For how long can a 3 year old walk up a mountain?

[QuintessentialShadows]

What do you think?

I dont want to plan trips which are doomed from the outset, but what can I reasonably expect?

30 minutes up?
60 minutes?

Then picnic, play and down again?

Not far I wouldn't think
Have you thought about getting a back carrier?

I'm not sure what you mean by a 'mountain'. I wouldn't take a 3 yr-old up something anything like what I would describe as a mountain, but if you're talking about 30 mins up you probably aren't either.

It depends how well used to walking your 3 yr-old is.

At that age my boys would walk up to about 5 miles - it would take several hours though with stops and breaks, and they really didn't like going up anything particularly steep.

I know other families where a 3 yr-old would routinely go in a buggy for anything beyond 200 yards.

Do you have somewhere particular in mind?

my 3yo did a clifftop walh of 4.5 miles last year to Weymouth. It was very up & down hills and took about 4 hours with lots of ice cream bribery for the last mile or so.

She was shattered and slept for 14 hours solid that night

Realistically it depend on how much walking day to day. Dd was out of her buggy at 18mths because she hated it and has walked everywhere since. However as Roisin said there are also kids at her nursey who still arrive by pushchair

We walked for two hours around a lake (not asphalt made path) the other day, he was shattered towards the end.

I do mean a mountain, but we would not make the summit in 30 minutes. We would make a start up, and then find somewhere nice to picnic and return down. When we have built up our childrens stamina abit more we could aim to get to the top. Mountains are quite splendid here. Kvaloya There is a niche market book Climbing Kvaloya, but I wouldnt attempt anything of that sort yet!

It depends very much on the three year old.

And on the mountain.

Dd would have managed a good couple of hours, and would have told you exactly where to shove a back carrier. Her friend, on the other hand, couldn't manage to walk a mile until she was 6.

If he's used to walking, what you're suggesting sounds perfect.

He wouldnt go in a back carrier, either. Too old. It was ok when he was 12 months, but not now, lol!

I am hoping to get plenty of walking in this summer. Sadly, a good sunny day here is just 13 degrees centigrades and can be windy, so we have to carry quite a lot of clothing.

Well done to your dd for doing a good couple of hours!

A 60 minute round trip.

Dh always forgets the return journey

Climbing steeply is hard work and it can be tough coming down as well. We occasionally get caught out if the (unseen) route down is tougher terrain than anticipated.

With a tiny one you really do need to plan carefully and make sure you err on the side of caution. Also - if you haven't already - it is worth getting proper walking footwear with ankle support and a tough sole.

A couple of weeks ago we were walking in Borrowdale and saw a couple with a little baby in a carrier: we assumed they had been up Great Gable. It was very cold and sheeting down with rain (as per the weather forecast: we had curtailed our plans as a consequence). The baby was screaming and screaming and screaming for at least 30 mins before our path branched off.

Now I know that babies cry. Maybe it was tired or hungry or a bit cold, and it wasnt' possible to rectify any of that in those conditions. But IMO it is irresponsible to take a baby or small child up to those heights in those predicted conditions, even if you are very fit yourself.

Hmm... That sounds like Judgy McJudgepants - sorry! I'm sure we were judged ourselves that day. We weren't "lost" but the 'right of way' on the map clearly is rarely used now and the path has disappeared and/or slipped into the gorge. It was cold and very wet and we were scrambling over rocks and bolders on a side of a gorge, and ds2 did a fair bit of screaming himself!

But he's 9: he can take it and he's fit enough and strong enough mentally and physically to get over that.

We often hear of mountain rescue being called out to people out with young children with insufficient equipment/wet weather gear in unsuitable locations.

It depends entirely on how much training they've done, but technically they can do a lot.

When DS was 3 I trained him up slowly with long long walks every qeekend, and lots of walking in the week too, and lots of running around and physical play, then after about four months we both went to Poland and spent a week hiking through the Carpathian mountains. I went at DS's pace obviously and we averaged 5 or 6 miles a day, with lots of breaks in between and going at a very leasurely pace. He also ate on average 6 bananas a day!

He did wear a harness attached to me with rope for the steeper bits, just incase he lost his footing and slipped, and had proper hiking boots on.

When he was four he climbed Tryfan (sp?) in Wales, up the very scrambly face. In spite of good weather forecasts it actually became very foggy and then rained and we have very poor visability at the top. It ended up taking us 9 hours from start to finish, but DS managed it in the end (and was very ver shattered when we got to the bottom).

Just be prepared to take it at your DS's pace, not be in any hurry or have a destination in mind, and just enjoy it. And take lots of high energy snacks. Chocolate is very important in there situations I feel

Thanks OMDB. I recognise my childhood in chocolate treats in the mountains.

I love the Carpathians! We have been to Zakopany twice.

We are "training" our boys for a life of outdoor fun. I was very proud of my oldest, we cycled 13 km in rough terrain today, which was a very good start for the season. He now has the confidence to more exciting rides. There is a specific mountain pass I have in mind for a weekend of cycling. We try to do a lot of walking, and outdoor play on scooter and cycles, jumping around on rocks on the beach, etc. My aim is to do one mountain walk and one cycle trip per weekend this summer. No pressure, just fun.

lol Quint! We sound like similar parents, I'm glad I'm not the only one!

Ah yes, Zakpane is lovely, but if you ever go again, I recommend heading for Szczawnica, much more ruged and rural, and we hiked over the top of the mountains into Slovakia one day!

I am training DS for a life of outdoor fun too! How old are your boys? 13 miles of cycling sounds a good training session! Well done to your DS!

Mine are 6 and 3 years old, and my dh was also suggesting we do that! He is also very keen to explore the tatras more!

And as you have seen, he is bonkers and a keen cycliest. Family fun, eh?

depends on how used they are to walking. My DS is six and we are only considereing longer walks with him now as he has been cossetted and driven everywhere

be aware of their blood sugar as well, as a crashing tantrummy toddler is not a lot of fun on level ground, let alone on the side of hill in what could be less than perfect conditions. Take lots of available snacks for the walk up and down again and drip feed them to avoid any dips or spikes.

telling them a story as yu go and pointing out the wildlife etc helps pass the time, as does the odd race to the next tree - my 4yo twins will do 4 or 5 miles reasonably happily with bribery, stories, treasure hunts and of course the secret squirrel!