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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To go for a hike with a 4 month old

52 replies

Imicola · 14/02/2019 07:38

I really want to take my dd (4 months) out hiking, in an infant carrier (on my own while dh is at work) . My plan would be to take a blanket, with something waterproof, so that I can take her out of the carrier and put her on the ground when it is time for a feed, rather than restricting myself to a short walk with cafe at the end.

Has anyone done something similar? I'm not sure if it is a recipe for disaster, and we'll end up an hour away from the car in a meltdown! I haven't been using the carrier that much, so I guess I'd be better working up to it and getting her more used to the carrier. I should also add I'm in the w of Scotland, so would need to make sure I go on a decent weather day! Any advice welcome, I so miss the countryside!

OP posts:
CherryPavlova · 14/02/2019 20:47

Anon10 I wondered that too. Mentions four year old not four month old but I’d rather mine scale down Catbells than walked along most busy roads. I’d think it was a bit bit young to pack off on Dartmoor with lunch and instructions to be back by six but with a half sensible parent?

Anon10 · 14/02/2019 21:08

Totally agree cherry. Safer for a 4 month old or 4 year old to hike up hills rather than be in the back of a car!

ReaganSomerset · 15/02/2019 09:02

Just be wary of falling. Avoid areas of loose shale, thick mud or very steep inclines where you might slip or overbalance.

Ijumpedtheshark · 15/02/2019 09:06

I second the star suit and if you carry them about regularly you will get stronger as they get heavier so you can continue to carry them for longer. My DS loved being in his carrier until he could walk and would regularly go to sleep in it if we were on a long walk.

ReaganSomerset · 15/02/2019 09:44

I think I recall reading that bulky sleepsuits/snowsuits/starsuits are a bad idea when babywearing. Something about stopping them forming the m with their legs and hips and so potentially causing hip dysplasia, plus the risk they'll overheat. Give it a google or chat to a sling library near you.

Some tips in the link below:

wearmybaby.co.uk/babywearing-in-cold-weather/

gokartdillydilly · 15/02/2019 15:12

@nugget900 it's a four-month old, but still, how would a countryside hike be dangerous (at any age)? Look at all the lovely responses!

nugget900 · 15/02/2019 20:48

My head was a mess and was thinking she was considering taking a 4yo up a mountain

CottonSock · 15/02/2019 20:50

I wish I did it more when they were tiny, easier to keep warm with your body heat

Zooop · 15/02/2019 20:58

At that age, I’d use a sling and have them snuggled under my coat rather than a framed rucksack - warmer, closer and easier to check on. You can get waterproof babywearing coats that allow you to front and back carry, some even have an extra little waterproof hood for the baby at each opening. Though my babies rejected the hood, turned their heads up and drank the rain.

I would highly recommend investing in a hat that is impossible for a baby to remove - I used the slightly oddly named elephant hood which was brilliant as it stayed on, had no ridges that were uncomfortable to fall asleep against, and did a fantastic job of also being a scarf and dribble bib.

StellaMorris · 15/02/2019 21:39

My head was a mess and was thinking she was considering taking a 4yo up a mountain

I have also done that

CherryPavlova · 15/02/2019 22:05

What’s wrong with taking a four year old up a mountain in U.K.?

anatol · 15/02/2019 22:15

My head was a mess and was thinking she was considering taking a 4yo up a mountain
My dad was taking me and my siblings up munros and mountains at 4 years old and I'm glad he did, I hope to do the same with my own children one day (currently ttc).

MereDintofPandiculation · 15/02/2019 22:16

People take 4 year olds caving - if you're worrying about taking a 4 yr old up a mountain, I wonder what your reaction would be to that?

Onlyjoinedforthisthread · 15/02/2019 22:17

Just make sure they are warm enough as they aren't moving, I know a mountain rescue member who had to run down a mountain with a baby who was suffering hypothermia, the baby's parents were very lucky they happened to bump into him and he noticed. Because they were hiking they hadn't felt the cold. I still say go for it but just beware

Original poster
Imicola · 16/02/2019 09:15

We had a lovely walk of about an hour and a half to start with, mostly on good tracks. She fell asleep after about 30 minutes. Shall try a slightly longer walk next time! I need to dig out the bothy bible so I could plan a walk with a bothy lunch stop! Thanks for all your helpful comments, they
made me feel much more confident giving it a go.

OP posts:
HoraceCope · 16/02/2019 09:17

do you have a stick?
worried about falling, although this is unlikely I am sure

HoraceCope · 16/02/2019 09:19

I used to walk my dog while my lo in a sling, although by 4 months he felt quite heavy to be going too far

planespotting · 16/02/2019 09:20

We did this all the time. People saying it is dangerous? Where are going? Himalayas solo?
We did camping, hiking, etc. Obviously not dangerous remote places. Happy we did because at age 1 he started to hate the carrier and that was the end of it.
We live in the countryside and didn't buy a pram as it would be pointless.
A parent carries the baby and the other the supplies. Blanket, sunshade for cover and food and all the rest

planespotting · 16/02/2019 09:21

Agree with @anatol
I personally see more dangers in urban settings, but I was raised in nature

Then I got run-over in town...

HoraceCope · 16/02/2019 09:21

it is muddy at the moment

Zooop · 16/02/2019 09:24

Horace I found that if I carried my baby in a sling most days, it was fine. If had a break of more than a few days / a week she felt very heavy. I last carried her in a sling on my back when she was just 4 (last half mile of a 4 mile walk, she was knackered and it was steeply uphill) and I was fine. Tried it with a (much lighter than she was then) rucksack recently and found it much harder because I was out of practice!

lottiegarbanzo · 16/02/2019 09:27

Yes, why wouldn't you? So much easier at this age when they're so portable and their needs are simple. Have fun!

Unescorted · 16/02/2019 09:28

We did it with both of ours. It is no different to carrying a day pack. That sings and tugs at your hair.

If snow suits / all in ones are dangerous for kids hips then they would be banned from sale. I am not sure how being outdoors or at altitude effects the functionality of them so much to cause hip displacement issues.

Zooop · 16/02/2019 09:51

Unescorted If the snowsuit is just long enough on the legs when they’re lying straight, having them in the ‘froggy’ position in the sling (the fabric sort, not a backpack) either makes it too tight on their toes or alternatively you can’t get them into the ‘froggy’ position at all, and they have more weight on the nappy area and less supported by their thighs.

There has been some worry that that position (weight on bum rather than spread across from kneepit to kneepit) might cause or exacerbate hip problems. Whatever the rights and wrongs of that, having the baby essentially wrapped around you (which is what the froggy position does) keeps them closer to your centre of gravity, which makes it easier to balance with them and also keeps both of you nice and warm.

ReaganSomerset · 16/02/2019 10:34

@Unescorted

I've read advice against using them in slings. There is a concern, which I felt OP should be made aware of. WRT banning from sale, that won't happen. Babies have died in slings used incorrectly, yet they are still sold. Cot bumpers are advised against but still sold with fine print that says they can be used for decorative purposes (i.e. When the baby isn't in the cot). Tight swaddling of the hips has been proven to increase risk of hip dysplasia, but swaddles and swaddling blankets are still sold. It is up to parents to inform themselves of any risks and act accordingly. Lots of people seem to credit the government with wrapping us in cotton wool to keep us from harm, but just because something is on sale doesn't mean it's been proven safe.

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