Book HIKING WITH YOUNG CHILDREN

This book is “the book” that we wish we had found to encourage us to go hiking with our children and to spend more time outdoors.

We see the family as an expedition team, regardless of the amount of time spent outdoors, where the wellbeing of all members of the team is valued for an enjoyable day outdoors. The parents take the role of the child’s very own expedition guide and their task is to bring safety, meaningfulness as well as to teach about sustainability and the world.

This handbook goes behind the mere description of equipment. We describe how you can safely explore the outdoors with correct planning, preparation. Every aspect of the day out with an infant, a toddler and a little hiker (0 to 4 years old) is covered, including resting, feeding and pooping. It also describes how to bring meaningfulness to the outdoor experience, through a collaborative and positive attitude, proposing tools for both the parents and the children to keep motivated, have fun, and to connect with each other.

The book also covers spending the night out with children during backpacking trips and changes to consider when a little brother or sister joins the team, or when hiking in groups with more children. Short informational boxes with tips and with the author’s personal experiences are present in each chapter. These highlight particularly curious and useful aspects of hiking with children.