Life On The Move

Family Bouldering

 

In the past eight months I have been asked many times “How do you take your baby climbing with you?” Well it has been quite easy actually. But before I dive in I want to say a few things about safety. Keeping your baby safe must be your number one priority. No matter how passionate we are about climbing our kids are our priority and their safety is paramount. Gavin has not been hurt thus far and I plan to keep it that way. That being said we are taking our children outside and into nature. It is inevitable that something will happen it is just a matter of time. Hopefully with the right precautions and planning we can reduce the chance of that “something” to a scrape or scratch.

First of all having at least two people is clutch in a successful day at the crag or boulder area. I do take Gavin out to boulder by myself and I feel that this is OK. When solo I choose a super easy to access venue and I climb for mileage not difficulty. For me just being outside is 85% of the experience for me. But now I want Gavin to love being outside as much as I do. So there are several things that we can do to make the time spent outside enjoyable for all. I read an article a year or so ago in Climbing or Rock and Ice magazine about this topic that was very insightful. I have taken a few ideas from that article and molded them with my own style to create “Daddy Daycare Daily Bouldering Days: Rules and Ethics TM“.

The first thing to consider is your child’s age. Most of my time is spent with an eight month old but my buddy Jensen has a three year old and a ten moth old. My little guy is less mobile than Jensen’s two, which makes Gavin much easier outside. For a typical day bouldering with just Gavin and I, I bring an extra crash pad just for him. The Organic brief case pad is perfect for the little guy to use as his home base. Sometimes a larger pad is better depending on how flat the area is. When I am not using the pad I use a weather proof ground cloth. The ground cloth is nice because it gives the kids a larger area to explore. I always keep Gavin in the front of my mind when we are in the mountains. As parents, you know how fast your kids like to put stuff into their mouths. Another good idea is to use you Moby and jackets to pad around the little guy to give him some protection and cushion. Also, when it is just Gavin and I, I like to spend time with him talking about the rocks, water, flora, and fauna. I want him to have experiences outside too. I love letting him touch things.

With more than one person to help when bouldering your day is luxurious. There is always someone else there to help with the kids. Feedings, changes, and the occasional spot. I have taken Gavin to a couple of areas where the ground had a pitch to it. Here I secured him with a girth hitch to a tree. Moms, do not freak out, there was another person right next to him. The only reason that I did this was just in case he tipped over. Now once your baby is mobile then the games change again. Two people are a must. But until then no problem. Once that happens with Gavin I will post an update. I am thinking of implementing the pack-n-play when this time arrives.

We bring Gavin with us to the climbing gym all of the time. We feed him right when we arrive and normally he sleeps for an hour or so, then we take turns playing with him on the mats. He loves the climbing gym. Or so it seems.

I have had great experiences taking Gavin with us on trips to the crag too. We use a Moby baby sling and this works just fine for the approach. Again the best thing is to have a crash pad or ground cloth with you to give the kids something to play on. And this is for no other reason than to semi-control what is in their range of reach. When climbing routes outside I do not like to leave Gavin solo for a sec. Here in Japan there are more varieties of large wasps and hornets then I can explain. Just look up the Giant Asian Hornet. So keeping a close eye on the kids is uber important.

When I take Gavin out I try to not for get the essentials. The key to this is to not bring to much along. But always be prepared just in case. Now that Gavin has started eating “real” food three times a day, his bag is much heavier now. But if you are just bouldering no problem. Just throw them into the crash pad and go.

My usual list is:

1. Baby food times three resealable bags. Ella’s work great.
2. The Skiphop– 7 diapers, 25 baby wipes.
3. A few toys that he only has when we are outside. That way they are new to him.
4. Sunscreen and Bug spray
5. 1 extra onesie(spring, summer, and fall) heavier cloths in winter(plus socks)
6. 1 bottle just in case
7. His sun hat
8. Snot sucker
9. A couple of rags for the food mess

All of this changes so much, depending on where we are going and what time of the year it is. If you are a new parent there is a bunch of info out there with lists and many recommendations. As you keep going outside you will see what you are using and what is just dead weight. Have fun out there and be safe.

 

Go Climb Something!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This entry was posted on Friday, June 24th, 2011 at 11:21 am. It is filed under Bouldering, japan and tagged with baby, beta, Bouldering, Climbing, family, reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.