My strategy for planning an outdoor adventure could be summed up in two words: Overdo It. You know, jump in the car and drive 3 hours away, into awful weather, to hike a technically difficult trail that's not fully mapped out. Shira puts up with overdoing it, but our 16 week old, not so much. Heck, given how little we've spent in the car, we're not sure he could endure a long'ish car ride, not to mention a long'ish hike.
So I've been trying to be smart about this, and build up our little hiker's ability step by step.
Phase one has been through a series of walks in the neighborhood. The primary goal: figure out which carrier is most comfortable for him and us. The Moby carrier, while great in the winter and for general snuggling, has shined less once the sun is out. Not to mention, adjusting it on the fly is a real chore.
The Baby Bjorn is a sweet carrier, but our little one isn't so little any more, and we've seemed to have hit its maximum carrying capacity. I mean, I'm sure it technically carries heavier children, but I'm not sure how you do this and breathe at the same time.
Running low on options, I busted out the oddly named Fresh Shine Baby Hip Carrier and gave it go. I bought it 3 years ago when we had an especially zoftig baby placed with us. I thought surely it would be too big for our our little guy. In fact, he fit perfectly and the carrier has been a total winner.
The Fresh Shine's design has a seat to hold the baby, which puts nearly the full weight of the baby on your hips. This is the same strategy that's been employed by back-country backpacks for years and it works. The result is no back pain and a carrier that feels agile to move in. It's also lightweight and easy to take the baby in and out of. Though doing this is a two person job. We've had success carrying our little guy facing out and in, which gives us the option have him watch the trail or nap.
With the carrier figured out, it was time to plan a hike.
No comments:
Post a Comment