When my daughter Amelia was born a little over 3 years ago I knew that it was going to be a dramatic lifestyle change. I was used to being able to go hike and climb pretty much whenever I wanted to. My wife works as a retail manager and is required to work long hours and many weekends. I began to wonder what I was going to do and how was I going to stay sane. Luckily I have learned that if you are creative and determined there are a lot of outdoor sports that you can do with a toddler.
From newborn and 6 months I was pretty much limited to jogging or walking with the stroller or baby Bjorn.This was fun but with the Bjorn we were limited to fairly short hikes because it is pretty uncomfortable after a while. The stroller was ok but going in circles around Green lake is not that exciting.
However when she turned 6 month and we got a baby backpack it opened up a whole new world to us. Before she was even a year old we had climbed up several challenging hikes including Tiger Mountain and Granite Mountain near I-90 in the Washington Cascades. (See Granite Mountain with Piper 8/09)
Our next sport that we got to do together was bicycling. We have had many fun rides in her i-Bert bike seat. I had to have some modifications done to make it work on this bike but it was well worth it. It is such a cool thing to be able to see your child and interact while riding.I cannot recommend this seat enough. Unfortunately she is almost too big for this now and we may have done our last ride in it. The good new is we have a trailer too and luckily she enjoys riding it.While the trailer works and we can go for longer rides in weather that is less than perfect we will miss the days of the i-Bert.
In addition to lots of hikes and bike rides we have gone sledding , skating and swimming a number of times. The point is just because you have a baby it doesn't mean that you are stuck sitting around the house. It does require that you are determined and patient however. To be able to get all of your and her gear, food and water packed and ready to go and get a well fed and rested toddler to the start of the destination is no easy task. Then you have to be willing and ready to turn back and go home after 10 minutes because this is just not her day. But the failures while difficult at the time certainly pale to the victories we shared together.
Our next sport that we got to do together was bicycling. We have had many fun rides in her i-Bert bike seat. I had to have some modifications done to make it work on this bike but it was well worth it. It is such a cool thing to be able to see your child and interact while riding.I cannot recommend this seat enough. Unfortunately she is almost too big for this now and we may have done our last ride in it. The good new is we have a trailer too and luckily she enjoys riding it.While the trailer works and we can go for longer rides in weather that is less than perfect we will miss the days of the i-Bert.
In addition to lots of hikes and bike rides we have gone sledding , skating and swimming a number of times. The point is just because you have a baby it doesn't mean that you are stuck sitting around the house. It does require that you are determined and patient however. To be able to get all of your and her gear, food and water packed and ready to go and get a well fed and rested toddler to the start of the destination is no easy task. Then you have to be willing and ready to turn back and go home after 10 minutes because this is just not her day. But the failures while difficult at the time certainly pale to the victories we shared together.
This is really great info for parents. I'm so glad you're taking Amelia on these adventures with you. She will remember them fondly as the years go by and will most likely be an enthusiastic outdoorswoman. Good job, Dan.
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