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I have been lurking on the forum for a while, and as everyone is so helpful, I would like to ask the following..
I have been lurking on the forum for a while, and as everyone is so helpful, I would like to ask the following.
We were blessed with a new son last November, and we want to walk the Camino Frances over the next few years from SJPP - one or two weeks at a time, and aim to finish it sometime when he is between 6 and 8.
We do have a child carrier, but he is blossoming quickly and we are worried that by the end of May (when he will be over 6 months, so he can try food on the way) he will be too heave for us to carry - he is already approaching 9kg!
We do have a Britax b-smart offroad buggy, as we live in the country, but having seen some of the pictures I do not think we will be able to push / pull it along - and he would get rattled around a lot... OR can you recommend a section of about a week, only doing 50% to 75% of a 'standard' stage in a day, which is more buggy friendly? Or can you recommend a good comfortable carrier, for a child who will be around 9.5 to 10 kg?
In years to come when he will be able to walk a little more, we will probably bring a backpack carrier for him as well... This year we are going to stay in pensions/hostels too, to be considerate to those pilgrims who have had long days, so any recommendations to go along with the sections would be good.
Thank you in advance for your time and help, it is much appreciated.
Cinimod, there was a couple who did the Camino in the winter with their baby. They made a series of Youtube videos which you may find interesting.
Whilst I do agree with the first part of your post Pano, I certainly do not agree with the rest of it......Many people are walking and have walked the Camino with both babies and small children......Whether or not they choose to walk for spiritual or other reasons is immaterial.....the fact that they WANT to walk and that they WANT to include their children in their life decisions is what matters.....just saying....smiles.The crossing of the Pyrenees, the ascent to the Alto del Perdón and the traversing of O'Cebreiro with a buggy would be very challenging.
Judgements and lecturing are inappropriate in this forum, but I dare to question the wisdom of exposing babies to the elements of weather, sanitary conditions and endurance; imposing the camino on a small, defenceless child seems selfish to me. Your write «We want to walk the CF!» Sounds to me that you have not yet started to include your small son's interests in the «We».
Pilgrims consciously undertake the camino as a spiritual journey, hardly something a small child is capable of.
Well, Susanawee, while I fully concur that walking on a sunny afternoon is particularly joyful for young families, we are talking of the 800km Camino-adventure here. So we have deferring opinions and leave it at that, it’s probably a generation-gap issue. It seems that current young parents put their interest first; when raising our four children, it was the other way around.Whilst I do agree with the first part of your post Pano, I certainly do not agree with the rest of it......Many people are walking and have walked the Camino with both babies and small children......Whether or not they choose to walk for spiritual or other reasons is immaterial.....the fact that they WANT to walk and that they WANT to include their children in their life decisions is what matters.....just saying....smiles.
I do wonder though what type of holiday could possibly offer more to a child in terms of being in touch with nature and exposed to a great cultural diversity of people from many backgrounds? Surely that is one of the most enriching things you can offer? At 6 months, he will be well aware of all of these things.
We are looking forward to sharing the joys of nature and interacting with people with our child, and not just immersing him in this ever increasingly detached electronic world we live in.
... I do wonder though what type of holiday could possibly offer more to a child in terms of being in touch with nature and exposed to a great cultural diversity of people from many backgrounds? Surely that is one of the most enriching things you can offer? At 6 months, he will be well aware of all of these things. ...
First of all, be very careful with the weather, heat and / or cold can put an enormous strain on such a small body! You also write:
No, sorry, he won't be aware of "cultural diversity" at an age of 6 months, but he will be aware of feeling safe, well fed (with the food he is used to) and having a stable routine. Really, please, make sure you cater to HIS needs first and then to your own.
So beautifully said!!!!@StuartM - Be careful what you wish for! We traveled with our kids all the time, lived in Europe for a year when they were teenagers, and now they can't stay put!You are right on about all the benefits of instilling wanderlust...
walkingI have been lurking on the forum for a while, and as everyone is so helpful, I would like to ask the following.
We were blessed with a new son last November, and we want to walk the Camino Frances over the next few years from SJPP - one or two weeks at a time, and aim to finish it sometime when he is between 6 and 8.
We do have a child carrier, but he is blossoming quickly and we are worried that by the end of May (when he will be over 6 months, so he can try food on the way) he will be too heave for us to carry - he is already approaching 9kg!
We do have a Britax b-smart offroad buggy, as we live in the country, but having seen some of the pictures I do not think we will be able to push / pull it along - and he would get rattled around a lot... OR can you recommend a section of about a week, only doing 50% to 75% of a 'standard' stage in a day, which is more buggy friendly? Or can you recommend a good comfortable carrier, for a child who will be around 9.5 to 10 kg?
In years to come when he will be able to walk a little more, we will probably bring a backpack carrier for him as well... This year we are going to stay in pensions/hostels too, to be considerate to those pilgrims who have had long days, so any recommendations to go along with the sections would be good.
Thank you in advance for your time and help, it is much appreciated.
I have been lurking on the forum for a while, and as everyone is so helpful, I would like to ask the following.
We were blessed with a new son last November, and we want to walk the Camino Frances over the next few years from SJPP - one or two weeks at a time, and aim to finish it sometime when he is between 6 and 8.
We do have a child carrier, but he is blossoming quickly and we are worried that by the end of May (when he will be over 6 months, so he can try food on the way) he will be too heave for us to carry - he is already approaching 9kg!
We do have a Britax b-smart offroad buggy, as we live in the country, but having seen some of the pictures I do not think we will be able to push / pull it along - and he would get rattled around a lot... OR can you recommend a section of about a week, only doing 50% to 75% of a 'standard' stage in a day, which is more buggy friendly? Or can you recommend a good comfortable carrier, for a child who will be around 9.5 to 10 kg?
In years to come when he will be able to walk a little more, we will probably bring a backpack carrier for him as well... This year we are going to stay in pensions/hostels too, to be considerate to those pilgrims who have had long days, so any recommendations to go along with the sections would be good.
Thank you in advance for your time and help, it is much appreciated.
Carrier for sure. Don't take a chariot.I have been lurking on the forum for a while, and as everyone is so helpful, I would like to ask the following.
We were blessed with a new son last November, and we want to walk the Camino Frances over the next few years from SJPP - one or two weeks at a time, and aim to finish it sometime when he is between 6 and 8.
We do have a child carrier, but he is blossoming quickly and we are worried that by the end of May (when he will be over 6 months, so he can try food on the way) he will be too heave for us to carry - he is already approaching 9kg!
We do have a Britax b-smart offroad buggy, as we live in the country, but having seen some of the pictures I do not think we will be able to push / pull it along - and he would get rattled around a lot... OR can you recommend a section of about a week, only doing 50% to 75% of a 'standard' stage in a day, which is more buggy friendly? Or can you recommend a good comfortable carrier, for a child who will be around 9.5 to 10 kg?
In years to come when he will be able to walk a little more, we will probably bring a backpack carrier for him as well... This year we are going to stay in pensions/hostels too, to be considerate to those pilgrims who have had long days, so any recommendations to go along with the sections would be good.
Thank you in advance for your time and help, it is much appreciated.
We did have a great time, we went as far as Pamplona, then decided it was too hot with too little shade for the little man, so got a bus and headed off to a few other places.Thanks for the update. I am happy to learn that you are having a Buen Camino.
We did have a great time, we went as far as Pamplona, then decided it was too hot with too little shade for the little man, so got a bus and headed off to a few other places.
We will be back to do more, once Josh is on his feet and able to walk a bit on his own... we had hoped to have given him more crawling time along the route, but finding somewhere which is not strewn with toilet paper seemed very challenging!
ThisSounds like the little one was possibly not set at the right height in the pack, may get a crick in his neck, but unless you drop them out they are unlikely to get brain damage fortunately.
Agreed. We took ours at 14 months (so crawling, almost walking) but he had been trained to be really happy in the pack from a young age (it was, and remained for a long time, his "happy" spot). I think it works best when they are young enough to be happy not to be on the move for a couple of hours at a time or old enough to walk it themselves. And on the younger side, it really depends on the baby and their personality. I wouldn't do it with most babies. But with our little guy's personality it was the best decision we ever made. But we won't try it again until he is 8, 9, 10, 11 (or older if need be)....whatever age he's ready to walk it (bRegards taking a small child our advice would be - either go before they can crawl, and are happy to be in a sling or front carrier snuggled up all the time, or go once they can walk a bit, and communicate basic needs too (good reason to do baby signs if you want to be able to communicate sooner!) - if you go when your child wants to crawl, and can not tell you much about how they are feeling, you can do it, but it is a bit more challenging for everyone
Not a little research, a lot. It's even more variance than in regular camino packs (which is saying something) and meanwhile the variance is even more important (given the cargo). You also should do a lot of training with the baby in the pack, one so you get used to carrying them and two so they get used to being in it. You can't start out the camino and hope the child is happy in it for hours at a time. You also need to practice your balance, falling while carrying the baby was the biggest fear of both my wife and my mother (the two who carried them). Slippery footing, bad foot placement, etc It really helped that they were used to carrying a heavy (and moving) backpack long before they stepped out on the Camino.There is a different types of baby carrier for different age of babies. I think before buying anything you should to little bit research about baby carrier. For more information you can view website.
It’s not in one stint is it ? You contradict your self by being judgemental, and sounding stuffy and pompous , not very helpful , it’s just a long walk in lots if short sectionsWell, Susanawee, while I fully concur that walking on a sunny afternoon is particularly joyful for young families, we are talking of the 800km Camino-adventure here. So we have deferring opinions and leave it at that, it’s probably a generation-gap issue. It seems that current young parents put their interest first; when raising our four children, it was the other way around.
You obs just had your opinion and don’t read , they said short bursts and private accommodation , we will be doing the same, so as not to disturb other walkers and not to tire the little one , no biggy justa a walk with a buggy , in stages@ Cinimod: Thanks for responding to my critical views so gallantly. Your good intentions are absolutely not put to question, but allow me to maintain my reservations toward taking along a 6-months-old toddler on the camino. At this age, he is not capable of grasping what is happening and he will not remember it neither. It is YOU wanting to do the camino and from what I understand, it will be your first time. My advise would be that you get the experience first by yourself, allowing to make a responsible judgement.
You will be able to test your own endurance, which will double with the extra weight; you will experience the challenges of the terrain, the endless flats of the Meseta, the weather and temperatures. Get a taste of spending nights in albergues, perhaps, - god forbid-, even endure a bug-attack!
When it comes to it, none of those voicing their encouragement's on this thread will actually share your responsibility. Give your son a chance to grow a bit older so that he is able to experience and enjoy the adventure. This btw will also be appreciated by other peregrinos (unless you plan to stay in private accommodations, of course)
But whatever you finally decide and do, may you have a wonderful Camino!
My best wishes.
Ummm... You're reacting to a post from 2014, from someone who's not even a member and probably won't ever see your reply.You obs just had your opinion and don’t read
You never know ? You did !Ummm... You're reacting to a post from 2014, from someone who's not even a member and probably won't ever see your reply.
Indeed.You never know ? You did !
Buen camino!we will be doing the same, so as not to disturb other walkers and not to tire the little one , no biggy justa a walk with a buggy , in stages
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