Preparing for a walk with your baby

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.

Building your confidence as a trailblazing parent

Getting out for a walk with your new baby can seem daunting at first. But you’ve absolutely got this and you can always join our wonderful Blaze Trails community for tips and support.

Remember - walking is safe and good for you! 

Walking is the perfect way to get outdoors and active when you have a new baby. It’s safe, gentle, good for your physical and mental health and you can start as soon as you step out of your front door. 

Look after your body

If you’ve just given birth, remember to look after your amazing post-partum body. Don’t rush into exercise until you’re ready - walking will always be there for you! Make sure you listen to your body. At your postnatal check, be sure to talk to your doctor, midwife or postnatal physio about your own recovery and check you’re able to walk safely. 

Set your intention

Getting out the front door can feel like a big hurdle with a baby, so even if it’s just a short walk around the block, it can help to make a commitment to yourself to go for it. Tell your partner or a friend what your plan is and they can encourage you. 

Take it easy

Take it easy - start slowly and go for short distances. You’ll be able to gradually build up your stamina and appetite for longer walks. 

Go it alone or Go with a friend!

The best bit about walking with your baby is that you always have company! Feel confident to get out by yourself - your baby will be happily occupied by the sights and sounds of nature, or they’ll be asleep and you’ll get a precious moment to yourself.   

Grab a walking buddy - if your baby’s occupied in their baby carrier or pushchair, you’ll manage an uninterrupted chat! You’ll also have a spare pair of hands to help if needed. So call a friend or join a local Blaze Trails parent and baby walking group. If there’s not a group near you, visit our website to find out how to start your own!

Toddler treks

There comes a time when your baby is – well – not such a baby any more! There are lots of reasons why you might start to transition from baby carrying to exploring with little legs. Maybe they’re getting antsy in the carrier and wanting to walk, or you’re fed up of carrying such a heavy load, or it’s time for them to pass their slot in the sling on to a new sibling….

As with all transitions, there’s no one way to do this right. Those of us who have been through it have collected some tips which may help you – feel free to try them out and let us know what works for you!

Some of our Blaze groups offer toddler walks, so do keep an eye out for those – sometimes the best encouragement is for our little ones to see lots of other children doing the same thing!

Ché xx

👣 It’s going to be slow. Be prepared for this fact: your normal routes will take much longer! You’ll need frequent stops for snacks and to admire all the things your toddler notices along the way. It’s great to see the world through our children’s eyes and to stop and admire every stone or leaf or tuft of grass, but it can also be cold and frustrating! Make time for your walks together and try not to have a hard deadline that you’re rushing to.

👣 Build up stamina. The same way you’d do for yourself, build up your little one’s stamina by increasing the distance they walk every week or so. So if you’re normally carrying them for a 5k walk, let them walk for 500m to a kilometre themselves to start with, depending on their confidence. Slowly build up the distance, and – as with all milestones!  – don’t expect improvement to be linear.

👣 Incentives! I never realised how important these were before having a toddler. Doing a treasure hunt or playing eye spy can be a great way of enjoying the walk together and to incentivise them to get to the next thing. Mine loves trains, so walking to the train station is a great incentive because he knows there’s something exciting at the end. Likewise the park, Grandpa’s house, a favourite hill or bench, even the shops!

👣 Snacks. Once you’ve got to your desired destination it can be trickier to incentivise your little one to get home again. Snacks can play an important role here, a good distraction and a boost of energy. In fact, toddlers use so much energy while they’re walking that they need constant refuelling. If they’re getting fed up and want carrying, sometimes a short break with a banana or half a sandwich will do the trick.

👣 Shoes. Your toddler’s regular shoes are the best thing for them to walk in to start with, as they’ll have been fitted properly and should be nice and comfortable. But in the winter this isn’t always practical and you may opt for wellies instead. Just be aware that not all wellies are particularly comfortable and supportive for walking longer distances. When your little one is a more established walker, you might want to invest in a pair of walking boots.

Good luck and ENJOY! Be sure to let us know how it goes.

Picnics with baby

As the sun starts to make an appearance, we’ve turned our minds to summer picnics. Eating out with baby can feel a bit daunting at first: What to pack?! What about the routine?! But it doesn’t have to be. It’s good to get your little one used to eating in different environments and is a great way of having quality time outdoors with your baby.

Here are top tips for picnics with your little one from Erin Outram, our York Group Organiser:

1. Try and time a picnic with when your baby would usually eat or have a feed, when they are at their most relaxed and least tired - you’re all likely to enjoy the experience more.

2. Picnic Blanket: if you can find one with a waterproof bottom even better, also doubles up as a changing mat for those Ill timed nappy rumbles. If you will be breast or bottle feeding and know it will take a while, bring something like a cushion so that you will be comfy.

3. A good bib or soft dribble bib: Embrace the mess!

4. Wipes and change of clothes: See above! (You may also require a washable picnic blanket, it’s what it’s all about!)

5. Choose your food: we’ve learned from experience that watery yoghurt neither travels well, or has the consistency you want. Bring a variety of food with you and remember picnics are for treats, not getting all the nutrients in, so let baby try new things, strawberries, croissants, mashed avocado - if it’s food you can share, even better.

6. Embrace outdoor feeding: if you haven’t weaned baby yet, don’t worry about feeding outside, enjoy it! It’s a great experience for both of you, just make sure you are warm and comfortable if you know you will be sat for long periods.

7. Layers: it’s important baby is protected from the sun and doesn’t overheat. UV protection hats, sunglasses and sun cream are all a must and are easily available for babies. Let’s be honest, we live in Britain, so hats, gloves and waterproofs are worth packing too.

8. Treats for you: it goes without saying, cake is an essential.

9. Grab a great view!

10. Enjoy the experience: don’t be disheartened if baby doesn’t want to eat, is distracted or overwhelmed, or the dog eats the croissants. It’s all an adventure!