3. Warm Layers

Leggings and sweatpants, and their puffy jacket. Hat, gloves, rain jacket. Remember your kid isn’t working like you are, they are just going for a ride! So they are going to need more layers than you will.  

4. Change of Clothes

Extra change of clothes for baby. You just never know. A onesie pajama is always good here. We love these from Primary.

5. Diapers

Duh. You shouldn’t need that many, depending on the legth of your hike. We usually bring two or three.

6. wipes

A refillable pouch is great here because you can bring only what you need.

7. wet bag

A wet bag or ziplock is so nice to have. We didn’t use to bring this, but inevitably we would end up carrying a smelly dirty diaper on the way home and no one wants to smell that when hiking in the great outdoors. It’s so much nicer to store it in a sealed bag. 

8. Kid Food

Bring food they’ll actually eat. This really isn’t a time to force feed them vegetables. Pouches, crackers, dried fruit. Just make sure you have a few favorites so your little one won’t be hungry and grumpy. And bring a little extra in case you extend your hike or it takes longer than you thought, we’ve learned this the hard way.  

9. milk in insulated bottle.

Milk in an insulated bottle. Whether your baby is on warm formula or cold cows milk, an insulated bottle is a must have. Prepare the formula or milk to the correct temperature in advance and an insulated bottle or thermos like these will keep it the perfect temperature all day. These were lifesavers on our camping trip to Yellowstone last year.

10. small toy on leash

Having a little toy attached to the carrier with a leash is a lifesaver. Depending on your baby’s age, it could be a little rattle or teething toy. Or if they’re older it could be a small doll or animal. But having something small for them to play with that isn’t your hat or ears is really nice. 

Pro Tip: Bring bribes. Sometimes you’re 2 miles from the car and your little one is just over it. In cases like these, we pull out our bribes and book it to the car. For us, these are fruit gummies, but it could be a toy, candy, pretty much anything that they love and don’t get to have on a regular basis.