Begin adventuring outdoors with baby. A simple guide to get you started.

One of the first thoughts we have as new parents is that our adventuring lives are over.

This is not true and honestly, it's just a story we tell ourselves to cope with the unknowns of having our first child. Nothing can be farther from the truth. We have done our best to introduce our son to the best life we know - a life of adventure in the wild. 

It all starts with the will to be in nature and share your love of the outdoors with your little one. Your next adventure is just getting started. You are about to start a lifelong journey which uniquely is the only place where all parents start from…a NOOB. Equal parts excitement, curiosity, and a healthy amount of fear make this moment in our lives special. 

For us, we wanted to take our son to our happy place, and to be in nature from a very young age. We didn’t know how to do this, we decided to take it as a challenge and as an adventure in itself. We learned a lot along the way, and I wanted to share some stupid simple things we learned the hard way to get you out of the worry and into the “Let's Do This” mindset. 

Start Adventuring Early. 

Don’t wait. Just go. The best way to get out there (especially with a firstborn) is to begin feeling more comfortable in the wild. Starting earlier makes things easier for you and the child.

 

The whole family will be more accustomed to traveling and adventuring. Our first camp trip was when our child was 3 months old. We weren’t sure how it would go so we rented a little travel fold-out camper to keep a bassinet safe from the elements. It was amazing. He flew his first flight at 6 months and there were many long road trips in that first year.

 

The first year was challenging but we were convinced we could make it happen. What happened is he got used to traveling and it became easier.  

Start Small. Know the Limits for you and your child.

This is a no-brainer for all things adventuring and is even more important when bringing a baby that completely depends on you. A lot of things are happening during this time. Mom's body is recovering, the baby is just waking up to the world and as new parents, we are understandably nervous. The last thing you want is to find yourself on an adventure that causes stress and exhaustion because you still need to be able to take care of your little one.

 

Choose something to start that you are familiar and mentally/physically comfortable with. It's easy to get excited and want to show them everything but never underestimate the power of small steps first. Your body will get stronger with each journey.

 

We recommend starting with a walk in the park, an hour-long hike from the trailhead, or an overnight in the backyard if you are into it. You will quickly learn a lot from this little adventure that will be useful for the next.

Plan for a change of plans.

In other words, be flexible. If we know one thing is that traveling with a little one means stuff happens…like a lot. Every baby is different. Some babies sleep through the night and others wake up every couple of hours. These are important things to consider as they will affect your adventure. So choose your adventures accordingly. Young children go through many developmental changes and growth so being flexible and constantly figuring out how to make it work is a part of the game. 

 

Finally, plan for your plans to change and for the worst to happen at the worst times. One time we were late for a flight and rushing to the gate. Our son had a full-on blowout right at the gate and we almost missed the flight. Rather than freak out, we laughed at the situation and the flight attendants helped us out. It is all about how we approach life when the unforeseen eventually occurs and our responses to those situations are role models for our children. 

 

The right gear.

Having the right gear with you will make your experience much more enjoyable. We found that babies at this young age don’t actually require a lot of items. As long as we take care of diapers, food, and sleep our son was pretty content. You don’t need to bring as much as you think you do, but you do want to make sure you bring all the essentials.

A list of some of our essentials can be found in our Adventuring Diaper Bag post. We recommend making a list for your first time and packing before your trip in advance rather than a last-minute trip.

Have a plan for Emergencies 

Even if you are familiar with the area, have the right gear, and make the best possible choice for your family, some unexpected things can occur. We found that this was one of the biggest fears we had as parents which could have stopped us from adventuring. We choose to use it as energy to make sure we were prepared and planned accordingly with safety in mind. In any situation like this that may occur it's worth noting to take deep breaths and take time to calm down.

Take time to understand the area, and communicate your location with friends or family. Bring a small medical kit with some medication in case you or your baby will get sick. Always remember you are your child's first line of defense in situations so take good care of yourself.

For longer trips, we recommend a location tracker for emergencies as well. 

Enjoy, be present, and have a blast. 

At the very beginning of our travels, it felt a bit stressful. Some extra packing and planning are required, safety is a top priority and things feel slower than usual. It really felt like things took a lot of extra time and for someone who was used to throwing things in a bag and taking off at a moment's notice, this can be challenging. We soon started to embrace this slow down and began to focus on the journey rather than the destination.

 

One of the most amazing things is those small moments of quiet where your child is awake on your lap, smiling and laughing as nature’s embrace shows us the magic of connecting in the outdoors.