Hiking with a Baby Gear: a Complete List
So you have a baby, and you want to take him or her on a hike! Hiking with a baby is a joyful experience, and it’s made even better when you have great gear to keep you and your baby comfortable. Here are my must-haves for hiking with a baby gear, with tips on where to get budget friendly pieces too!
Disclaimer: This blog post may contain affiliate links, where if you make a purchase, I may make a small commission at no additional cost to you. All opinions are mine and not sponsored in any way.
Hiking with a baby: what should baby wear?
What you need to hike with a baby depends a lot on what the weather and climate is where you live. We live in the Pacific Northwest, so our hikes are generally very wet and cool for the winter months and pretty warm in the summer. Let’s break it down by season.
Baby hiking gear for the summer
In the summer, I keep my son in either lightweight merino outfits or playsuits with a sun hoodie and hat. Your baby’s skin is very sensitive when they are little, and it’s critical to keep your baby protected from harmful sun rays.
For lightweight baby merino wool, I love Iksplor. I kept my infant in these incredible baby base layers (code ELIZABETHSEEKS for 10% off) during the warm summer months and they worked great. What’s amazing about merino wool is that it is thermoregulating and also offers natural UV protection. This means that it will help keep your baby cool in the heat, while also blocking sun rays.It also wicks moisture away from your baby’s skin, so if they sweat, they will still be more comfortable than in other options. Unreal, right?!
I also love the lightweight Wee Woolies zippies. These are about the same thickness as the Iksplor base layers and are convenient one piece options. They’re also a little more affordable if budget is a concern.
An alternative option is to go for normal clothes with a sun hoodie. One drawback is that if your baby is in cotton short sleeves and gets sweaty, the moisture will stay on your baby’s body. However, provided the day isn’t insanely hot and you have shade for your baby, this can be a perfectly acceptable option.
You’ll also want to consider other forms of sun protection: hats and sunglasses. It may be challenging to get your baby to wear sunglasses, but I certainly tried. For hats, get a wide brimmed hat with a strap to secure it on your baby’s head.
I also liked having something lightweight to use to make shade if we were hiking somewhere more exposed. Muslin blankets work well for this: they pack up very small and do not weight much. They can also serve as a great spot to let your little one rest, lay down, or play while you’re hiking with a baby.
Sunscreen is obviously a good idea as well when you’re hiking in the heat. However, note that many sunscreens are not recommended for infants under 6 months old. Generally speaking, it’s best to keep as much of their skin covered by clothing as you can. Check the label on your sunscreen before applying to your baby. I like spray on sunscreen for ease of use. Another good option is mineral-based sunscreen. I’ve tried multiple brands of mineral sunscreen and am sharing my favorite with you!
For footwear, if your baby isn’t walking yet, any pair of sneakers should do just fine. We also often kept our son in fleece booties before he was walking.
Baby hiking gear for fall and spring
For cooler and wetter temperatures, the clothing for hiking with your baby will look a little different. Fall and spring hiking with a baby are all about layering appropriately. It could be in the 60s and sunny or in the 30s and frigid, depending on where you are!
I still start with a wool base layer (a theme you will see across all seasons). Then, I add in a fleece layer. My infant and toddler fleece buntings are probably the most used outdoor item I own for my son. They are so convenient for keeping your little one warm while hiking, but also great for around the house in cooler weather. The fleece is very durable so it serves to protect whatever your baby is wearing underneath so it’s a win-win.
- Baby fleece bunting (one of our most used baby items, outside of hiking too)
For wet weather, which we get a lot of in the Pacific Northwest, you’ll want rain gear on your fall and spring hikes. For little ones, it’s great to have a one piece rain suit (one piece everything, truly). But, the smallest size I’ve found is 12 months.
- Baby rain suit (12 month size)
- Toddler rain suit (the one we have, which has been through the wringer and we are on season 2 of using it!)
- Baby rain jacket
You may want to grab some waterproof boots for your baby if you’re really getting outside in the thick of wet weather, but we only got our son rain boots once he started to walk around 13 months old.
Baby hiking gear for winter
For winter excursions, I still use wool base layers, but will often opt for the heavier weight Iksplor Adventure Zippy (code ELIZABETHSEEKS for 10% off) instead of the base layers because the zippy is heavier weight (it can also be used as a mid layer over a lighter base layer!). I also still use the fleece bunting and occasionally the rain suit too.
If it’s very cold or we’re going to the snow, there are a few other items you’ll want to have to complete the clothing element of your hiking with a baby gear list.
- Snow suit: we love our Columbia snow suit. It’s warm, comfortable, and easy to get on and off.
- Down bunting: If it’s really cold but you’re not going to get wet or snowy, the down bunting is what you want to have. This is also great for cold stroller walks or park time.
- Baby mittens: You will want to keep your baby’s hands and fingers warm with mittens
- Warm baby hat: A wool beanie is the perfect addition to your baby’s winter outfit
- Baby wool socks: A must have for cold temperatures
- Baby snow boots: Insulated booties for winter are essential
Gear for hiking with a baby (that isn’t clothing)
There are a few key pieces of hiking with a baby gear that you will want to have to make your adventures easier. The most important is your hiking carrier.
For babies that are under six months old, you’ll need a soft sided carrier. The Ergo carrier we have is comfortable, easy to use, adjustable for all sorts of bodies, and most importantly our son was happy in it. We also tried the Tula light but definitely prefer the Ergo for hiking because it’s more comfortable for both baby and parent.
In cooler or wetter temperatures, you will want to get a cover for your Ergo carrier to keep your baby warm and dry. We did not get one of these because we ended up spending a good chunk of our son’s first winter in Ecuador, but I know of many mamas who have and love these.
You can also hike with your baby in a baby wrap, but for me this was not very comfortable as wraps do not offer the level of support that the soft sided carriers do. I love my wrap but pretty much use it only around the house or on airplanes when baby needed to sleep. However, some hiking mamas do like using them for the trails.
A portable changing mat is essential for the trails too, but there’s no need to get anything special. We use the same one around town and on the trails.
A sit pad is a nice-to-have item for hiking with a baby, so you can nurse or just hold your baby and rest in comfort. These are especially nice in cold weather. They’re super light weight as well
A wet bag. These are super handy, for dirty diapers or for clothing that gets wet or soiled. It will keep the rest of your gear clean and dry.
Food for your baby. Depending on your baby’s age and if you are breastfeeding or formula feeding, you’ll want to bring supplies. For trail snacks, I like to bring fresh fruit (bananas, mandarins, and berries are a favorite), canned beans, puffs, and pouches.
Hiking poles. These are a must for me whenever I hike with my son, because the extra weight of carrying a child can throw off your balance. It’s a safety concern for me so I highly recommend these for parents of small children on hikes!
Nursing tops can be really nice to have while hiking, particularly during colder weather. Iksplor has ver popular nursing Merino wool tops that I would like to try out myself. Use code ELIZABETHSEEKS for 10% off.
- Nursing merino wool top (long sleeve)
- Nursing merino wool top (short sleeve)
Wiledore also has a beautiful nursing sweatshirt for cooler temperatures. It works for maternity, nursing, and postpartum as well. All Phases Fleece
Safety gear is always important, but even more so when you have a little one on the trail with you.
- A personal location beacon, the Garmin Mini Inreach: the best peace of mind you can get with this investment. It allows you to send and receive text messages via satellite, and also has an SOS button that will project your exact location for 24 hours to local emergency services in case you need a rescue.
- Navigation: I use AllTrails Pro to download offline maps for trails so I can more easily follow trails. This is especially handy for less traveled areas or where the trail is not as obvious.
- The ten essentials: some pieces of gear you should always have with you, like extra food, a way to start a fire, a first aid kit, and more. Read more about the ten essentials here.
Where to find cheaper baby hiking gear
It can be really expensive to get all the hiking with a baby gear that you want or need. There are a few ways you can reduce the cost of your gear.
Buying baby hiking gear at the thrift store
Your success will vary widely depending on where you live (for example, I’ve heard that it’s easy to find great baby outdoorsy gear in Salt Lake City, where there are lots of children and lots of outdoorsy people). I’ve had luck finding things like fleece sweatshirts and winter jackets for my son at thrift stores.
Repurpose what you have
You probably have gear that you can repurpose for hiking. For example, fleece pajamas are something most parents have. You can use these instead of a fleece bunting for a mid layer!
Patagonia Worn Wear for babies
Patagonia has a used clothing site, Worn Wear, that you can shop from and get really high quality baby outdoors gear from at a reduced cost. However, it still isn’t cheap, because Patagonia products never are.
REI ReSupply
Exclusively for REI members, you can find used gear at reduced costs at their ReSupply site.
Iksplor Used
Iksplor has a small used site for wool gear.
Shop Amazon during big sale events
You can find gear from places like Columbia, Osprey, Garmin, and more on Amazon and get them for much lower prices during times like Prime Day. You can easily find 20-40% off discounts during big sales.
Facebook Marketplace
Facebook Marketplace is another great option to find used gear, especially things like baby carriers and kid hiking backpacks. My kid carrier is many years old, handed down at least to three different families, and still works. Similarly, baby buntings, both fleece and down, as well as jackets and snow gear, are very usable for more than one child.
Ask Friends and Family
I’ve gotten a ton of baby gear from family members who handed down items they no longer needed. If you have friends or family with little ones, ask them if they have gear they can share! You can also pass it back to them after using it.
Hiking with a baby gear conclusion
There are certainly things that will make hiking with a baby more comfortable, but you can also get by with a lot less. Especially on more relaxed trails and if you’re not planning on hiking huge distances for long periods of time! Get out there and enjoy nature with your little one. You’ll both be happier for it!
