This is a guest post by our babywearing expert, Laura McCarthy, MSW, LSW. Laura teaches our Babywearing 101 and 102 classes. She also works one on one with families to help them wear their babies successfully and parent with greater ease.
I just returned from a 3 week road trip involving lots of camping and many national parks such as the Badlands, Yellowstone, Mesa Verde and the North Rim of the Grand Canyon just to name a few. My little ones are past babywearing age, but I observed several other families wearing babies and toddlers on hikes and tours. I even saw parents wearing young twins in Yellowstone in matching soft structured carriers with matching babywearing coats!
Taking a small baby or toddler on wilderness trip can be intimidating, and some may try to discourage parents from traveling with small children. Babywearing can be a huge help on such trips in a variety of ways. Here are just a few and I’d love to hear your ideas in the comments!
1. Security
Babies and toddlers sometimes feel nervous in unfamiliar situations or places. Babywearing, especially with a carrier babe enjoys and is familiar with, can take away some of that uncertainty. From their loving caregiver’s back or front, they can explore the world from a secure place. Encountering a large animal like the bison we saw in South Dakota could be frightening to a small child. Being snuggled up with a parent or loved one can make such an experience much more enjoyable for everybody.
2. Naptime
Scheduling outings around naptimes, especially the frequent naps of wee babies, can be stressful and limiting. Waiting in a hotel room or cabin for an hour (or many hours) for baby to fall asleep or finish napping is not most people’s idea of a fun vacation. If you’re tent camping, waiting in a hot, stuffy tent could be even worse. When baby or toddler is used to snoozing in the carrier, the adults in the party can go about their exploring business while baby rests. Some babies find the rhythm of walking or hiking to be very soothing and sleep quite well that way. All of the fresh air sometimes tires them out, too, contributing to rested babies and happy caregivers.
3. Freedom to explore
….. for the caregivers! Keeping baby safe and snug in a carrier allows for exploration of a wide variety of hiking trails and other situations. A few trails in national parks and other wilderness places are accessible to strollers, but the vast majorty must be traveled on foot. One of the trails we took in Yellowstone involved ½ mile of steps, impossible to navigate on wheels. We saw several babes on their father’s backs making their way up and down the steps. Bonus: the unpaved trails are often less crowded with other travelers, leaving you and your family to enjoy the wilderness in peace.
4. Baby’s vantage point
We often climb up high for a great view, so it makes sense that a ride on their caregiver’s back brings a great vantage point. In a back carry especially, baby practically has a front row seat of all of the wonderful scenery you traveled to see. Baby can be exposed to so many spectacular things that it would be very challenging for them to see from the car or stroller. At times your toddler may want to explore on foot, though it’s nice to have a carrier for backup, when your little one is too short to enjoy the view, or too wound up to be safe on a trail.
5. Hands free
This often comes up when discussing babywearing. On a moderate to strenuous hike, it is important to have one’s hands free. This allows you to steady yourself in case of unstable footing, needing to climb an extra-high step area, and even reach for your water bottle or a snack. Serious hikers may even use hiking sticks or poles to keep steady on the trail.
Many people say they want to travel and see amazing things “before we have kids. “ While I’m not knocking their ideas to travel, it seems a shame to give up a loved activity because small people enter your life. Travel is an extremely enriching experience, and with babywearing, it’s much easier to bring your little one along for the ride.
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