How to Get Outside With Your Kids in Vermont

I am no expert on parenting nor do I feel like “Super Dad” on most days—just a new dad doing the best I can day in and day out. But what I am confident about is knowing the best part about being a parent is sharing my love for the outdoors with my kids. It’s something that has brought me so much peace and happiness in my life and to see my kids also enjoying the outdoors is the ultimate reward. Before having kids, our life was completely centered around outdoor recreation. Every weekend was a new trail, a new place, a new adventure. Playing outside gave us life, and still does. It relieves our stress. It rejuvenates us. So when it came time for my wife, Kori, and I to have our first baby, we had to figure out how we were going to adapt our outdoor lifestyle as parents. Three years later, we are the proud parents of two beautiful boys, Henry (3) and Max (1). Getting outside has certainly become more work in the past few years but I am here to tell you, it CAN be done and it’s so worth the extra effort. Below are a few tips we’d like to share with you on how we find success in enjoying the outside world with our little ones.

Adventure Small

Don’t bite off more than the kids can chew. Don’t set out to go hike Camels Hump. Think more like the Richmond River trail or the LaPlatte natural area in Shelburne - trails that don’t have much elevation and are shorter loops that won’t tire them out too much.

Slow down and focus on the little things.

You might be surprised at all the interesting details around you. Appreciate the way a certain tree bends. How soft the moss is. How neat the little snails are in the puddle. Moments like this are usually the ones that stick with you and your little ones. The view at the top might be amazing but so is appreciating just being outside and seeing this big, awesome world through your kids’ eyes.

Encourage but don’t force it.

Feel out the vibe and read the room. Hype it up! If you’re excited, they’re excited! Let your enthusiasm for playing outside shine through. It can be contagious. If they’re not sold on your enthusiasm, ask them what they want to do. Giving them choices encourages them to engage and make a decision. Maybe your little ones would rather go build a snowman than ski and that’s ok!

If you sense that getting outside might result in a full meltdown, maybe it’s not worth it. Staying in and playing some games or doing arts and crafts, or reading some books might be just as fun if it means keeping the peace. Also, pay attention to weather conditions. Your kids are going to have way more fun skiing when it’s 30 and sunny vs. 0 and windy. Sometimes forcing them to go outside will backfire so take it easy and go when the time is right.

Bring snacks. Lots of snacks.

Having snacks is critical. Snacks for the kids, snacks (and maybe a beverage) for the adults. No matter how well your adventure might be going, it only takes a split second for the “Hangries” to kick in. Snacks will keep the adventure going or buy you time to make it back home while keeping the stress level low.

Equip yourself with the right gear.

We are in a constant state of buy/sell/trade for outfitting our kids. How do they grow so fast?! It’s a mystery that has escaped the scientific world for thousands of years. Outdoor Gear Exchange is a great community resource for second-hand clothing for kids and items such as kid-carrying backpacks and bike trailers to help you get out with your little ones. The cool thing about kids' stuff is that it usually gets used only for a couple of years, and then needs to find a new home. There’s no better feeling than scoring a killer deal in the OGE basement for the kiddos and then checking out to find that you have a balance on your account. Keep the rotation going and it will feel like you’re just trading old for new all the time.

Can’t make it to OGE? Check out your local yard sales and thrift shops to find clothing and gear for your kids - it’ll save you money and is much more environmentally friendly. Textile mills that make clothing are responsible for one-fifth of the world's industrial water pollution and use 20,000 chemicals during the process. By purchasing used clothing, you are helping reduce this impact of clothing production and keeping other garments out of landfills.

Make time to get out for yourself.

If you and your partner make time to go get your kicks without the little ones, it will take the pressure off to go hard when you’re adventuring with the kids. This will allow you to focus on maximizing their fun and yours and help you keep the expectations low when out with the kids. That being said, this has probably been the most challenging goal to accomplish as new parents. There are a lot of logistics to navigate such as finding childcare. Luckily we have some help from our parents from time to time. This past weekend, Kori’s mom, Sandi, watched the kids for the whole afternoon so we could go celebrate our wedding anniversary. We took off as soon as our youngest went down for a nap and spent the day doing some downhill mountain biking at Bolton Valley, followed by dinner and a quick stop at the lake in South Hero for some bird watching in the golden hour. We were only gone for about 5 hours but we felt completely refreshed mentally and physically by the time we returned to put the kids to bed.

Outdoor adventure dates with Kori have been key to keeping our sanity through the tough moments. We appreciate and savor our time together even more now that we have the parent perspective. I think its super important to take care of yourself first so you then have the capacity to be there for your children.

To Sum it Up

Parenting is hard work. No question. Sometimes, making the effort to adventure with the kiddos might feel as hard as climbing that mountain. But much like climbing that mountain, the reward at the top is always worth it.