Consider taking handkerchiefs on day hike

Handkerchiefs are just as useful as bandanas, so long as you don’t use them for their intended purpose of blowing one’s nose. Wet wipes or some extra tissue paper can be brought along if you or the kids are feeling a little sneezy. The wet wipes and tissues certainly won’t be quite as messy as a handkerchief and can be put in a re-sealable plastic bag as garbage.

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

Carry wet wipes during hike with children

Wet wipes can be used in a number of situations when
hiking. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.

Pre-moistened towelettes are excellent for cleaning hands and the face, to complement toilet paper, and to help clean cuts, blisters and wounds. To maximize their benefits, get the antibacterial or antiseptic kind.

You’ll want to carry them in a re-sealable plastic bag. Don’t mix the used with the unused ones, though.

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

Places to hike with kids: Gem & fossil trails

Some trails will take you and your children to great locations where they easily can find gems or even fossils. This is a great way to get kids interested in rockhounding and to teach them about geology.

Collecting can be an issue as some sites on national and state land prohibit the removal of rocks and fossils, so always check the regulations. It’s no fun for a kid to go find beautiful agates or 20-million-year-old fossilized palm fronds only to have to leave them behind.

If heading down a gem or fossil trail, you’ll need a geologist’s hammer, goggles to protect your eyes when you start digging, and re-sealable plastic bags to carry the collected rocks.

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

When kids need to go potty while hiking

Use a trowel to dig a cathole.
Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.

Kids usually have to go potty at the most inconvenient times. Having the older, potty-trained children go before leaving on the hike can help the cause, but you still should be prepared for them to need to do No. 1 and No. 2 in the wilds.

Bring extra diapers for infants and toddlers. When they go, you’ll want to change them right away or they’ll get uncomfortable in the baby carrier, leading to a lot of shifting of weight on your back. In addition, during cold weather, a wet diaper can contribute to hypothermia.

Following the dictum of “minimize damage to your surroundings,” scrape pooh off the diaper and bury it in a cathole. Pack out the diaper, though. You’ll find a re-sealable plastic bag useful here.

For older kids, children, dig catholes. They should be about six inches deep. Cover the hole with dirt when done. Make sure the hole is about a football field’s distance from any water source to avoid contaminating it. Pack out toilet paper and wet wipes, otherwise animals will dig them up, leaving trails and woods strewn with feces-covered paper and wipes.

Some children will harbor a fear of such open air toilets. Don’t put down the child as a “baby.” Talk about their fear and show how no one can see them. Reassure them that you will make sure nothing happens to them and that no one watches. Remind them of those times when they overcame their fears.

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

Hiking: A great time to snack between meals

“You were out far beyond civilization, and suddenly you heard five chocolate chip cookies calling you?” – Charlie Brown (to Snoopy, who was out on a wilderness hike but then suddenly returned home)

Among the many wonderful things about hiking, at least for the kids, children, is that snacking between meals isn’t frowned upon.

Unless going on an all-day hike in which you’ll picnic along the way, you want to keep them fed, as hungry children can lead to lethargy and whininess. It’ll also keep young kids from snacking on the local flora or dirt.

Before hitting the trail, you’ll want to repackage as much of the food as possible as products sold at grocery stores tend to come in bulky packages that take up space and add a little weight to your backpack. Place the food in re-sealable plastic bags.

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