The tips in this post are based on our first backcountry camping trip with our baby.

The tips posted here are based on my reflections post-trip and what I might have done differently on my first backpacking trip with a baby. Basically, “If I knew then, what I know now”.

Please keep in mind that most of the tips are based on things that did not go well for us on the trip. Plenty of things did go well, and we would do it all over again in a heart beat, even with the challenges that we faced.

Looking to try camping with a newborn? We took our babies camping as young as three weeks old! Check out our 10 tips for camping with a newborn.

Choose a short hike

Choose a short hike for your first backcountry trip.

Choose a short hike for the first time to avoid the long walk out if something goes wrong.

Often these types of hikes take you to a nice lake which provides a great activity during the day for the kids. Then, if all goes well, you can go on a more challenging hike the next time.

By a short hike, I mean a hike that you could do even if you were sick and throwing up the whole time.

Yes, a story is coming.

Our first time backpacking with a baby, we went on a 26 km round trip hike with 960 m elevation. This normally would not have been too crazy for us. But, I came down with the stomach bug and could not walk more than one foot without throwing up.

Hiking 13 km down the mountain with a baby on my back and a stomach bug was not fun. On top of that, I was exhausted from breastfeeding most of the night for two nights.

Eventually, my husband had to carry both our pack and our baby because I was shaking from exhaustion and lack of fluids. Carrying the heavy pack only amplified that exhaustion and was causing me to vomit more.

Practice run

Try out the tent you are going to be using with your family.

I don’t just mean trying it out before the baby was born, but actually try it out with your baby.

We never camped in our little backpacking tent with our newborn before the big hike.

We had only gone camping with our baby using our ‘Glamping’ tent which has enough room for us to put our daughter’s small camping cot inside as a place for her to sleep. At the time, our baby liked her space when sleeping.

I ended up breastfeeding her all night so that at least one of us could get a good sleep. This was very exhausting on a back country trip when you need energy.

Listen to your Body and Rest as Needed

If you have a bad sleep the first night (or any night in the backcountry) then take a nap or rest the next day. Taking a rest with a baby along can be difficult but take turns with your partner or friend.

You may need to do this instead of going on a day hike or before hiking to the next camping spot if your doing a multi day hike.

Instead of resting after my terrible sleep the first night, we decided to take a day hike.

We were so excited to be in the mountains and the big Black Tusk just beyond Helm Creek was calling our name.

My one bad night then turned into two bad nights of sleep with no catch up in the form of a nap. The breastfeeding also burned a ton of calories and left me in a state of exhaustion.

All these things contributed to a hard descent on the last day.

Go with other people

You never know what kind of adventure will happen even on easy trails you feel comfortable hiking.

It was key that we went with some good friends the first time.

We never expected to get so sick and without that support it would have been a lot more difficult to get out of the bush ourselves.

Having our friends along saved my husband an extra 6 km of hiking to go back and get our pack.

It also was nice to have friends to talk with during the hike and hang out with after the kids went to bed. However, that may have also contributed to some later nights.

Go with other people that are crazier than you

Whenever I started to think about how crazy we were to take our daughter on this backcountry trip I always looked at our friends that came along.

They hiked with us with their two kids.

One was the same age as our daughter (1 year old) and the other one was 4 years old.

In a funny way, having them along gave us more confidence that everything was going to be okay.

Unfortunately our friend, the mother of the two kids, also got very sick when she was hiking down the mountain.

Pack light

Bring only the necessities. This is true for any backpacking trip.

Follow the regular guidelines and add whatever food, diapers, wipes etc. that you will need for your baby.

Remember, you don’t want to have too much extra weight since you’ve already got an extra 12 lbs, give or take a few, just hauling the babe around.

Check out our backpacking hiking packing list.

Pack for all weather

If the weather forecast is sunny and free of clouds, what should you bring?

You bring your rain jacket and warm clothes just in case.

In the mountains weather can change in an instant and I have personally experienced this on a backcountry trip in Well’s Grey National Park. From blue skies to rain and hail. Expect the unexpected especially when bringing your precious little one along.

Be prepared for anything

Make sure you have the appropriate safety gear, first aid kits and medications because you never know what can go wrong in the back country.

Things can go wrong even if you are prepared for any worst case scenario.

Bring along a satellite phone like the SPOT or Garmin Inreach. Alternatively you can also rent one for the duration of the trip!

We also made sure to bring baby Benadryl in case our daughter were to have an allergic reaction to something in the wilderness.

Be prepared to sing (Or do whatever is necessary)

Most of the hike our daughter either slept or took in the nature surroundings.

During any of our snack or lunch stops she would get out of the pack and explore.

However, in the last hour and a half she started to get really fussy.

We knew we needed to just get to camp but our 1 year old was starting to scream. I looked at my husband who was talking with a a friend and yelled ‘Cam SING NOW!!”.

(You have to realize that without children, my husband would never sing in public and especially not in front of friends. He looked at his friend and being slightly embarrassed he started belting out “If you’re happy and you know it clap your hands”.)

Check out “Entertaining a Baby on Hike” for more ideas!

Good Fitness and Mental Toughness

Choose a hike that you could do relatively easy without a baby.

The hike we took was a moderate hike that would not have been difficult if we had not become sick.

Our levels of fitness and mental toughness were appropriate for the hike we chose, and that is what made the hike as safe as possible for us to do with our daughter.

You can never predict nature and the obstacles you are going to face.

However, when choosing a hike to do with your baby, make sure it is one that you could easily do at your level of fitness.

Also be honest with yourself. Are you mentally tough enough to get through difficult situations that might arise? You need to know your limits and your strengths, and pick you hike appropriately.

My husband and I talked about this prior to the hike.

I knew that I could do the hike easily by myself, but with a baby I could not have done it without him. He has a very strong level of fitness and an even greater mental toughness than me which made this hike an appropriate one for us to do as a family.

Enjoy the experience

Backcountry hiking with a baby is not necessarily ‘Fun’.

Just like any backcountry hike you will find the experience of enjoying nature is not an easy walk in the park.

Yes, there will be beautiful scenery, a break from your everyday life, smiles and encouragement from fellow hikers, looks of wonder and excitement in your child, and many other aspects of the hike that will be easy to enjoy.

But, you have to try to enjoy the whole experience.

This means enjoying the sore muscles that accompany a long hike with a pack, and a baby that will occasionally whine, and need extra attention and entertainment when you’re feeling dead tired. Call me crazy, but all of that adds up to an enjoyable experience for me.

Now that I have two kids that are five and seven years old! They have been on multiple backcountry trips.