Boundary Waters Quetico Forum :: Group Forum: Canoeing with kids :: How young is to young
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whiteh20 |
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canoe212 |
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nojobro |
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Canoearoo |
Babies are way easier than toddlers |
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vickieh69 |
We have talked about camping on the edge as well. We will definatley do that the night before we go in. If the weather is agreeable in the am we go in, if not we would just stay put. Hoping that the the wee little one has my temperment..lol |
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vickieh69 |
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jparks02 |
Hope you enjoy your next trip, VR, Joshua |
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vickieh69 |
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vickieh69 |
Thanks in advance |
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vickieh69 |
quote BWPaddler: "One thing to consider for babe that small (Canoearoo, what did you do for your teeny ones) would be a folding bouncy seat - that they are NOT strapped into, but can rest snuggled in on floor of canoe. Could come in handy in camp too so babe can sit on ground and look around a bit while you are otherwise occupied. I had one that folded up flat (not the wire ones that don't fold) and used it on early camping trips for years." Great idea...I have been thinking about sleeping arrangements at night time as I do not feel comfortable having the babe sleep in my bag (I am a heavy sleeper who moves a lot). Of course we would have to make sure to swaddle the bouncy seat. :) |
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BWPaddler |
Maybe with that many people, you can duff and hold babe yourself...? Kid temperaments are definitely to be considered. My 11 month old was not at all anxious about the whole trip. She took it all in stride. Another child didn't go until she had just turned 3 years old. She freaked out and kind of whimpered and whined that first day. It was all too much for her to leave the car behind and take off into the unknown. After Day 1, she was fine, but if I had remembered her reaction to her first plane trip (similar behavior) I would have been more prepared and helped her be better prepared for her first BW trip. Sounds like you'll have tons of helpers Vickie, that's a good thing. |
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Soledad |
I always told both boys that they had to learn to pee on trees before they could go camping. I didn't want to have to deal with diapers and it made potty training a little easier. My biggest challenge was to make sure that Evan got enough sleep. We tend to travel most days, and that makes napping tough. It is also tougher to get him in the tent before sundown, and I cannot go to sleep that early, so I would have to work with him to fall asleep by himself. Some nights were better than others. Having a mother and father team would make things a lot easier. Maybe this year with two boys, my wife will join us. She is missing out on a lot! |
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Canoearoo |
quote BWPaddler: "One thing to consider for babe that small (Canoearoo, what did you do for your teeny ones) would be a folding bouncy seat - that they are NOT strapped into, but can rest snuggled in on floor of canoe. Could come in handy in camp too so babe can sit on ground and look around a bit while you are otherwise occupied. I had one that folded up flat (not the wire ones that don't fold) and used it on early camping trips for years. we had a folding bouncy seat with a lid that zipped up into a tinny coocoon made of misquote netting. This kept bugs off the baby outside the tent and inside the tent. If folded flat and fit right into a duluth pack (sold it for $20) I brought a snow suit for the babies to sleep in. They can't get out of it and it keeps them warm (easy to buckly in the bouncy seat) it looked something like this http://images.canadianlisted.com/nlarge/eddie-bauer-soothing-comfort-bouncette-bouncer_4840242.jpg for the canoe the baby was laid on top of some thick foam and a waterproof blacket was attached to the top of the canoe and draped over the sides so it made a sun shade for baby (but careful so if the canoe fliped baby wouldn't be traped |
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BWPaddler |
I have a bug net that was originally to toss over a stroller and I've thought it would fit over bouncy seat or child carrier or anything... The worst bug trip with kids was one May... head nets were required, I had no infants at the time, youngest was 3. The kids got eaten a lot more than the adults. I've also used the Vitamin B patches (or vitamin B itself) to minimize the bites for kids. |
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BWPaddler |
I also took a friend once who was 7-8 months pregnant. She was very fit and this was kid number two. She carried a pack, but not the canoe (HEAVY metal thing that trip). All went well for her, but I believe it's got to be mom's decision with doc and dad weighing in... Also, that trip was minimal portages with gear, and mostly day trips with canoe. Trips will be different than without kids or pregnancy limitations, but that doesn't mean they can't be as good or better! WhiteH20 - Canyon is a lucky lucky kiddo!! |
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vickieh69 |
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ducks |
In July we did a long weekend trip with just our 5 year old. She was able to carry her own pack. Her clothes, sleeping pad, stuffed animal, and coloring book. We only had 2 very short portages. Great advice from the others. Really need to be able to go with the flow. A couple of hours in the canoe on the way to a campsite was more than enough for her. When we were at the campsite she had more than enough to keep her occupied: swimming, fishing, rocks, sticks, playing with the leeches, swinging in the hammock etc. We really wanted to make sure they were comfortable/good in the canoe before we took them into the BWCA. One important thing that we learned about our kids was that they "need" their own paddle. The first couple times we took them out around home they were climbing around the canoe trying to take our paddles. Would not have been a good thing to find out the first day of a BWCA trip. People had told me that their kids behave better in the Boundary Waters than at home and I didn't completely believe them. But, I do now. We've found that to be true about our kids. |