What to Pack for Hiking with a Baby

Hiking with a baby can seem intimidating especially with all the gear that comes comes along with that tiny human. But you might be surprised at how few things are actually essential for hiking with a baby. I’m going to share what I have used most often on the hikes I’ve gone on with my babies. You may choose to bring all of these items or just a couple. It’s totally up to your and your baby’s needs!

This post is going over everything you might need specifically for a baby. If you would like an extensive day hike checklist, you can get that here:

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Watch What to Bring When Hiking With a Baby

1. Baby Carrier

• Baby Carrier
• Weather Cover

One of the most important things to bring when hiking with a baby is a child carrier. If you have a young baby under 6 months, you are going to need a soft carrier to carry your baby on these hikes. My personal favorite is the Ergobaby Omni Breeze. It’s nice and breathable for the warmer days, easy to put on, and comfortable. It can be used for newborns up to toddlers.

If you have an older baby, you might be interested in a framed carrier. I personally love and use the Osprey Poco Plus. It’s comfortable, holds a lot of gear, and I am able to hike much longer with it.

I have a whole post here where I explain why I choose one child carrier over the other with pros and cons of each.

A cover for your carrier is also important in case of weather changes. Here is a rain cover and a weatherproof fleece lined cover for your soft carrier. And this is the rain cover I use for my Osprey Poco Plus

2. Diaper Kit

• Diapers
• Wipes
• Changing pad
• Diaper rash cream

Of course, a baby is going to need fresh diapers and wipes on the trail. I like to change my babies at the car before and after at the car to limit diaper changes on the trail. But I always pack a couple diapers in my day pack for longer hikes and to just be prepared. If you think you might have some rain, I’d recommend putting your diapers in a waterproof bag to keep them dry.

If you have a large pack of wipes at home, you can just grab a large handful and put it in a ziplock or other container so you don’t have to carry around the heavy pack.

When I lay my baby down to change them, I will either lay them on my jacket, the soft carrier, or a lightweight blanket if I choose to pack it. Just pack whatever you feel works best for you.

While I don’t usually carry diaper rash cream on my hikes, I do put it on them when I change them before we hike to protect them bums from the moisture.

3. Food

• Burp cloth
• Bottles
• Formula
• Snacks

Depending on your babies age and how you choose to feed them, you may need to bring food or specific supplies for feeding them on the trail.

Breastfeeding

If your baby is exclusively breastfeeding, you may need very little or nothing at all. I like to wear a nursing pad in my bra so I don’t leak on the trail and I bring a burp cloth in case they spit up. If you prefer to have a cover while you nurse, bring that as well.

Bottle Feeding

If you are pumping or formula feeding, you will want to bring the necessities for that. If you pump, some options are to bring milk you pumped at home or in the car. Fresh pumped milk lasts 4 hours at room temperature and thawed milk lasts for 2 hours at room temperature. You can also bring it in a thermos or cooler pack to help it last longer.

If you are formula feeding, don’t mix your powder in the water until you are ready to feed them as it will only last 2 hours after preparation and 1 hour after you start feeding your baby. One way to cut down on things you need to bring is to put the measured formula in the bottle and just add water once they are ready to eat. Of course it’s important to bring extra formula in case they eat more than expected.

Snacks

If your baby is eating solids, pack some snacks for them. Some good options are fruit/veggie pouches, puffs, freeze dried fruit, granola bars, fresh fruit, or whatever they eat at home.

4. Layers

• Jacket/bunting
• Sun hat
• Extra outfit
• Bag for soiled clothes

Depending on the weather you are hiking in, extra layers are definitely something you’re going to want to bring when hiking with a baby. This could be for protection against the sun, rain, or cold. In the warmer months I like to dress my baby in something breathable that covers a lot of skin, especially when they are under 6 months and can’t use sunscreen. Lightweight cotton clothes are a good, inexpensive option.

Sun: Sun hat; lightweight, breathable clothes

Rain: Rain jacket or rain suit

Cold: Fleece bunting, down bunting, beanie, mittens, booties

A sun hat is also something I believe is a necessity. This was my favorite baby sun hat when my kid’s were babies.

If you have a baby that is prone to blowouts, it’s not a bad idea to throw in an extra outfit just in case that happens when you’re out on the trail. I have had it happen a couple of times and it’s always nice to be able to change them into something clean!

Along with that, a wet bag (even just a grocery sack) comes in handy to put the soiled clothes in.

5. First Aid/Emergency

• Baby Sunscreen
• First Aid Needs
• Saline Solution
• Tweezers
• Satellite Communicator

I definitely recommend bringing sunscreen for your baby if they are over 6 months old. I usually put it on them before we start hiking and then reapply as necessary. My favorite sunscreen for the kids is the Badgerbalm Baby Sunscreen.

I always bring a little first aid kit on every hike. Some items I have that I use on my babies are saline solution and tweezers. Saline solution can be great at rinsing out their eyes if they get dirt or something in their eyes. Tweezers are important if you find a tick on them or they get a sliver from crawling around. Here is a pair of tweezers specific for getting ticks out. Of course it’s important to also have some antibiotic ointment and bandaids in case of cuts and scrapes, but I don’t find my babies need it very often if ever.

The last piece of gear is not specific for hiking with a baby, but I did get it once I started hiking alone with my baby. That is my Garmin InReach Mini. This is a satellite communicator that allows me to send texts without service. It also has an SOS button I can push that would alert Search and Rescue if I was in a bad situation. I can also check the weather and directions. It does require a monthly payment but I love the pice of mind it gives me and my husband when I’m out with the babies.

6. Miscellaneous

• Sit pad
• Trekking Poles
• Comfort item

One thing you might find you do a lot more when hiking with a baby is sitting: sitting to feed them or sitting to give them a break from the pack and crawl around. One thing you might want to bring when hiking with your baby is a sit pad. It can keep you insulated from the cold ground, dry from a wet log, or protected from any stickers. My favorite sit pad is the Thermarest Z Lite Sit Pad. If you have a closed cell foam sleeping pad you can also cut a part of that off to use!

With the added weight of your baby, trekking poles can help you maintain your balance and distribute some of the load off of your legs and onto your arms. I have not tried the ones I linked to, but they have high ratings and are inexpensive so you can see if you enjoy hiking with trekking poles.

And this last item is totally up to your individual baby. If there is something your baby loves that keeps them happy, bring it along. This may be a pacifier, stuffed animal, or toy. My oldest loved his binky and that kept him very content on the trail.

If you would like an extensive checklist for what to bring when hiking with a baby, click here!