Hammocking with a baby!

[ToeJam]

The wife and I are going to give it a shot with the little guy. We've planned a very short, close to the car backpacking "trip" (jaunt is maybe a better word) to try backpacking hammock style with our 14 month old son. Mom and babe will sleep together in a beefy thick blackbird hammock. We are gonig to do a trial indoors first but I wanted to see if anyone has experience with this. Tips? Suggestions?

Let me add that my wife is a pediatric emergency medicine nurse and I have all the wilderness first aid trainning money can buy. We are hip to the safety issues. We've tented with him 3 times already but I can't bear it any longer Hammocks for life!

Thanks!
-Christian

[ricksrover2]

yep im going to be watchin this one .... let me know the out come my wife is prego right now and we have been thinking alot bout how we are going to keep up our camping habits with a new born

[jayf124]

Best of luck, ToeJam! I'm looking forward to hearing about this one too.

Jay

[Bluenose Climbers]

Our children have been camping with us since they were in diapers. Back then we didn't hammock, we were tenters. We had one wonderful tenting night in a thunder storm reading Dr. Seuse and watching the storm and the ill prepared break camp. They still camp with us today at 18 and 20. Camping as a family is great.

Our Scouting group has a leader that brings her 3 yr. old camping with us. She built an over size hammock for them. He sleeps in a one piece snow suit type outfit. She found that he slept better in his own sleeping bag but couldn't climb out of it or the hammock. When they get older they can have their own hammock and can be hung just over yours until they want to hang by themselves.

Little ones brought up camping will find it natural and is great for the family. Little ones take a little more work when camping but it's worth every minute.

[ToeJam]

Our Scouting group has a leader that brings her 3 yr. old camping with us. She built an over size hammock for them. He sleeps in a one piece snow suit type outfit.

That's a good call on the outfit. If he some how squirms away from the top quilt he'll be warm. Thanks!

[Subsammich]

Any experience with child carrier packs?
I see them a lot, never heard how well they work.

[timabababaluka]

Last summer when our youngest wasn't quite a year old, he would wake up fussy and inconsolable at around 3:00 or 4:00 in the morning. We'd walk him around, but as soon as we stopped he'd start up again. Finally I figured I'd just go out in the hammock and let him cry it out so that the Missus could finally get some shut-eye. He cried for a couple of minutes, and then... lights out. The rest of that summer if he woke up early I headed straight for the hammock so that he'd go right back to sleep

[ToeJam]

Any experience with child carrier packs?
I see them a lot, never heard how well they work.

I have experience with 2 child carriers. Most of my milage is walking the park closest to our house, which happends to be an old volcano. I walk to the top at least 3x per week with him on my back so as he slowly gets heavier my legs keep up with him.

Tried to go ultralight (cough, laugh and laugh some more). Ultralight meaing a 5lbs pack The Sherpani Rumba was the lightest on the market that we could find last November. It was fine for a while but as he hit the 25lbs mark the hip belt just couldn't handle it. At its tightest the pack slipped down no matter what and I'm not little in the middle. I called the company and guess what... they don't make it anymore. Wonder why . They sent us a new one free of charge but same problem.

Osprey just got in the childcarrier game. I've logged 10 miles and one strawberry picking day with it and I love it. It's heavier. They claim 6lbs but it's closer to 7lbs. Anyway it fits like a dream and I swear he feels lighter on my back. Goes to show how a good pack can make all difference. The price is crazy steep $289ish. But the amount of time we spend on the trail it's worth every penny.

I will say he seems happy in any pack. Longest he's gone so far is a 6 hour trek and he was happy as could be the whole time. He even ate lunch in the pack as our lunch break involved gorgeous views but also cliffs of insanity.

Wow... that was a mini review. Child carriers = awesome. I'll report back on the cargo space after our trip, I mean jaunt.

[ToeJam]

Last summer when our youngest wasn't quite a year old, he would wake up fussy and inconsolable at around 3:00 or 4:00 in the morning. We'd walk him around, but as soon as we stopped he'd start up again. Finally I figured I'd just go out in the hammock and let him cry it out so that the Missus could finally get some shut-eye. He cried for a couple of minutes, and then... lights out. The rest of that summer if he woke up early I headed straight for the hammock so that he'd go right back to sleep

This is great news!! We've tented with him and he was a squirming machine. I'm hoping hammocks have the same effect on him. Thanks for the reply!

[futbolfreak08]

Any experience with child carrier packs?
I see them a lot, never heard how well they work.

My wife and I have one. Our 18 month old likes it, but I recommend going to rei and getting fitted. We got ours at a second hand sale and the hipbelt sits too low for her and too high for me. You really begin to miss that support when you get a couple miles in and have a squirmy 20 pound kid (plus accessories) on your back. Still it's worth the money. It opens up so many more possibilities than a stroller.