Mountain Mom and Tots

Baby Safety: Hiking and Biking

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Thanks for following the Owlet Baby Care Baby Safety Month Blog Hop! Every day in September a new blogger will post on a baby safety topic and give you a chance to enter Owlet Baby Care’s Baby Safety Giveaway with BIG PRIZES (see below)! Did you catch Amy’s crafting baby safety tips from TheHappyScraps.com from yesterday?

Alright. Let’s talk baby safety in the outdoors. Baby L has hiked, biked and swam with us through our entire National Park to Park Highway tour. It’s only been possible thanks to being prepared. Here’s what we do to keep our baby safe while hiking and biking.

Hiking

The American Hiking Society recommends taking these ten essentials on every hike. Bringing baby along means you’ll need these essentials as well.

Baby Carrier

For kids under six months – Use a wrap or front carrier designed for young babies. Newborns lack muscle coordination in their head and neck so it’s important to provide support. Babies this age should not face forward as the jostling involved with walking can be dangerous for their developing necks and spines, and if the baby falls asleep there’s a danger of airway obstruction. Also, a baby carrier with leg support is recommended since legs dangling for too long can affect spinal development and circulation. Some brands include Baby Bjorn, Moby Wrap, Tula, or Boba.
For kids over six months – If baby can hold their head up on their own you can carry them on your back with either a soft sided carrier like Ergobaby, LILLEbaby or Onya Baby or a framed hiking pack like the Kelty Pathfinder, Osprey Poco or Deuter Kid Comfort. Those little ones get heavy so a pack is important. Our favorite baby carrier reviews can be found here as part of the great baby wearing project from TalesofaMountainMama.com.

Other Baby Hiking tips

Bring drinks and food for everyone in your group. A bottle or breast milk for baby and food for you give you both energy for the hike.
Keep it short, keep it happy. It’s physically demanding to carry a baby while hiking so start by doing hikes of three miles or less.
Know where you’re at and where you’re going and always tell someone where you’ll be and when you’ll be back.
Here are more tips from the American Academy of Pediatrics A Minute for Kids.

Biking

Although it may be tempting, the American Academy of Pediatrics does not recommend biking with kids under the age of 12 months. Younger babies don’t have the neck strength to support their head wearing a helmet, and as tempting as it might be to bike with a baby in one of the carriers listed above, it is not safe for you or the baby. Maneuvering a bicycle with a baby strapped to you is awkward, not to mention the added weight increases braking time.

Baby Bike Seats

Child Bicycle Trailers – The American Academy of Pediatrics states that it’s preferable for children to ride in a bicycle-towed child trailer. Trailers are lower to the ground so in the case of a crash the child would not fall as far. We’re a fan of our Burley D’Lite, but whatever bike trailer you choose, make sure it meets ASTM standards for safety. Enter the giveaway below for a chance to win a Burley Solstice Jogger!
Rear Mounted Bike Seats – If you prefer a rear mounted bike seat make sure it attaches securely, has spoke guards to protect hands and feet and a high back and sturdy shoulder harness that will support a sleeping child.
Cargo Bikes are not recommended for carrying children.

Helmets

Babies should be at least 12 months old and able to hold their head up well. Always put a helmet on baby when biking.
Get your child a well fitting helmet that meats CSPC (Consumer Product Safety Commission) guidelines. Follow these recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Never buy a used bike helmet. Do not use bike helmets that were involved in a serious bike crash.

Other Baby Biking Tips

Plan a safe route. Riding on the road with baby on board may not be the best idea. Look for bike paths and smooth pavement for traffic free biking.
If you must ride on the road ride with the flow of traffic, stay to the side and wear bright colors for visibility.
Don’t ride with kids at night. Reflective clothing and bike lights may not be enough for cars to see you.

Now that you know how to keep baby safe hiking and biking get out there and have some fun! But before you do enter the giveaway below and don’t forget to visit TastefullyFrugal.org for tomorrow’s baby safety tips.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This post is sponsored by Owlet Baby Care makers of the Smart Sock which is designed to alert parents if their baby lacks oxygen. Other items mentioned in this post were given to me to review. This post also includes affiliate links. Burley Design is a sponsor of our National Park to Park Highway tour.

Car Camping? Get Organized!

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I would not call myself an organized person. I’m the kind of laundress who throws clothes in drawers instead of folding because once they’re closed everything looks great. Behind my kitchen cupboard doors bowls and cookware pile on top of each other. I often lose my keys and misplace my cell phone at least once a day.

I knew living out of the Ultimate Adventure Vehicle full time on this National Park to Park Highway tour would require that I step up my organizational game. With over twenty national parks and monuments to visit in seven weeks, we had to come up with a system. How could we organize our gear, clothes, bedding, food and emergency equipment so that we could easily access what we needed when we needed it?

Gear on the Outside, People on the Inside
Our Yakima SwingDaddy bike rack allows us to pack up our WOOM bikes in an easily accessible way. I really like that you can swing out the fully loaded rack and have access to the back of the vehicle without having to unload the bikes every time. This trip would not be possible without the Yakima SwingDaddy. It’s been a convenience lifesaver.

In addition to the SwingDaddy, Yakima gave us a discount on their LoadWarrior Cargo Basket. We use the basket for the bulky items like our Burley bike trailer, helmets and life jackets. We clip our helmets together and have a mesh bag to store life jackets for added organization under the cargo net. Getting all that gear outside the vehicle gave us more room for people on the inside.

Decked Out
Decked truck bed drawers keep all of our camping equipment organized. One drawer holds camp chairs, our two burner camp stove and tools while the other holds our pantry, cookware and emergency supplies. The Decked drawers pull out easily and the sturdy platform above is perfect for Mountain Dad and I to sleep on.

You may not have the space to install a Decked system in your vehicle, but you can use a similar idea to keep things organized at home. Use a tupperware storage box to pack all your camping supplies, then just transfer it easily from the garage to the car. Not only will it keep gear organized but the sturdy container can double as seating while at camp.

Pack Up
When organizing our Sam T Evans truck cap Mountain Dad and I packed UP. Literally. We used as much space near the ceiling as we could to free up sleeping space in the truck bed. An interior cargo net attached to the ceiling gave us a place for dirty clothes. Velcro straps held our Lightspeed Tripod Canopy to the roof as well as giving us a place for toiletries. Hooks and caribeeners lifted our clothes bags out of the way.

A Place for Everything, Everything in its Place
Don’t forget the areas under seats or in seat pockets for organization. We kept rain jackets and warm hats under the seats so we knew where they were at all time. It made warming up easy. Also, my kids were allowed to bring any toys they wanted as long as they fit in the seat pockets in front of them. That made weeding out the big toys easy.

Be Prepared
As with any trip planning don’t forget your emergency supplies. Luckily we’ve only had to use our Lifeline Truck Road kit once on the National Park to Park Highway, to give another camper a jump, but it’s good to know it’s there just in case.

In addition to the truck emergency kit, we keep a Lifeline Trail Light 5 First Aid Kit in the glove box and we use it ALL THE TIME. We’ve gotten out medications, band aids, antiseptic wipes – we even gave my brother-in-law the elastic bandage wrap after he sprained his ankle surfing (Well, trying to surf). In addition to what came with the Trail Light 5 we added children’s ibuprofen, a forehead thermometer and an EpiPen Jr to our first Aid supply. I like knowing exactly where our medications and emergency supplies are because when someone’s in pain, it’s not a good time to rummage around searching for what you need.

Staying organized while car camping is a challenge for everyone but with these tips, hopefully your next camping adventure will be a success. Do you have any other car camping organization tips? I want to hear them! Share them with me on facebook, twitter or instagram or just leave a comment here.

Yakima, Decked, Sam T Evans and Lifeline First Aid gave me a discount on their products or gave me the items above for review. My opinions are my own. This post also includes affiliate links. See all of our National Park to Park Highway Sponsors here.

Crater Lake National Park Photo Journal

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Gorgeous Blue

The deepest lake in North America was formed by a collapsed volcanic cone. Its clear blue water is some of the clearest in the world. The spectacular blues of water and sky are well worth a visit. This is Crater Lake National Park, one of the prettiest stops on our National Park to Park Highway tour.

Wildflowers on the rim of Crater Lake

Vitae Falls

I spy with my little eye…Wizard Island!

This water’s cold

Hiking the Cleetwood Cove trail

Crater Lake

Baby L at Vitae Fall

Crater Lake

A view from the water.

Ten Things To Do with Kids at Lassen Volcanic National Park

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Lassen Volcanic received National Park status one hundred years ago after an epic volcanic eruption in 1914 was captured on photo by Frank Loomis. While this park is less well known than its peers, it’s well worth a visit, especially if you’re looking for a laid back summer getaway.

Here are the top ten things to do with kids in Lassen Volcanic National Park.

Kayak on Manzanita Lake – Rent a boat at the camper store or bring your own. Boat along with Canadian geese on a lake surrounded by forest.

Visit Loomis Museum – See the six photos of the 1914 Lassen Peak Eruption at the Loomis
Museum near the north entrance of the park. Get information on the park.

Explore Thermal Features – Bumpass Hell and Sulphur Works show evidence of the parks volcanic past. If the three mile hike to Bumpass Hell isn’t your style, explore the bubbling mud pots at Sulphur Works to get an idea of the activity happening below your feet.

Swim in an Alpine Lake – Helen Lake near the highest point on the Lassen Peak Road is a cold beautiful blue. If swimming in snow melt isn’t your style try Summit Lake or Manzanita Lake instead.

Camp at North Summit Campground – Any campsite at North or South Summit Campgrounds is a short walk to Summit Lake, a beautiful swimming spot surrounded by mountains and pine trees.

Drive the Lassen Peak Road – This scenic byway was built in the 1930s and offers a nice 45 minute drive between the northern and south western entrances of the park. Along the way you’ll see alpine lakes, Lassen Peak and many great informative pullouts. Enjoy an audio tour of the road by downloading it on the nps website before you go.

Hike Devastation Trail – See the impact of the 1914 -1915 eruption of Lassen Peak on this handicap accessible trail.

Hike Lily Ponds Trail – This short trail begins at the Loomis Museum. The path was great for kids, fairly level, short and fun.

Get in the Backcountry – Most of Lassen Volcanic National Park is managed as wilderness. The area was beautiful and would make a great backpacking destination.

Become a Junior Ranger – At Lassen my tots learned how to identify different pine trees and types of rocks, they observed wildlife and learned about the history of the park. I think they learned more than they do at school.

We loved Lassen Volcanic’s laid back feel. This park felt like the wilderness getaway we have been looking for throughout the trip. We enjoyed relaxing by the lake near North Summit Campground, hiking the trails and seeing the bubbling mudpots at sulphur works.

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