Avoid dressing children in tight clothing during day hikes

Children should wear loose-fitting clothing when
hiking. Image courtesy of chrisroll /
FreeDigitalPhotos.net.

Despite that tight clothes may look great on your fit hiking body or that they may be your child’s favorite albeit outgrown shirt, you want to avoid wearing such garments when on the trail. Tight clothing only can create problems for you:
g Overheating – In summer, loose-fitting clothes allows air to flow around your body so that sweat more efficiently evaporates off you. Think of it as an air conditioner of sorts.
g Chafing – Especially if you start to sweat, tight clothing will rub your skin raw. The irritation quickly can end in fun in a hike, especially among children.
g Circulation cut off – For children, tight clothes also will limit blood flow to their extremities. In colder weather, that opens the way for hypothermia or frostbite.
g Exasperate heartburn – If you ate something a little too spicy before hiking, tight clothing actually can increase pressure on your inner organs, resulting in even worse heartburn.

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