Family Hiking Supplies
It’s never too early to instill your love of hiking trails in your children. But while a nice, long hike may be ideal for you; it might not work well with a child in tow. You will want to take a number of supplies with you when you take your child along for the hike. This will ensure that it goes well and everyone involved enjoys the trails to their fullest.
Backpack
The first thing to make sure you have is a backpack, so that you have somewhere to put all of the supplies you are going to need with you. With a child, you won’t likely be going on a huge, long hike, so you won’t need a large hiking backpack. But a small backpack of some kind that you can adjust for your comfort is necessary to carry the extra supplies you’ll have in tow.
Water
You will want to pack more water than you think you need. Even on a cooler day, you will get warm as you hike and so will your child. Bring two bottles of water for every person on the hike if you are going more than a mile. Add water the farther you are going to walk. If your child doesn’t like water much, add flavors to the bottles to get them to drink it.
Sturdy Shoes
Children don’t need expensive hiking boots, but you won’t want to take them on hiking trails in sandals either. Make sure they have sturdy shoes that are comfortable and fit well. They shouldn’t be brand new or they might rub and cause blisters.
First Aid Items
You won’t need to take tons of first aid items, but it’s always good to have band-aids for blisters and antibacterial cream for cuts. You never know when a kid is going to take a tumble, and the sooner you can address it when you’re out on hiking trails, the better.
Snacks
Children get hungry at the most inconvenient times, especially if they are working hard on the hiking trails. You will want to take some easy snacks like granola bars and trail mix. Fun, light snacks can keep your kids happy when they start to get tired after a while on the trail.
Bug Spray
Depending on where you hike and what time of year it is, bugs can be crazy and they often love little ones. Get a travel size bug spray and have it handy if the bugs start biting.
Sunscreen
Even shady hiking trails can let sun through and you may not know how exposed the trail will be until you go. Put sunscreen on at home, but also bring it along in case you need to reapply on the road.
Hiking Sticks
You don’t have to buy a stick, but as you walk along the hiking trails, have your child pick out a stick that they’d like to use to help them hike. It is fun for them to look and even more fun for them to use the stick as they hop along down the trail. They might want to keep the same stick for next time or just find another new one on the next hike.