An awesome skill you can learn if you use a hiking baby carrier is to walk while breastfeeding. By choosing the best infant carrier for the purpose, you can nurse your baby hands-free while you’re out and about. It may take a little practise, but it’s worthwhile if it means you can enjoy outdoor activities with your baby — and you need nothing more than a hiking baby carrier. Australia is such a great place to enjoy the great outdoors. It doesn’t make sense to wait until your child is old enough to no longer need regular feeds before you get back out on the trails. Here are a few carrier options to consider.
1. Lite Compact Travel Carrier
Designed for all kinds of trips, the Lite Compact Travel Carrier is ideal for hiking. As well as making it possible to carry your infant in comfort, the carrier features a front-hip pouch to transport items you need for your baby, eliminating the need for an additional bag. For storage, the carrier itself folds away into this pouch to take up as little space as possible.
This baby carrier is ultra-lightweight, which avoids adding any extra burden that would make hiking more difficult. The material is durable, easy to clean, and fast drying, making it ideal for all types of outdoor activities. A final characteristic that makes this one of the best baby carriers for hiking is the hood, which you can use both for breastfeeding and to keep your child covered from the sun.
2. Free-to-Grow Baby Carrier
If you want a carrier you can continue to use as your infant grows, the best baby carrier has to be one from the Free-to-Grow range. You can start taking your baby on hikes as a newborn using the front-facing position, which is ergonomic and allows you to breastfeed. Once your child has good head and back control, you’re free to switch to back carry. This suits toddlers up to 45 pounds — which is ideal if you want to go for a long hike but you know your child won’t be able to walk the whole way.
The reason this is arguably the best baby hiking carrier is it provides your baby with plenty of support and it’s comfortable for you. For instance, it has dual-adjustment padded shoulder straps, a wide-padded waistband, and extra leg padding. However, the fabric is still lightweight and cool to prevent neither you nor your baby from becoming overheated. You can also easily adjust the straps while on the go to switch between wearers.
3. Explore Carrier
Another versatile carrier is the Explore. This actually offers three carrying positions: front facing to breastfeed, forward facing, and back carry. Again, you can use it for babies ranging in age from newborn to toddler. However, since you can switch carry positions with ease, it’s particularly ideal for babies who are still breastfeeding but would enjoy facing out for some of the hike to see their surroundings. You can also adjust the size to change who carries the baby during the hike to allow all the caregivers the chance to spend time with your baby — and give mum a bit of a rest!
4. Signature Ring Slings
In the world of baby carriers, there’s nothing more versatile than a ring sling. You thread the fabric through two rings to create the right size for your baby. After this, you can place the carrier on either shoulder to carry your child on your front, back, or hip. It’s easy to remove the carrier if you’re stopping to take a break on your hike, if you want to change position, or if someone else wants to carry the baby for a while.
The best ring sling for breastfeeding has to be the Signature Ring Sling. The fabric is incredibly soft and breathable, which means you can cover your baby just like you would with a nursing blanket. The added benefit is there’s no need to use your hands. The slings are also available in a wide variety of stylish fabrics to suit your personal style. Plus, the material is temperature regulating, which avoids your baby becoming too hot if you’re taking a hike on a warm day — this makes it a top contender for the best hiking baby carrier.
All that’s left to do is choose the best baby carrier. Australia now has Baby Tula, where you’ll find the best hiking baby carrier, best sling for breastfeeding, top options for carrying babies ranging from newborns to preschoolers, and much more. Check out our online store to see our full range of products.