Walking with your baby doesn’t require lots of fancy or expensive kit. Keep it simple. You probably have everything you need at home already.
Pushchair, sling, baby carrier or backpack?
First you need to choose how you’ll take your baby outdoors – do you feel most comfortable with a pushchair, sling, baby carrier or baby backpack? For your first few walks, stick to what you regularly use and you can try out new methods as you gain confidence.
Carrying your baby offers loads of freedom of where you walk. As long as you have the right shoes you’ll be able to ramble over any terrain with your baby attached. If you haven’t carried your baby before, you could contact your local sling library or baby-wearing consultant - Many do online and in-person sessions to help you carry your baby comfortably and safely. You can also ask friends with experience of carrying for their tips, or borrow a sling from them to try it out. You can get great secondhand slings and carriers online.
Pushchairs are brilliant for getting out walking with your baby, baby’s comfortable and you can pack what you need under the pushchair so you don’t have to carry it. Most pushchairs will be great for walks on paved or smooth surfaces, so local streets, parks and even country parks will probably be accessible to you. For walks on rougher or more uneven ground, you’ll need a pushchair with larger wheels or an off-road buggy. But try it out - you’d be surprised at what your trusty buggy is capable of! Just be prepared to clean a bit of mud off the wheels when you get home.
What to pack
Keep it simple and keep your bag as light as possible.
You don’t need to take much more than your usual changing bag with you. Some nappies, wipes, a mat to change on, and a change of clothes for your baby.
Take snacks and water for you, and baby if necessary.
Any weather-related bits like hats, layers, a brolly or suncream.
A charged phone and/or a map.
What to wear
For you:
It’s simple! Dress appropriately for the weather and make sure you have shoes with good grip.
For baby:
In cold weather, keep their extremities covered and remember multiple slim layers are often better than one big puffy layer - a good guide is for them to wear one more layer than you.
Keep them dry by using a waterproof baby-wearing cover or coat and umbrella, or the raincover on your pushchair.
In hot weather keep them out of direct sunlight, in light cotton clothing and keep them hydrated. Using an umbrella as a parasol is great for protecting you and baby.
Always make sure they have good ventilation and particularly in a baby carrier that they maintain good positioning and breathing space.