Walking.
Back country adventures with kids...how do you do it?
- Thread starter Old#7
- Start date
Walking.
evldave,
They do great. Many die hard bird hunters use designated dog trailers. Keeps the mess out of the truck, if they are muddy or stink, get skunked, eat something bad........all those less redeeming dog issues are solved. I wrestled with how big to make the dog box in the trailer and decided the smaller the better as we often travel and stay in cold to very cold conditions. We put 3 Brittanies in that front compartment and they stay warm with old horse blankets added. I have a water tap located on the fender draining a 40 gallon tank that sits right behind the compartment. Having a large water supply is nice too.
Bumpy roads have not been an issue, I do feel bad once in a while about road dust but I close the vents and they do fine.
We have a real issue when I'm pulling a boat or raft and cannot take the dog trailer. We got used to not having them in the truck really fast.
They do great. Many die hard bird hunters use designated dog trailers. Keeps the mess out of the truck, if they are muddy or stink, get skunked, eat something bad........all those less redeeming dog issues are solved. I wrestled with how big to make the dog box in the trailer and decided the smaller the better as we often travel and stay in cold to very cold conditions. We put 3 Brittanies in that front compartment and they stay warm with old horse blankets added. I have a water tap located on the fender draining a 40 gallon tank that sits right behind the compartment. Having a large water supply is nice too.
Bumpy roads have not been an issue, I do feel bad once in a while about road dust but I close the vents and they do fine.
We have a real issue when I'm pulling a boat or raft and cannot take the dog trailer. We got used to not having them in the truck really fast.
R_Lefebvre
Expedition Leader
Yeah... that's about what we did with Phil. We'll probably scope it out in the pool. The local YMCA has a "theraputic pool". 3-4 feet deep, and warm. We're teaching Phil to swim there, and have brought Elise in when she was about 2 months. Holding her, obviously. She has no problem with it. I might try letting her float with a lifejacket. See how it goes.
I've heard that babies have an instinct not to inhale if their face is in water but... is that true?
I've heard that babies have an instinct not to inhale if their face is in water but... is that true?
Our daughter fell into a pool on her first birthday. :snorkel: Try it in the bathtub.... and only takes a cup of water to do the test. Pouring it down her face that is.
This is a real issue for us since we fish out of a driftboat or raft and fishing is #1 on our list. Although I'm an experienced oarsman, lots can go wrong in moving water so we held off until our son was 4 (last summer) and we select rivers that minimize the chances of something bad happening (slow, shallow). Our baby will not see the boat until then either as much as it pains us.
This is another good reason to travel with another family. We often trade off with friends so everyone gets some drifts in and rotates staying with the kids. Another plus is that someone can run shuttles and cook while the others are on the river.
A canoe? Your much better than I am, I have yet to meet one I havent tipped!
The Adam Blaster
Expedition Leader
Rob, for your son when it's cooler/colder out...
Go to Costco and get a box of the hand and foot warmer packs, I think they are like $20.00 for a whole box of 40-50 of them. They might not have them now, because their stocking strategy is pretty seasonal.
If you can't find them at Costco, most outdoors stores will have them for sale in singles, but they cost more per unit.
You can load up his pants pockets, and jacket pockets and he can rub them on his legs/arms if he gets chilly.
Go to Costco and get a box of the hand and foot warmer packs, I think they are like $20.00 for a whole box of 40-50 of them. They might not have them now, because their stocking strategy is pretty seasonal.
If you can't find them at Costco, most outdoors stores will have them for sale in singles, but they cost more per unit.
You can load up his pants pockets, and jacket pockets and he can rub them on his legs/arms if he gets chilly.
Pskhaat
2005 Expedition Trophy Champion
I've taken 'em each bay (not open water) kayaking at a little over 12 months IIRC. We're "lucky" I guess to have a pool at our house so the children were exposed quite literally to water very early on a near daily basis.
Anecdote, those (re)actions are only very early-on (<6months?).
I think water safety and knowledge it is very important. Babies tend to sink for some reason, I remember fearing for my wee one's life on Lake Powell one summer, a well-founded fear we should all have. Overbearing? maybe.
Anecdote, those (re)actions are only very early-on (<6months?).
I think water safety and knowledge it is very important. Babies tend to sink for some reason, I remember fearing for my wee one's life on Lake Powell one summer, a well-founded fear we should all have. Overbearing? maybe.
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Mr. Leary
Glamping Excursionaire
Not just babies. My stepdaughter fell in the pool at 18 months (before she could swim) and she held her breath as she sank. It took me a couple of seconds to get her, and she was shaken, but otherwise completely fine. I darn near had a heart attack.
An interesting tidbit. Newborm babies can swim (maybe not enough to get to the surface, but they doggy paddle). They also make good walking motions when propped up over a treadmill (obviously they cannot support their weight yet, but...). Both of these instincts are gone completely by one month old and do not return until learned. Human babies really go from fetus to infant, back to fetus, then to infant, toddler, etc. Weird stuff. Humans are the only animals that do that.
R_Lefebvre
Expedition Leader
Huh... we're teaching Phil to swim, and he's swallowed a lot of water! :Wow1:
I wish there was some kinda infant life-raft. Like a floating pod you could put them in that would make sure they don't end up face first in the water. I don't know how good Lifejackets really work at turning them over.
Sounds like the concensus is it's too early.
I wonder... skirt the shore, 3-4 foot depth?Yeah, nope never. And we started canoeing at about 6 or 8. My parents used to tie the canoe to a tree with a 100 foot rope.
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On the contrary, there is a life jacket with such function...
See the big flap in the back?
Here is this better?
Its designed to lift the head up and pretty much put the kiddo on their back... Its pretty cool and we've tested it, it works.
PS- the color of these photos were ruined by having the camera's auto white balance set to like fluorescent......
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matt s
Explorer
Children in boats
We took our children as infants on boats all the time (and since I have a 5 month old now, she will go out this summer). Life jackets like the one shown above are a must. Yes they have gone in, one of my boys just after he learned to walk stripped down and ran off the dock before I could stop him. Luckily his older brother was right there and dove in a grabbed him. The little one thought that it was great fun! Dad was not convinced.
Regardless at the infant stage they are always held by an adult and really only in the boat for transport to or from where we are going. We have not taken them rafting or canoeing on the river. But they have been in a variety of boats on the lake with no issue.
None of that matters really, your own comfort level is what will have to guide you.
We took our children as infants on boats all the time (and since I have a 5 month old now, she will go out this summer). Life jackets like the one shown above are a must. Yes they have gone in, one of my boys just after he learned to walk stripped down and ran off the dock before I could stop him. Luckily his older brother was right there and dove in a grabbed him. The little one thought that it was great fun! Dad was not convinced.
Regardless at the infant stage they are always held by an adult and really only in the boat for transport to or from where we are going. We have not taken them rafting or canoeing on the river. But they have been in a variety of boats on the lake with no issue.
None of that matters really, your own comfort level is what will have to guide you.
The Adam Blaster
Expedition Leader
Kids and water... Here's a good story about me:
I don't even remember this, but my mom just told me the story at Christmas time.
Our family went camping at one of those RV campgrounds when I was young, you know those ones that are basically a farmer's field?
Anyways, we pulled into the camp ground after being stuck in the car for a few hours, and my parents started unbuckling and taking all three of us out of the back seat. I was about 3 years old, brother 5, and sister about 1 at the time.
Well, my bro got taken out first, then me, then my parents had to wrestle with the baby seat my sister was strapped into, apparently this was a bit more work back in the 70's than it is now. lol
Anyways, when they pulled me out of the car, I looked around for about 2.5 seconds and spotted a pool. It was the middle of summer, it was hot, and I must have REALLY wanted to get into that pool because I just pointed, shouted "POOL!!!!" and bolted straight at the wonderful oasis of inground cemented beauty. lol
Well, my brother gave a shout to alert my parents, (several shouts actually "Adam going to poo!!") <-- he wasn't so good with the letter "L" at that age apparently...
My folks were both still struggling with the baby seat in the car, and my dad popped his head out to see what was happening. The pool was about 200 yards from the car, and I was already 3/4 of the way there, in full stride. I was like a little 3 year old bolt of lightning!
And my dad immediately took off after me, but I got to the pool before him, and promptly jumped into the pool with the patented kid variation of a belly flop.
I must have got my speed from my dad, because he was there within seconds and jumped right in after me, yanked me out fully soaked in my clothes, and missing one of my shoes.
I didn't take in much water, coughed a little once I was back on dry land, and was no worse for wear. I'm sure I was feeling quite cooled off at that point, my dad was wet, but not feeling too cool.
When I go camping with my own family in the future, the first thing I'm going to do when I get to the campground, BEFORE letting the kids out, is find where that damned pool is!
I don't even remember this, but my mom just told me the story at Christmas time.
Our family went camping at one of those RV campgrounds when I was young, you know those ones that are basically a farmer's field?
Anyways, we pulled into the camp ground after being stuck in the car for a few hours, and my parents started unbuckling and taking all three of us out of the back seat. I was about 3 years old, brother 5, and sister about 1 at the time.
Well, my bro got taken out first, then me, then my parents had to wrestle with the baby seat my sister was strapped into, apparently this was a bit more work back in the 70's than it is now. lol
Anyways, when they pulled me out of the car, I looked around for about 2.5 seconds and spotted a pool. It was the middle of summer, it was hot, and I must have REALLY wanted to get into that pool because I just pointed, shouted "POOL!!!!" and bolted straight at the wonderful oasis of inground cemented beauty. lol
Well, my brother gave a shout to alert my parents, (several shouts actually "Adam going to poo!!") <-- he wasn't so good with the letter "L" at that age apparently...
My folks were both still struggling with the baby seat in the car, and my dad popped his head out to see what was happening. The pool was about 200 yards from the car, and I was already 3/4 of the way there, in full stride. I was like a little 3 year old bolt of lightning!
And my dad immediately took off after me, but I got to the pool before him, and promptly jumped into the pool with the patented kid variation of a belly flop.
I must have got my speed from my dad, because he was there within seconds and jumped right in after me, yanked me out fully soaked in my clothes, and missing one of my shoes.
I didn't take in much water, coughed a little once I was back on dry land, and was no worse for wear. I'm sure I was feeling quite cooled off at that point, my dad was wet, but not feeling too cool.
When I go camping with my own family in the future, the first thing I'm going to do when I get to the campground, BEFORE letting the kids out, is find where that damned pool is!
R_Lefebvre
Expedition Leader
We have a lifejacket just like that already we used for our boy. I just don't know how well they work to actually flip them over. I don't think I have the guts to test it.
I agree to start them young. Most of my friends can't figure out how we camp so much with little kids. I tell them it is because we go camping with little kids. Your little ones will love it if you let them have fun and get dirty. My kids think that camping is the normal thing to do and it doesn't disrupt the routine because it is part of th routine.