Becoming a new parent is certainly a daunting experience. One minute you’re hiking solo through the mountains, and the next you have a tiny human to look after — one that relies on you for all their basic needs. But that doesn’t mean you need to stop following your passions, they just might need adjusting a little...

For Harvey and I, our passions lie in being outdoors — hiking, camping, climbing and travelling in our van — and it brings us the greatest joy to be able to do those things with our daughter in tow. We haven’t quite mastered all of them just yet, but ever since Aífe was a newborn we’ve done a lot of hiking. Inevitably, we’ve picked up some tips along the way that we hope will help you get outside with your own little ones.

Find a baby carrier that works for you

Our baby carrier has probably been one of our most used parenting tools. It has been essential for us getting outside, whether that’s on a long hike or on an evening walk to calm a screaming baby. Aífe went in the carrier from the age of 3 days old so has been used to it right from the beginning of her life, and since then we have used it to hike in Scotland, the Lakes, the Isles of Scilly and on local walks at home. We love the Ergobaby Omni Breeze which is really breathable and allows you to carry baby in the normal inward-facing position as well as outward-facing (from when they have full neck control) and the back-carry (which we are yet to try!). We’d recommend looking into different models that might suit your needs or hiring a few from a sling library until you find one that is comfortable for whoever will be carrying baby. I’d also recommend looking into getting a Zipusin panel or a baby-wearing coat, or alternatively borrowing or buying a second hand oversized coat that can go around you and baby, especially if you’ll be hiking in winter.

2. Pack the night before

We quickly discovered that trying to pack for a hike in the morning while entertaining or consoling a baby was very difficult and usually ended in us all being stressed before we’d even left home, so we’d definitely recommend packing the night before when baby’s in bed. It’s become a little easier as Aífe has gotten older to make packing fun but definitely in the earlier months it was usually a bit of a disaster.

3. Start local

The easiest way to start getting out with baby is local; that might not mean getting straight into the hills right away! We live in the countryside but walks for us started down at the local river and in the woods. It meant we could learn what baby should wear, how to position her in the carrier and how to handle nappy-changes outside before heading into the hills where the terrain and weather are more challenging.

4. Feed & nappy change at the car

Giving baby a feed and nappy change at the car before starting your hike will minimise the amount you need to stop on the hike, especially early on. When Aífe was a newborn, she would just sleep the whole time we hiked so we’d have to wake her up to feed her and change her nappy, but now at 6 months she’ll let us know a bit more when she’s uncomfortable or hungry.

In terms of feeding while out hiking, I’d recommend finding a sheltered spot for you and baby to be comfortable and ideally finding something you can lean your back against. If you’re breastfeeding, it can be a little tricky to navigate through a lot of layers to give baby access to milk but I’d definitely recommend your base-layer being a breast-feeding friendly top so you don’t have you stomach exposed to the cold.

5. Alter your expectations

Harvey and I aren’t really summit-driven people anyway but it’s something we had to let go of even more when Aífe came along, especially hiking in the winter with a newborn. We don’t always reach the summit and that’s completely ok because we learn something on every hike and always have fun! Sometimes Aífe might not be having a good day, or one of us is tired, or the weather isn’t on our side and we can’t risk that with a baby. The important thing is that we are all safe and happy.

6. Remember that your baby is part of your team

Following on from that last point, we really think of Aífe as not just being someone who comes along with us, but she’s part of our team. We always want to ensure that all members of the team are happy on every hike so we’ll stop for a break whenever she needs us to; for a feed, nappy change, or sometimes just to let her sit down and play in the grass. Of course this is within reason, but for us really important to ensure Aífe enjoys the time she spends outside hiking with mum and dad as she gets older.

We hope you found these tips helpful! While hiking with a baby isn’t always easy, we assure you that it’s so worth it to be able to experience those places that you love with your baby. We’ll continue sharing what we learn along the way on this blog and over on our YouTube channel as well.

In the meantime, happy rambling with your wee ones!

Athena, Harvey, Aífe & Oslo x

Ramble Family