You're venturing outdoors: baby = check, the right gear = check, and smiles = check. And you're ready to get going -- and poof, you see the smile on your child's face. As a parent, when we see the baby smile, it's only for a handful of reasons.
Make it easy on yourself when on the trail and need to change a diaper ... get the footie that opens from the legs. You'll thank us later. It's a small detail that's not make or break, but it does make things easier when outside.
We always hope that it's because they love seeing our faces, but in reality, and let's be honest, we know what it is. That moment right before diaper changing time.
Before we get to the change, let's talk about covering up from the bugs and spiders outside.
Covering Up the Little One (from bugs and spiders)
Being outside with the brood has its benefits: fresh air, the family unit together, and for at least the first 30 minutes we anticipate that the little one will be awake and alert.
For us, we venture out with our little one in a carrier (Embarking on the Next Chapter of Outdoor Adventures: Preparing to Hike with an Infant / Child), which means that little legs, hands, and toes are exposed and hanging out the side.
That means that we need to either ensure that the little one is covered in bug spray (too early for us to do that) or we have proper coverage of her body. Enter stage left the footie outfits. And when it's hot in the summer or cold in the winter that presents an opportunity to ensure that she is cool or warm enough.
Materials present an interesting opportunity when it comes to thickness and temperature. We could write an entire post on hiking apparel for the little one and don't worry, we will, but for now, we are focusing on access!
Access to the reason that the little one is smiling. By the way, Bamboo Rayon or most forms of Bamboo material are great for warmer months. It's thin, it covers, and it stretches.
Easy Access with Footies
So you're on the trail and it's that time to change the diaper.
You're on the trail, got that portable changing pad down, and ready to go. If you've got buttons or difficult snaps, access may not be the best and exposure might me a little longer.
After testing a number of options:
Partial Center Button: Just say NO. In fact, always say no to this one. You pretty much have to take the entire footie off to change the diaper.
Front Button: This is better since you can just unbutton the bottom section of the footie.
Front Zipper: When you zip from the top, you're exposing more of the child than you want to potential bugs.
Save yourself time, get the onesie with access from the bottom.
As you can see with both of these options, you can access the legs at the bottom on both snap and zipper without removing any unnecessary part of the footie. Keeps the child covered, and prevent the little bugs from getting at them. And if you get a footie with the sleeves and feet covers, you are all the better.
For warmer weather, we've found that the Günamüna Unisex Baby, Toddler Ultra-Soft Bamboo Convertible Pajama, Footie Romper Sleeper w/Diaper Zipper for Easy Changing works the best for outside on-the-go changing. But really, any option that allows you access from the bottom will work on the trail.
As you can see, the little one is on a foldable changing pad, mostly covered up with ease of access to the diaper. Make it a little easier with the right footie when you want the child outside and covered up.
Now get outside and enjoy the trails. Happy hiking!