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This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Sprout Organic Foods for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.
If you are new to my little corner of the internet, you probably don’t know that I not only have a 6 year old, but I also have 16 month twins. One thing my husband and I decided to focus on this year is instilling good habits into our children. Specifically about being active and eating foods that are good for our body.
This summer, our family had a trip planned for the Redwoods. Long story short- things happened and we had to cancel, but in preparing for that trip, our family spent the spring going on weekly hikes. We found we loved it so much that we have continued our weekly hikes with all the kids. Hiking with a 6 year old and twins we have learned a lot and I am excited to share with you are tips for hiking with babies.
Tips For Hiking With Babies
- Invest in a good carrier. If you want to hit the trail with your baby, it is important to invest in a good, quality, baby carrier. You can go with a Soft-Structured Carrier (SSC), or a structured carrier made specifically for hiking and back packing. We started with our SSC carriers, but as our babies got older, and one of them wanted more space to move then a SSC carrier provides, we invested in our steel frame structured carriers. Which carrier you choose depends on your baby, you, and the hikes you will be doing. You can head to most outdoor recreation stores to try out different carriers in the store. Ours even let us put our babies in them and walk around the store with them.
- Find family friendly trails. Look for trails that are family friendly. This includes scenery, distance, incline, and more. If you are taking older children, you won’t be able to easily carry them as well as your baby (although my husband has done it many times). My babies are also old enough on longer trails, we need to stop and let them get out and explore a little. Will your trail offer an area you feel comfortable letting your little ones do this? Hiking with babies also means you may want a trail that has more shade to help protect them from the sun. There are a lot of things to think about, but you can easily google and find website or apps that will help give you all of this information (and more) on trails in almost any area.
- Pack baby friendly snacks. It is easy to pack healthy snacks for us and my 6 year old. Some homemade granola or fresh fruit is always a great option. When it comes to hiking with babies however, finding snacks to take requires a bit more thought. Since we are focusing on making healthy choices this year, it is important the snacks we bring for our babies help reinforce that effort. This is important because research shows that developing a love of healthy foods early on helps foster healthy eating for life. That is why we love Sprout Organic Baby Food. Most competitors focus on only two flavors (apple or pear) but Sprout offers delicious blends of whole fruits, vegetables, and grains that use only certified-organic, non-GMO ingredients.That means all of their ingredients are items I can find in my own kitchen- no artificial flavors or preservatives.Check out Sprout’s Mission & Values
We love that Sprout offers so many great flavors, and that I can easily tell what my kids are getting because Sprout honestly labels their products so the flavor names match the primary order of ingredients inside. That means if the first item listed is blueberry- I know that is the primary ingredient. Sprout knows how to keep it honest, make it real. (Keep reading our tips and after I will tell you how to get a great coupon for Sprout products)
- Remember sunscreen, clothes, and diapers. It is really important to be prepared when hiking with babies. Be sure to have sunscreen on your baby (and reapply often) as well as a change of clothes if going on a longer hike. Dress your kiddo appropriately for the weather and area. If there are a lot of mosquitoes, I suggest lightweight long pants and long sleeve shirts over shorts and tees. Also be sure to bring extra diapers and wipes. But along with this, be sure to follow the “pack it in, pack it out” rule. Never leave diapers out on the trails. Take them back with you and dispose of them properly.
- Keep baby hydrated. Just like you need to remember snacks for baby, be sure to bring something for baby to drink. We also try and make sure our babies (and ourselves) are well hydrated the days leading up to our hikes, but we also make sure to bring drinks for them. We bring water bottles for the babies because our camel packs are too hard for them to drink out of. Then every time we feel thirsty we try and offer some to the babies
- Talk to your baby. As adults sometimes we get to focused on the hike and we forget to look around us and enjoy our surroundings. Take this time to point out plants, waterfalls, even animals that you might see to your baby. Hiking with baby and talking to them about what you are seeing is a great way to help them learn about the world around them, teach them new words, and instill an appreciation for nature in them from a young age.
- Have fun! The best part about hiking with babies and our older child is that we get to have fun together as a family. We get to explore new places around us, get some great exercise, and talk and enjoy being together.
Now that you have our great tips, I want to share with you how you can get our favorite hiking food for the babies to take on your own hikes.
Check out these delicious flavors of Sprout Organic Baby Food pouches:
- Mango (Stage 1)
- Pear Spinach Prune (Stage 2)
- Blueberry Banana Oatmeal (Stage 2)- this is my kids’ favorite
- Spinach Banana Apple (Stage 2)
You can click this link to find out where you can purchase Sprout products: Where to Buy
But hey, what fun is trying out products if you can’t get a great deal? I am excited to share with you guys this coupon for the Sprout Pouch flavors.
Try out the new Sprout Pouch flavors for yourself and save by downloading this Buy 1 Get 1 FREE coupon today!
Which flavor do you think your little one would enjoy the most? Let me know in the comments below!
