad weather, it is better not to go and find an alternative program or take other means of transport. But be prepared for the fact that the weather forecast is not necessarily right! On one day on the Way of St. James, for example, drizzle was forecast and in the end it poured like rain. And that at a place where I then could no longer avoid a bus, when I was already on the way. I was glad about my professional poncho, under which child and backpack found place. The advantage of the poncho is that it can be used in windy conditions, whereas an umbrella quickly gives up the ghost. If it is not windy, an outdoor umbrella can be useful when carrying in front, it can be attached to the fasteners of the backpack and you have both hands free again!

When it is colder, the "onion principle" is the best strategy. Several layers of clothing on top of each other warm best and can be regulated well in stages. Gloves and hats sometimes sound ridiculous, but even without the Filius I've been surprised many a time by a pair of emergency gloves.

When planning my trip for the Camino de Santiago, I made myself an Excel spreadsheet based on guidebook literature. I listed all the places and how far they were from each other, or how many metres of altitude I would have to climb. Likewise, I noted where there were bus connections, supermarkets, and drinking water sources. Having breastfed fully, I didn't need formula or milk, but I did need nappies. I relied on the larger towns and bigger supermarkets there to plan my supply situation. So plan your food well and take things that are difficult to get with you! In cafes and shelters you will most likely get hot water, but most likely it will be difficult with milk powder! And for the way to the refuges definitely take enough drinks and provisions!

On the Way of St. James the signposting was reliably very good. This is not always the case on hikes. Getting lost is not fun, especially with children. That is why it is advisable to have maps with you. Ideally, you have already downloaded offline maps of your route on your mobile phone. The "alpenvereinaktiv" app, for example, is a hot candidate. On the internet you can also find GPS tracks for many hikes, so you don't get lost.

The daily stages should be adapted to your physical condition. And it is better to plan conservatively. Your child will be carried, so it will not be tired from the hike in the evening and will have energy. Plan your daily stages and energy reserves in such a way that you can still pay enough attention to your child in the evening and start again the next day as if reborn. You will need strength and energy for 2! So try out as much as possible at home in advance!

The preparation

If you know what you're going to be doing and allow adequate prep time, then you can develop new routines.

When my son was 2 weeks old, I started taking him for walks and carrying him in the KOKADI Flip. After 10 weeks of bed rest during my pregnancy, my fitness was de facto non-existent. I remember in the beginning, 2km walks in the haze of our apartment felt like a marathon. I increased our daily workload of walks a little bit every day.

The important thing then is to just keep at it and "train" daily. When my little one was about 6 weeks old, we went on a snowshoe hike and shortly after that I decided to walk the Camino de Santiago with him 3 months later. At birth, my son weighed 3.2kg. By the time we were on the Way of St James, his weight was around 7kg. Because I walked with him every day from the beginning, my back also gradually got used to his growing weight. My back and my condition have slowly "grown" with and on the challenge. I used a pedometer to keep track of how much I walked every day and after a short time I averaged 13km per day. I looked at my walks around town as "test runs". I tried to adapt the processes and routines to the later Way of St. James. We got up early in the morning and my son's sleeping rhythm adjusted accordingly. Then we started walking while my husband went to work. I met up with girlfriends sometimes and got us both used to nursing and changing diapers outside the home. I learned to recognize when he wanted to sleep, play, or nurse and knew our routine very well when we left for the Camino. That routine was then just in a different place. As long as he slept, I hiked. If he was awake I'd pop into the nearest coffee shop and give us both a break or improvise along the way. My son's rhythm always took precedence and my choice of break spots was based on that. When possible, I looked for a shaded spot and a place to change a diaper (later, a high chair was another criterion), but in the end, it was a luxury to actually find something like that!

After getting to about 13km per day in preparation, I based my tour planning for the first week on site on about 10km per day. The training should always be more demanding than you plan to do in "real life"!

The first 5 daily stages and overnight stays I had planned and booked from home. The remaining daily stages I planned mostly 1-2 days in advance. I had then also called the accommodations and "forewarned" that I would come with a baby. Good thing Spain is child friendly J! Along the Way of St. James single rooms are rather scarce. That's why I took the precaution of making a reservation. In the dormitory we would have always found a place to sleep at this time! Apart from that I had to tell my luggage transport where they should take my luggage backpack.

The equipment

Once the choice of baby carrier is made and your little one enjoys being carried as much as you do, then you can start thinking about other issues. For longer distances, the choice of shoes is also essential. In any case, they should be broken in (to minimize the risk of blisters), have a thick sole and preferably go over the ankles (so that you don't twist your ankle so easily). The beautiful KOKADI Wrapkicks are therefore perhaps more suitable for shorter city walks. I walked the Camino de Santiago in my hiking boots and literally "walked well" with this choice. Reinforced hiking socks did the rest. Just in case, I would still have among other things blister plaster and tape in the first aid kit!

If you're out for a day trip, you really only need the stuff for the day...sunscreen, generous drinks, snacks, diapers, pad, wet wipes, change of clothes, rain poncho, babywearing jacket or windstopper jacket with jacket extension, first aid kit, burp cloth, toys, etc.... All of that fits in a daypack. The rest I have carried in the large luggage backpack. With baby and daypack I came alone already on approx. 15 kg.

I filled my drinks into a drinking system in the backpack. So I drank out of a tube. This had the advantage that I didn't have to put the backpack down and didn't risk waking up my little one when I wanted to drink something. So I was able to do the drinking comfortably while walking and still regulate my fluid balance well.

If you're going to be on the road for several days, you're already carrying a bit more! The rule of thumb for multi-day hikes is that your backpack should not weigh more than 10% of your body weight. In my case this was already exceeded by my child in the carrier. The rest of the things should therefore be packed as minimalistically as possible. As on many long-distance hiking trails, there was also the offer of luggage transport on the Way of St. James. The luggage is picked up daily in the morning in the current hostel and usually reaches the next, booked accommodation by noon. This was my "trick" to have on the one hand enough for 1 month on the road, but at the same time to carry only the weight of the day backpack next to my favorite.

In addition, I advise you to pack once to the test. My daypack I had already months before the Way of St. James in original equipment on the daily walks with me; the equipment has also changed over time. Through experience, I've seen what I've been missing along the way, or what I haven't needed at all on several occasions and have lugged around unnecessarily. I would also pack the "big luggage" at least 1 week before departure once to test. However, many things about packing apply here just as they did in my blog post #1 "Planning & Preparing".

Depending on the season and climate zone you are traveling in, you should choose appropriate clothing. Don't forget sun protection either! Long sleeved clothing and a sun hat are still the best sun protection for little ones. However, you should also remember sunscreen and sunglasses. And for yourself, also consider culturally appropriate clothing; if you're travelling in Italy, for example, you're only allowed into churches if you wear clothes with your knees and shoulders covered.

A great all-round jacket is my windstopper jacket. Windstopper jackets like this not only keep out the wind and thus the cold, but they also have a bit of water column and thus basic drizzle protection without getting you wet. So for this jacket, I had gotten a jacket extension and worn my son under the jacket in the baby carrier if necessary. This kept him warm and dry at all times.

Depending on where you travel, it is not said that you can pay with card or find an ATM. Having enough cash reserves can help.

If you plan to spend the night in a hut, then you should also remember to bring a thin hut sleeping bag and your own towel. As a hut sleeping bag I can recommend silk sleeping bags, they have a small pack size and are light...and you can also get them as a double sleeping bag, so that 2 adults or children have enough space ;)!

By the way, a good backpack also has hip fins. Use them to shift the weight of the backpack to your hips and not to your shoulders! This also works well in parallel with the baby carrier!

On the way

When I arrived in Spain, one of the first questions I asked myself was to what extent breastfeeding would be accepted in public. I hadn't found anything to the contrary on the internet beforehand. It didn't take long before I saw a mother breastfeeding in a café. I asked the first café owner where I stopped in whether breastfeeding was okay and he immediately reacted positively and effusively. So, when in doubt, just ask nicely what's on your mind!!!

By the way, if you have children of walking age, there is another rule of thumb that says children should walk one kilometre for every year of their life. My little one is 19 months now and some days he is guaranteed to walk more than 2km. So...to what extent this rule of thumb is realistic is something you can best answer for yourself. I'm sure every child is different, but maybe it helps as a guide!?!

In retrospect, I was glad that I used a KOKADI baby carrier on the Way to Santiago. On the one hand, I heard about a family that was not allowed to transport their stroller on the bus. On the other hand, there were a few passages that would definitely not have been suitable for strollers. For example, a couple of single, large rocks that you crossed a stream over...or one narrow, step-like section in particular I remember as well. With a stretcher you are just so much more flexible and you know all the other benefits of carrying anyway ;)!

All in all...I'm repeating myself...but it's just important: listen to your intuition! Follow your gut feeling! And no one knows your child like you do! Only you have developed routines with your darling! Going for a walk and carrying your child is something very natural...and it is up to you what you make of it. Gain experience and develop routines so that you are confident out and about with your treasures - whatever the comfort zone means to you. From city walks to alpine pasture hikes, alpine crossings or the Way of St. James. J!

Your Verena aka "Mama Weltenbummel".

P.S.: what other ultimate hiking tips do you have in store?