Babes in the Woods
by Jennifer Aist published by The Mountaineers Books, ISBN 978-1-59485-343-2 (ppb) $16.95 US (jacket price)
Review by Christopher and Laura N.
My wife Laura and I are active outdoor enthusiasts. Consider that our first true “date” was a paddling trip in the Boundary Waters in northern Minnesota, and we had shared time in the mountains of Chile and Canada before returning to the Boundary Waters again where I got down on one knee and proposed to my wife. You get the picture. It should then come as no surprise that when we found out we were pregnant, we determined that we needed to figure out how to integrate our new baby into our lifestyle. What a great opportunity to review this book!
This book takes a comprehensive look at many aspects of being “outdoors-y,” which makes it a great resource even if you aren’t taking kids into the wilderness — but especially if you are! It covers three main outdoor activities: hiking, camping and boating. The author found a lack of resources when she decided to take her children camping and started to try things out on her own and document as she went. She says “no one got sick. No one got injured… and I was hooked.” With the information in her book, Laura and I think you will be hooked too.
While the book is a great pocket resource that you could carry with you, most of the information is perfect for planning ahead so you can leave your worries, and the book, behind. The table of contents is very thorough so you can easily reference information quickly. There is also a bibliography, index, and several handy checklists in the back of the book (which will likely get used often in our household).
There are four main sections, which each cover children from young infants to preschoolers: Taking Care of the Basics, Transporting Little Ones on the Trail, Having Adventures, and Connecting with Nature.
The largest section of the book is all about the basics. From clothing to bathing, safety to food, the author provides practical advice. Some of her advice will save you money: she suggests using adult socks over kids shoes to create additional insulation. Other tidbits of advice will help you to sleep at night: reminding you to not let your children eat in their sleeping bags so as to not attract critters. We see ourselves using this section the most.
The next section talks about transport. One of the most helpful things she mentions that we would not have thought of is to bring a form of baby carrier for around camp, if the one you use on trail is big and bulky (or if you came by boat). There is a great chart that summarizes the advantages and disadvantages of the most popular forms of baby carriers, but it also covers basics for strollers, bike trailers, trailer bikes and bikes.
The third section is all about the meat of the adventure. It offers a great resource on setting appropriate goals for a trip based on the age of the child – saving parents from biting off more than they can chew. (Which is a very good possibility in our household considering that Laura had to implement the ice-axe rule: we couldn’t take the baby on any adventure that required an ice-axe until she was old enough to carry her own.) The author talks through how to plan a base camping trip, backpacking trip, go car camping, boating and day hike – many of her trip recollections make us want to go on trips with her! When it comes to boating, she is very candid about what trips are appropriate for which ages of children, in her opinion. Safety is a foremost concern for her when it comes to the water. She recommends having one parent dedicated to traveling and another parent dedicated to supervising the child(ren). This section also covers what the author calls “Exceptional Children” – how to adapt trips to children with special needs and still get them out into the outdoors.
The final section talks about activities around camp. Some of the activities we are most interested to try are around journaling and scrapbooking – she recommends using waterproof notebooks to let toddlers “journal,” and she recommends creating a picture book for infants so that you can relive the memories of the trip once you are all home.
Between moving across the country, starting a new job, remodeling a house, and the demands of a young child, we have not yet been on a true wilderness excursion with our now six-month old. We have been out for several hikes longer than an hour, and our daughter has seemed to thoroughly enjoy them, so we are encouraged by that. Now that we are getting settled into our new routines, we are planning another trip to the Boundary Waters this fall with the little one. We are excited to put the book to good use!
Designed by Tim Sainburg from Brambling Design
