“You take the high road and I’ll take the low road...” We sing a lot of different tunes as we’re heading down the trail. It helps take our minds off the weight of our backpacks. Other hikers don’t think we’re too strange. We come with a license to sing – our daughter.

Her inaugural backpacking trip was two months shy of her first birthday. I carried her and her gear on my back; my husband carried everything else. She was thrilled with the campsite, tickled pink with yet another dinner outdoors, ready for bed right on schedule and she slept like a log, having spent previous nights in the tent on car camping trips.

The trip was a resounding success, not because of luck, but because of careful consideration given to the logistics of backpacking with the under six set. Whether your children are carrying their own weight or pulling your hair to make the “pony” go faster or snoozing in a snuggly, you need to be realistic about the distance and degree of difficulty you can handle.

Before you start packing, assess your family’s potential with day hikes first. If there are no major meltdowns from mom, dad or child and you’re all still communicating happily with one another at the end of the day, you’re probably ready to take the next step – which is assessing the camping part of the equation.

If you’ve car camped and your child is used to the tent, move on. If not, take a few trial runs (in the backyard or a nearby park campsite) and see what works, what doesn’t and what can be improved. Do you need an extra sleeping pad? Do you need a child’s sleeping bag or can they sleep with you? Try it again and again until you have the kinks worked out.

Now you’re ready to take the leap to overnight backpacking. Think carefully about what you need to take. If your child is still in diapers, pack sufficient supplies, but as with everything, don’t overpack. Instead, choose a destination within a kilometre or two of the parking lot. If you’ve underestimated amounts, it’s only a short jaunt back down to the car to pick up more.

If you’re an experienced backpacker, you’ll have your own checklist of the gear you’ll need for an overnight trip. If you’re new to the game, follow a backpacker’s checklist and besides the child’s clothes and any special food, add one or two small books and lightweight toys.

Start slow, think small and build up to longer trips when backpacking with the under six set. Before you know it, they’ll be leaving you in the dust!