Over the weekend Jim and I went canoe camping with a group of friends, which included an 18 month old.  Summers over the past 5 years for us have been centered on weddings so it isn’t surprising that there are an increasing number of infants and toddlers in our community of friends.  We were understandably a bit skeptical about how this trip would go.  It seemed ambitious of his parents to propose such a trip, which included an almost kilometer long portage.  I’m happy to say that it went well and since I promised a report back on how it went to others hoping to do similar trips in their future, I thought I’d share my findings here on the Gumboot.

Practice Before You Go – In the weeks leading up to the trip it is a good idea to get out in the canoe for shorter trips, which can be a good indicator for whether or not such a trip is a good idea.  It also helps sort out things like the best place everyone should sit and if old enough what activities can occupy the young passenger.  It is likely also a good idea to pull out the tent early to get used to a new space for quiet time and napping.

“Special Jacket” – A PDF is a must on these trips and not always the most comfortable for little ones.  From what I learned from my friends, PFDs are fine for when infants are so small that they don’t move much and also fine for when fuller mobility is gained.  But there is definitely a period in between when a PFD makes babies with partial mobility really unhappy because they can’t move, meaning that a trip might not be an option.  Making sure that a PFD fits and is comfortable is essential to a successful canoe trip.

Tethered Paddle (or whatever else might be the object of play) – It sounds like infants will just sleep in the canoe, which means entertainment isn’t much of an issue.  But toddlers need an activity to keep them occupied.  Our friends got a small paddle for their son to play with and quickly found on their practice trips that he liked throwing it in the water.  Rather than constantly turning around to retrieve the paddle, they drilled a hole in the handle to tie it to the canoe, making it easily retrievable.

Keep the Schedule – napping, eating and whatever else is essential for daily good moods should be maintained on the trip.  It meant leaving really early so that we could arrive at the campsite for lunch and the early afternoon nap, as well as eating dinner by 6.  But the rigour of his parents knowing and maintaining the schedule made it a more pleasant trip for everyone.

Be Prepared for Learning – While you might think that your little one is secure in a tent because they haven’t yet mastered zippers that changes quickly.  By day 2 of 3, our friends’ son had figured out the zipper well enough to escape the tent when he was done his afternoon nap.  A possible solution we though up was a carabineer to attach the zippers on his side of the tent to make sure he didn’t go exploring that night.

Flexible Adventures – this goes for both parents and fellow canoe campers, since the terms of the trip are dictated by the youngest traveler.  Having a little one along might mean sticking closer to the base camp or setting off on adventures of different scales.