Health issues when day hiking with kids

Children suffering from ailments shouldn't be forced to day hike.

Only go out if there aren’t health issues that would prevent enjoyment of the wilds. There’s no use in hiking if your child has an ingrown toenail, a toothache or is showing flu-like symptoms. The experience will be miserable for the child and then ultimately for you.

Remember that many of a child’s bodily systems aren’t fully developed, so their injuries can’t always be treated the same way as you would an adults’. Scaling back the amount of medication from adult sizes to “child” portions is both unsound and potentially deadly.

Read more about day hiking with children in my Hikes with Tykes guidebooks.