Caching with a young child in the middle of the woods has taught me tough lessons on what I should have on hand to keep her happy & comfortable and willing to keep geocaching.  I'm sharing my list of must-haves in order to keep the family fun going on the trails.

Backpack Necessities for Small Children

Geocaching for two years with mostly my daughter (who is now 5) has been quite the family fun.  She has begun to recognize hiding spots & often I “let” her make the find.  She LOVES to trade. 

While we’ve both enjoyed the hobby, there have been several instances on the trails where I have been unprepared to deal with her necessities. This has made for some very unpleasant whining, crying, and “*@!&”…we have turn back and skip those caches”, moments.  After doing this enough times, I have come up with a small list of MUST-HAVE’S in my backpack.  Most of these are common sense, but others I would not have thought I needed until the situation arose where I was lacking.  Obviously every child’s needs are different, but I think the following are a nice place to start.

1.   Bottled Water:

I’ve found that two 8oz size bottles (with the pop-up caps, because she always drops the screw on caps) are perfect for her.  Why two 8oz & not one 16oz?  8oz is easier for her to hold and to bring to her lips without spilling. Freezing it 1-2 nights before also keeps it cool all day as it melts.

2.   Lunch and/or Snacks (Individually wrapped Goldfish, or pretzel packs, etc.):

      There is nothing worse than being out on the trails longer then you expected (because one cache took you a ½ hour to hunt for…and you still have those two left that are both in that magical range .10 & .20 miles away), when the familiar and unrelenting, “mommyI’mhungrymommyI’mhungrymommyI’mhungrycanIeatnowcanIhaveasnackcanIhavelunchmommyI’mhungry” starts.  I’ve taken to splurging sometimes for her on these hikes & buying the uncrustables or lunchables.  They are great grab & go items; and I know she likes them, so there is no arguing that she doesn’t want that. Also, I use the frozen water bottle to keep her lunch cool.

3.    Liquid hand sanitizer:

       Oh, the yucky things kids can find to touch. And how do they attract so much dirt?

4.     Pre-moistened towelette napkins:

One day on the trails, I gave my daughter a peanut butter & jelly sandwich.  The hand sanitizer was great to wash off her sticky hands when she was done (and to wash the dirty grime off before she ate), but I couldn’t use the sanitizer on her face and only had a tissue to wipe her.  That did almost nothing for the stickiness to her face, which made for some very happy mosquitoes and one very, very unhappy child. I had to use our drinking water to wash her up. Lesson learned. 

5.     A roll of toilet paper in a Ziploc bag:

A box of tissues is too bulky & a small travel size wad of tissues is never enough, more expensive and harder to keep stocked.  A small roll of toilet paper gives you the option to use only a little or a lot as needed. A Ziploc bag keeps it from getting moist, dirty, or unraveling in your backpack. 

6.     On The Go Potty Seat made by Kalencom Corp:

Two miles into the middle of nowhere…you recognize that dance…and no time to make it back. Every parent knows this crisis. Let’s all admit it, there must have been times we adults have had to step off the trail & answer the call of nature.  Most little kids are NOT going to be happy about the prospect of really roughing it like that. Plus, there is the concern they won't be careful and pick up a critter or poison ivy by stepping off the trail.  Well, this product is a portable, folding potty chair.  The legs fold out and rest on as level ground as possible. You attach a disposable lined bag to the seat (comes with 2 bags & packages of refill bags are sold separately).   It comes with a storage bag and is surprisingly light-weight.  I found it at Babies-R-Us for about $10.

7.    A gallon size Ziploc bag and a plastic bag for trash for the above mentioned items.

8.    Mosquito spray for little kids.

I usually use the heavier stuff that contains deet for her clothes, but anything that has to contact her skin, I try to use bug spray for kids.

9.    A first aid kit containing anti-histamine cream for kids, chapstick for kids, a sunblock stick for kids, a fine tooth comb (to check her hair for ticks before we get back in the car), tweezers, a tick remover, and lots of band-aids, preferably with their favorite character on them (anything to distract from the cut or scrape). 

10.  Trade items in several different sizes.

Of course my daughter MUST trade at every cache.  The possibility of treasure keeps her motivated.  Since we never know how big the cache really is, I have an assortment of trade items, from stickers, to bouncy balls, to decks of cards, to mini-toys.  

11. A complete change of clothes usually left in the car.  Also, as the weather gets cooler, I pack her a sweatshirt and sweatpants.  It could be warm by the car, but once under the trees, or if hiking to the seashore, it may be cooler.

If any of these items seem indulgent to you, just remember that I want her to have just as much fun as I am. Most children do not have the tolerance for small inconveniences, and will rapidly deteriorate into whining, making both your experiences less enjoyable.  If a bag of goldfish & some towelettes will keep her happy and motivated to keep going for the next cache, then I’m all for spoiling and keeping the fun going as long as she can hold out.  Happy Caching everyone!