First Hike as a family of four

Posted On November 21, 2023

The first hike with Thomas was when he was three weeks old. We wanted to climb the same summit with Benedikt, but we had to wait a bit longer, until he recovered after the RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus). For a two weeks old baby this was quite serious and we spent two weeks into the hospital. Once at home, we started the fresh air “treatment” with Bene and did a lot of walks in the cold, fresh air. It was winter.

Thoughts and questions before the hike

When Benedikt was six weeks old, we gave it a try to a hike in four, to the same summit we were with Thomas as a baby: Schwarzenberg. I must confess that we were quite uncertain and had a lot of questions.

What should Bene wear if he is covered with my maternity jacket?
How would I feed Bene if he gets hungry, since outside is quite cold?
Would I be fit and strong enough to carry him?
What and how much should we take with us in terms of food, drinks, changing clothes, pampers, milk bottles, etc.?
At what time should we go, so that the kids complain the least?
Would Bene actually like it?

Just do it

Despite the questions, we packed, drove and started the hike with the option to turn back in case something didn’t feel right. I had Bene in the small carrier and a rucksack full of stuff 😅, Thorsten had Thomas and some more heavier things in the child carrier.

By the way, packing might need a bit more time with two kids. It gets a while to know exactly what and how much you need. With Thomas we already had experience, but our first hike with him as a baby was during summer and this made everything a lot easier.

The weather that day was perfect and motivated me to move further. It wasn’t as hard as I expected, but my body felt it a bit: more weight to carry, it was quite soon after giving birth and my maternity jacket was long and it felt really hot in it 🥵. The route is normally not lasting too long, but we went slowly and were grateful being able to do this. Three weeks ago Bene and I were in the hospital.

Life should be enjoyed NOW, not later. Who knows what LATER will bring us? Just think about this from time to time.

Thoughts and answers after the hike

In the end, it was a great idea to do the hike and see how we manage it with one baby and a small kid.

This gave us more confidence and had our questions answered.

Bene wore a body, a pair of trousers, thick socks, a winter cap and an overall. I also had hand warmers and put them in his socks, to be sure his feet don’t get cold. Thommy had his winter clothes on and he was kept warm by the child carrier cover von Jennbag.
Bene and Thomas ate only when we came back to the car. But the last 1 km we had to speed up a bit, otherwise they would have complained 🙉.
Apparently I was fit and strong enough, but I didn’t push it, I just went slowly. Even if I was a bit tired afterwards, the brain was fully relaxed (almost 🤪)
We took quite some stuff with us:
- water,
- some snacks,
- powder milk, warm water for Thomas and Bene’s milk, two empty bottles for milk,
- cookies for Thomas,
- one pair of changing clothes for each kid (body, socks, trousers, pullover),
- one diaper for each kid (since we were not long time away),
- two pacifiers per kid (in case one gets lost, the drama will start),
- gloves for Thomas, Thorsten and I,
- poles for me (very important having the poles to help me up and downhill),
- spikes,
- nose tissues,
- sunglasses for Thomas, Thorsten and I,
- suncream,
- handwarmers,
- etc.
We started around noon to be sure the kids will sleep while we hike (Thomas in the carrier, Bene in the sling). And they actually did sleep.
Bene slept most of the time, which means he enjoyed it.

Organising and doing the hike was a bit more complicated and time consuming with two kids, but it was worth it. In the end, this is the new family format and we have to get used with it.

Even if it is challenging and harder sometimes, we don’t want to give up doing what we like: being outside into the mountains. So we will keep going!