What age baby for hill walk

[shouldistop]

How old do you think a baby could safely be in a carrier for a couple of hours for an easy hill walk?

Depends on the carrier - some are fine from birth. If you mean a framed rucksack style one, then once they can sit unaided.

I took my 11 month old up snowdon. Was fine.

Depends a little on the carrier (eg does it have head support), and which hill your talking about - somewhere isolated inaccessible snowy with limited experience is always risky at any age, but somewhere very familiar with a path and no snow/ice etc is much safer.

For the former, assuming the baby can be kept warm dry and comfortable I don’t see a problem even with young babies.

It's a baby Bjorn so safe from birth but it's the length of time in it I'm worried about. I assumed it would be similar to a car seat with a safe time limit.

Laster! Not former! D’oh!

We could have quite happily in a Caboo from birth. Then the Mai tai from about 4/5months. I could feed while walking in that one which was handy.

But try a short walk first and see.

Bit cold for nappy changes at the moment.

BabyBjorn give them quite a poor position so I would limit it and think about getting a better carrier.

We took dd from about 10 days, but that was early autumn. In colder weather you need to be more mindful of how easily a stationary baby can get cold outdoors.

Depends on baby and the carrier and age of the baby. If you're front carrying then you wont be able to see the path very easily!

@shouldistop

It's a baby Bjorn so safe from birth but it's the length of time in it I'm worried about. I assumed it would be similar to a car seat with a safe time limit.

I'd think a bjorn would be too uncomfortable for a long walk to be honest, awful things!

Slings/ carriers are not like carseats IF they comply with all TICKS, unfortunately Bjon carriers rarely do, so I wouldn't use one.

TICKS is:

Tight
In view at all times
Close enough to kiss
Keeps babies chin off their chest
Supports babies back in a natural position.

depending on baby & carrier.

we had an ergobaby and took dc on hikes with us from about 4 months old.

If you get a woven wrap like a didymous you can carry your baby on your front for as long as you and they want without any adverse effect from almost newborn. I carried my babies like that from ten days (not earlier as I had caesarean sections, and I think a lot of people recommended stretchy wraps for brand new babies, especially smaller babies - mine were all fairly solid full term singleton babies and an oz or two either side of 9lb so I skipped stretchies).

Eek the bjorn was a gift, maybe I should buy a better one then.

Be mindful that the carriers where they dangle from the crotch rather than sit in a frog-position aren't particularly good for their hips if used for a sustained period. I know Baby Bjorn used to fall into the former category but I'm not sure if some of their newer carriers have been improved. It's not a problem for their lungs / breathing in the same way that a car seat is as they are not bent in the middle like they do in a carseat / buggy seat.

Also, in this weather, hills will be icy / slippery which is not a great idea if you have a baby strapped to your chest because a) your sense of balance is compromised and b) there's a risk of injury to yourself (or the baby) if you fall.

As someone else has said, stationary babies get cold quicker than walking adults so wrap them up very well and have a spare hat etc.

Finally, if you do go, make sure you are suitably equipped for a sudden turn in the weather. Lots of light, warm layers for you and the baby, a waterproof coat that covers both of you, foil blanket etc. That may sound like overkill but you'd be surprised how many people get caught out (I live on Dartmoor).

which one is it?
the old 'dangly legs' style is awful and not very comfortable.
they have better styles though and if the one with a belt to carry the weight and a wide seat so that baby's legs are in the frog position that's much better.

Oh he's only 4 weeks old so I'm not going just yet, my stitches are still healing.

Just planning ahead - looking forward to things. Dh and 4yo ds have been on a few recently and I've been stuck at home

We used a Baby Bjorn until she could use the back carrier. Did the coat up around it.

As someone else has said, stationary babies get cold quicker than walking adults so wrap them up very well and have a spare hat etc.

They can also overheat really quickly, especially when next to an adults bodyheat. So no big snow/ pram suits - just lots of layers, an extra layer on the extremities (eg socks over the top) and a hat.

I used a pillow case for babies legs and had a coad several sizes bigger so dc could snuggle up with me.
plus a huge shawl to keep my chest warm.

I found balance wasn't an issue after a short while, but I carried dc everywhere as they hated the pushchair.

You need to consider weather conditions; it's mid winter.

On any winter hill walk in snowy or icy conditions, for even the fittest adult, there is always the risk of a slip/fall resulting in a broken bone or a head injury. Then an injured adult adult has to stay on the hill while the other goes for help, perhaps as darkness falls. Meanwhile the baby is at risk of hypothermia.

I just wouldn't do it with a baby at this time of year. Go for a walk in the park or on a low level footpath.

tbh as the other child is only 4 yo any walk will be a very leisurely stroll at best. not an all day hill walk.

I didnt go up hills but my dd was in my Bjorn for the first 6
Months, for housework, dog walking shopping everything !! She was so happy being so close !
At 6 months I switched to a back pouch and we carried on like that til she was 1

@redcandlelight

tbh as the other child is only 4 yo any walk will be a very leisurely stroll at best. not an all day hill walk.

I think it depends on your 4yo. We frequently do 6 miles with ours.

I wouldn’t use a Bjorn at all, but in a safe ergonomic carrier or wrap, I would think it would be fine from 3 months. I would be more concerned about cold or wet weather at the moment and would wait til it was a bit more mild in spring for a long walk, but an hour or two now would be fine.