A small child feels good when mom and dad are nearby. In case parents do not have to give up their favorite hobbies, children are happy to spend time together and know more about this hobby. When hiking, many parents take children with them. Some of these adults just do not have other alternative than to take the child with them (there is no one to leave the baby with, or the child is breastfed), while others just like to do everything with their child.

Most likely, it is advantageous for the baby to see the world outside the apartment and the playground and learn to adapt to changing circumstances. Often parents notice developmental jumps after traveling, although this may be just a coincidence. No one has any evidence of this, so you should not expect the child to start speaking or walking before his peers after the trip. Nevertheless, without a doubt, it is interesting for small children to go camping! To see the first impressions of a baby who gets into the big world of moss, grass, stones, sand and cones in all their infinite diversity, which cannot be achieved even in the big toy store, is priceless. When, for example, you come to Dominican Republic with children, you can get a Honda rent a car Santo Domingo.

We advise a list of five convenient gadgets for hiking with kids:

1. Folding pot

The toilet problem is known to many parents. You can run around the huge airport in search of it, or take a huge plastic pot from home. After all, you do not want to stand in line with the child in train or in the airport. It turns out that parents can solve such an important problem with the help of folding pots!

There is a great variety of pots for sale. You can find very light pots, with a lid, those that can be used with disposable bags and even inflatable. However, the latter seems to be not a particularly successful option: the child will have to patiently shift from one foot to the other while the parent inflates this children’s gadget.

2. Pocket fan

Such a fan will greatly entertain the child, and a small breeze in the heat will give cheerfulness. Moreover, you can invent many games with all sorts of flying pieces of paper.

3. Flashlight

Take with you at least the smallest flashlight. It is a very useful thing for a child while travelling.

It will help the child to explore everything around, light up the “scary” corners, check if anyone is sitting under the chair or on the luggage racks. Moreover, upon arrival at a new place, it will add confidence in the evening or when going to the toilet on their own.

4. Thermo bag

Thanks to it, you can take curds, baby yogurts or your favorite mashed potatoes and soup with you, without worrying about baby food quality at roadside cafes or hotel breakfasts.

5. Mat

Modern rugs indicate the coefficient of ‘R-Value’ thermal insulation – the higher it is, the lower can be the temperature, at which you can sleep on it. If you are not going to go hiking in the winter, then a “three-season” rug with 2.5 R-value will be enough – you can sleep on it at around zero temperature.

Self-inflating mats of short sizes suit children the best. They are 90-120 cm long and originally intended for adults who want to carry less weight and are ready to put a backpack or other equipment under their feet. These sizes are often sold at a discount and fill a space of a half-liter bottle when folded. The thickness of 2.5 cm for a child is enough: child weighs less than an adult, and his/her sleep is stronger, so it will be soft enough for a child.

How to organize a route for a trip with children?

If you go on a hiking trip with children for the first time and you feel worried, follow these principles:

1. Short transitions.

For example, in the mountains, children tolerate physical exertion very well, but long, monotonous ascents and descents for them are psychological torment. Parents, additionally loaded with children’s luggage are not sprinters either. Due to the regularity of force majeure, it is possible that you will not have time to cover a few tens of kilometers per day.

2. Entertaining halts.

It is worth choosing informative tracking, where every day has a specific goal: a waterfall, a lake, a peak, a cave, a rock monastery. It is immeasurably easier for children to go to some specific place than just to go for several hours in a row. Prizes on halts, drill songs and constant chatter on interesting topics greatly increase the speed of movement. Your child during the hike will listen to you for more hours than at home.

3. Descents to civilization.

Ideally, the track should pass through villages, towns, places of enhanced tourist traffic. This greatly lightens the backpack – you can buy food along the way and the proximity of civilization (and doctors) calms the nerves.

4. Safe trails.

Still, it is better to bypass rocky peaks or cornices over the abyss, especially for the first time. After all, there is many interesting and reliable trails on grassy locations.

5. Alternative exit routes from the trail.

Be prepared to change plans, reduce or finish tracking ahead of time, because children and the weather are unpredictable. Calculate the path of departure, just in case.

6. The presence of running water is obligatory.

Long and short of it, in case you and your child did not go hiking before and you are just starting, then it is very important to choose a route according to your strengths. It is best to start gradually. For example, a one-day walk would be the first track, then – overnight stay next to the car, then an autonomous trip with one overnight stay. Finally, after that, you can go to the linear route, where each overnight stay will be in a new place.