What to do when children get sick on the hiking trail

If your child gets ills on the trail,
turn back for home.

Sometimes a child doesn’t begin to exhibit signs of an illness until you’re on the trail. Should a child have symptoms of the flu or suffer diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, sore throats or earaches, you’ll want to head back home. As the child’s body musters resources to fight the ailment, the physical exertion of the hike only will be that more difficult.

Should you as the adult become ill, turn back as well. You’re likely going to be tired and have little patience for kid’s behavior that you otherwise would let pass. Or you’re not going to have the energy to properly watch them to ensure their safety. Toughing it out only invites trouble.

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

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.