Creating a Cragbaby

One of Canaan's last outside climbs while on the inside.

A mountaineer doesn’t choose Everest for his first alpine climb.  A figure skater doesn’t begin with a triple-axel.  And you can’t expect your sweet bundle of joy to turn into a cragbaby overnight.  You’d better take a few runs on the bunny slope first before tackling the moguls.

In the climbing world, the term “approach” is used to refer to the initial hike that one takes to get to the base of the route you are going to climb.  Depending on the climbing area, the approach could be anywhere from a few feet away from your car to a multi-day hike.  Before your baby is ready for the crag, you’ve got to figure out the right approach to get you there.

Our first family hike with 12 day old Canaan, celebrating the day he was SUPPOSED to arrive!

Ideally, your little one’s training begins in the womb.  Research has shown that not only is exercise beneficial for mom during both pregnancy and labor, it also has many benefits for baby as well.  If you decide to use pregnancy as an excuse to sit around all day eating pizza and ice cream, you won’t have the physical ability or mental motivation to take baby out for any type of recreation, especially during those early weeks of round the clock feedings.    So turn off the TV and get off the couch so you can give your little jelly bean 9 months of practice from the “inside”!  Once your little guy or gal arrives, its time for a cragbaby action plan!

Enjoying a family picnic during our first day-long local excursion

 The first step is to ACCLIMATIZE YOUR FAMILY.  Alpine climbers have to take special steps to make sure that their bodies can adjust to the decreasing oxygen levels at higher altitudes – one way they do this is by “climbing high, and sleeping low.”  By climbing up a few thousand feet during the day but returning back to a lower altitude camp at night, the body can adjust to the higher altitudes in a safe and controlled way. 

To make sure your whole family is ready for the committment of a full day out in the woods, acclimatize slowly by planning a few local mini-adventures!  These first few forays into the outside world don’t have to be complicated – in fact, simple is better (and less stressful!).  They can be anything that serves as a chance to practice (on a smaller scale) some aspect of the adventures you have planned for later (“Climb high.”), but close by so you that you have an easy retreat when the activity is over (“Sleep low.”)  Remember, babies are flexible, and their needs, although often, are really basic.   These family outings are really designed more for you as a parent to figure out your “system” for doing things.  Sure, its advantageous for your baby to be exposed to a wide variety of new sights and sounds, but for a newborn, home is where the Mommy is.  So as long as you’ve got that covered, feel free to hit the trail! 

A mid-hike father/son snuggle

 Our family’s first mini-adventures included a 2 hour hiking excursion at Umstead Park to celebrate Canaan’s “due date” (he was 2 weeks early…).  We also took two hiking day trips – one at Umstead Park, and the other at Falls Lake.  These day trips were invaluable learning experiments which allowed us to work through the logistics close to home, as well as gain confidence in our abilities to take care of Canaan outside of the comfort zone of our own house.  We learned that diaper changing on uneven terrain can be a two person job, hiking with a 10 pound furnace is sweaty business even in the most comfortable of temps, and that its not always easy to find a comfortable nursing position in the woods (here’s a million dollar idea: a boppy pillow that self-inflates like a thermarest and packs down tiny when not in use!)

Use these local mini-adventures to narrow down your gear options, so that before you hit the crag for real you can work on the next important thing – PICKING YOUR PORTERS.  A mountaineer wouldn’t dream attempting a big expedition without choosing to hire the right porters to help carry their gear – food, water, oxygen, camping supplies, first aid, etc.  The “Sherpas” are a people group from the Himalayas that are most well-known for their skills as mountaineering guides and porters.  These guys are well-respected in the international climbing community for their toughness, knowledge, and experience.  Some speculate that these abilities are genetic adaptations from living at such high altitudes.  

For all of OUR cragbaby excursions however, we serve as our own porters, so choosing the right way to carry our gear was a MUST in our family’s comfort at the crag.  We searched far and wide for the perfect pack.  For a typical day at the crag, we needed to be able to transport baby, baby gear, climbing gear, and our food/water.  Our system ended up being Steve carrying all of our climbing gear in his bigger crag pack, with me carrying Canaan in a front carrier (we found pros and cons with both the Baby Bjorn as well as the Moby Wrap) as well as a backpack style diaper bag on my bag filled with our food, water, and all of Canaan’s gear.  We used the (aptly named…) “Baby Sherpa” backpack, and were pretty happy with it.  We liked that it had a cooler section built in to the bottom as well as a removable changing pad,and loads of pockets on the inside as well as the outside.  It was kinda bulky for everday use, and certainly wasn’t as stylish looking as the cute over the shoulder messenger bags, but it was durable and comfortable on long approaches.  But, since babies are constantly changing, your system must be flexible and open to change as well.  Once Canaan was able to sit up on his own without support (at just under 6 months) we’ve been able to use the Kelty Kid Carrier that our good friends Norbert and Manuela bought for us – and it has made life so much easier!  We still divy up the gear the same way, but its a lot easier hiking with all of my items in one spot, rather than split between my back and front! 

Finally, the last and possibly most important part of cragbaby training is to REALIZE THAT YOU WON’T ALWAYS SUMMIT!  Any experienced mountaineer knows that lot of attempts end somewhere mid-route rather than at the summit.  You can be in tip top physical condition, and have all the right gear, but there are still numerous things out of your control.  Weather, illness, injury, wildlife – these are just a few of the culprits that might keep you from reaching the top.  But a seasoned climber also knows that the real adventure is in the journey, not the final destination. 

Yes you can take your baby to the crag… but never forget that you have a BABY at the CRAG!  Never again will your climbing day be solely about taking turns working your projects or trying to get that one last route in before the sun sets so you aren’t hiking out in the dark.  Canaan will always be our first priority at the crag (or anywhere else, for that matter).  Most days we still manage to get a ton of climbing in – other days I wonder where the daylight hours have gone.  But regardless of how many routes get ticked off our list, one common thread has remained the same throughout all of our trips thus far – we have truly enjoyed spending quality time together as a family and with amazing friends in some beautiful places.  And I figure we better enjoy it now, becaues all too soon Canaan will be complaining that we’re cramping his style as he begrudgingly lets Mom and Dad toprope his warm-ups before he goes off to send his projects with his buddies…

“Do you take less risks in climbing now that you’re a mom?” 

If I had a dollar for every time someone has asked me this since Cragbaby entered on the scene…well let’s face it, I wouldn’t be rich, but I would definitely be able to buy more $4 frappucinnos at Starbucks!  The funny thing is, I never really feel like I have a good answer for this question.  I feel like the “correct” answer is, “Yes, the responsibility of raising a little person has made me less risky of a climber.”  But if I’m being honest, I don’t really think much has changed with regards to my risk assessment.  But before you start throwing stones, let me explain.

Having fun on Hit Man (5.11b) in Maple Canyon back in '08….

In a sport where certain mistakes can be fatal, no one can argue that rock climbing is a sport without risk. But with the advances in modern equipment, along with proper knowledge of that equipment’s uses and limitations, a lot of those risks can be mitigated to an acceptable level.  It’s not something I dwell on, but this concept of acceptable risk has been in the back of my mind ever since I started climbing, not just once C came along.  When my husband and I first started climbing in 2006, we had lots of discussions about risk and consequences.  We made a pact that if either of us was ever in a situation where our risk of danger felt higher than what we were comfortable with, we would bail as quickly and as safely as we could, no matter how many thousands of dollars of gear we had to leave behind, or how close we were to the summit.  That hasn’t changed since Cragbaby came along.

….and a couple hours later in the Nephi Hospital (not having as much fun)

But enough about epic scenarios – what about everyday situations?  As far as the spectrum of climbers goes, some would probably say we were more on the conservative side to begin with, so again – not much has changed.  My risk assessments pre-Cragbaby as wife, daughter, and friend are still right in line with where they are now as a climbing Mommy.   I feel like my attitude can be for the most part be boiled down to one statement, and applied in different ways depending on particular situation.

BE OKAY WITH THE CONSEQUENCES OF A FALL.
Take the following scenarios for example. 

1.  Topropes - If I or someone else that I trust has set up the anchor, I will gladly flail away on a toprope of just about any grade.

2.  Sport Routes -  If the route is bolted well and the fall zones are safe, I’ll go for it.  Yeah, I’ve taken a few nasty falls while lead climbing, including one that landed me in the ER on our first day in Maple Canyon a couple of years ago.  But it was a routine fall that I could take a million more times without incident – nothing “went wrong,” my belayer didn’t make a mistake…my knee was in the wrong place at the wrong time and bashed into a cobblestone that was jutting out from the rock. The consequences weren’t pleasant, but the experiences I had on that trip were well worth the stitches and brief weeks of physical setback. As my friend Brian wrote recently, “Sometimes we fall.”

3.  Trad – I am a self-proclaimed trad pansy. I am willing to lead a full number grade higher (often times even more) on bolted routes than I am on gear routes. In new areas, I tend stick to easier grades where I can place the gear I need in a (relatively) relaxed body position. If I’m gonna push myself, it’s going to be on a route on which I’m familiar and  comfortable with the gear placements, or a crack with obvious placements from the ground.

4.  Bouldering – It all boils down to the landing – if its well-protected with pads or spotters that I trust, I’ll go for it. If not, I don’t – simple as that.

5.  Free-soloing - No matter how comfortable I feel at the grade, or how solid the rock is, there are always factors out of my control – holds can break, swarms of bees can attack (it’s happened to me on a rope, I’m assuming it could happen without one too…).  Since I’m not okay with the fall consequences, its not for me – not pre-Cragbaby, and certainly not now! (Doesn’t mean that I don’t have several friends who choose otherwise, and more power to them – I’ll cheer them on with gusto.  But you won’t catch me doing it.)

What a lot of non-climbers don’t think about when they ask me the “risk question” is that this concept of risk and consequences is not only applicable to climbing.  I’d be willing to bet more than a few of my aforementioned $4 frappucinos that each and every one of us makes decisions based on risk every day, whether it be consciously or subconsciously.   When you’re running late do you give in to the temptation of driving too fast, risking an accident, or do you stay the speed limit and risk being late?  How many of us think about the risks of getting on an airplane, swimming in the ocean, or not wearing sunscreen before we do it?  Most people don’t think about the risks to these everyday activities, but that doesn’t mean they don’t exist!

So has my attitude about risk changed since Cragbaby entered the scene?  Not really. Yes, he is one of God’s greatest gifts to me, but every member of my family is WAY more important to me than my climbing ever could be, so his arrival has merely solidified the attitude I already had on risk.  There are a lot of things about my life that I cannot control, but what I can do is evaluate my actions and choices, make sure that I can accept all possible outcomes of those choices, (both on and off the rock) - then commit to those choices wholeheartedly, and climb on! 

So you’ve taken your family on some local mini-adventures, you’ve got all the right gear, and you’ve got the right perspective – you’re ready to hit the crag for real!  You’ve got a few different options – you could clip some bolts, plug some gear,or break out the crash pad.  And although a lot of the logistics are the same, we have discovered that within different types of climbing there are a few distinct differences with how a baby best fits into the picture.  In order to keep this post fairly concise, I’ve decided to split this section into two posts – this one for roped climbing, and the next one for bouldering…

6 week old Canaan chillin' with Daddy on his very first climbing trip to Pilot Mountain, NC

Pre-cragbaby Steve and I loved planning our multi-day climbing trips around areas that we could do  both sport and trad.  My favorite combo was a day of hard clip-ups followed by a nice long, easy multi-pitch climb.  You know the kind I mean – the approach is the crux, and the actual climbing is a relaxed way to take in some pristine mountain panoramas.  (Think: Linville Gorge, NC, or SuperNova in El Potrero Chico, MX).  But now that Canaan is in the mix, our multi-pitch days are out – not forever, just until Canaan is either done breastfeeding and able to stay with the Grand’s, or eventually, big enough to tie in with us (that’ll be a whole ‘nother post…)  So suffice it to say, all the roped stuff we’re doing these days are single-pitch – for you non-climbers out there,that means less than 100 feet or so off the ground.  It’s obviously pretty important that at no point is everyone off the ground.  Although you’d be shocked at how many people assume that I just strap C on my back and take off up the cliff…these of course are the same people that questioned my judgment for top-roping in a full body harness while C was well-protected and padded in a cushy life floating around in amniotic fluid…but again, that’s a whole ‘nother post.

Steve and I made a pact before we ever took Canaan out cragging:  NEVER LET BABY-WATCHER AND BELAYER BE THE SAME PERSON. Even though logistically it probably would’ve worked, especially in the early days before the C-Squatch got mobile, we were never willing to take the risk – too many variables outside of our control.  We decided there would always be a designated man (or woman) on Canaan duty at all times.  So the first Rule for the Ropes is this:

1.  An experienced extra partner. Three climbers means one person is climbing, one person is belaying, and one person is on Canaan- duty.  Unless your extra person is just a non-climbing babysitter, it is important that your third person be an experienced climber that you feel very comfortable with – remember, the entire day that person will hold either you or your baby’s life in their hands.  A less tiring option is to have two extra partners.  Its not a big deal if your fourth person is a newbie.  Four climbers means one person is climbing, one person is belaying, one person is on Canaan-duty, and one person is free to grab a snack, take pictures, scout out the next route, etc.  This option is more relaxed, but with a party of 4 climbing on one rope, don’t expect to get in a ton of routes.  In our experience the ideal option is 5 climbers – 2 people climbing, 2 people belaying, one person on Canaan-duty.  You save time because there are two ropes up at once, but during the down times, there are a lot more hands on deck.  More than five climbers and your posse starts getting a little crowded…

2. Know the Area. Use your best judgment and don’t forget you have precious cargo with you (that #6 camalot wasn’t cheap, right?  Just kidding…)  Some climbing areas are better suited for hiking in with a baby than others, so now is not the time to try out a new area.  Its not so much about the distance as it is the terrain.  Approaches involving scree slopes, talus strewn trails, fixed lines and water crossings are probably a little ambitious to start with, especially if your baby is still too young to ride in a backpack carrier.  Think about what the cliff base is like – if there is a chance of rain, are there any natural caves/overhangs that you’ll be able to take shelter in?  Are there steep and rocky places where it will be difficult to put your baby down for naps and diaper changes?

3.  Safe Baby Placement. This also goes along with knowing the area, but its about more than just having a flat spot to toss a blanket down for naps.  Rock fall is fairly common in some areas, and who here among us has ever accidentally dropped gear?  I know I have.  That level, out of the way area shaded by a tree might have a hornet nest at the base, or be right beside a patch of poison ivy.  Inspect these areas thoroughly.  Even though there will always be a person on baby duty, its still of utmost importance to consider all of these factors in deciding where to set up your “baby station.”

4. Expect extra nursing sessions. Breastfeeding is definitely the way to go for a whole bunch of reasons, but when it comes to cragging with your little bean, it can’t get any more convenient!  For the first 6 months you don’t have to pack any extra food (except for the ravenous nursing Mommy…)  And although the AAP recommends babies are exclusively breastfed until 6 months, there’s nothing magical about their 6 month birthday that means all of a sudden baby needs his own bag of trail mix and energy bars.  It wasn’t until around the 8 1/2 month mark that we started bringing food for C at the crag since up until then he was only eating one meal a day (dinner).

Also, accept the fact that odds are no matter how hard you try to time it, your little one will decide that only Mommy will do JUST as you are trying to pull through the crux on one of your pre-pregnancy projects (ask me how I know…).  In the early weeks there were some days that I remember preemptively nursing Canaan right before I tied in almost EVERY TIME.  Nursing is about more than just nutrition – its a safe and familiar comfort for your baby when he or she may feel a little anxious about being in such a strange environment.  Also don’t forget that babies quench not just their hunger but also their thirst through nursing.  On hot days, expect your baby to get more thirsty (don’t you?).  That being said, here’s a tip for the nursing Mommies – you will be more hungry than usual, and you should be drinking more than usual, pack accordingly.

5.  Don’t be a Moron! Pre-cragbaby, it might have been cool to spray to your friends the next day about how you got stormed off your project just as the sun was setting, had to rap down in the dark because your rope got stuck, then got lost on the hike out and almost got be-nighted because you just barely made it through before the park ranger closed the gates.  This is NOT cool with a baby on board…do your best to avoid situations that lead to these types of shenanigans.  Only climb in areas/routes that you know well, and allow plenty of extra time to make it out before dark.  Make sure both you and your baby are prepared for any and all types of weather situations you may encounter.  Do your very best to avoid an epic – even though its read as a cliche at the front of every single guidebook that I own – “Rock Climbing is a dangerous sport that can result in death, paralysis, or serious injury.”  Stay safe out there and have fun!

4 week old Canaan at his first climbing session at Triangle Rock Club

In a perfect climber’s fantasy, every day would be sunny with winter highs in the 50′s and summer highs in the 70′s.  Long, pristine multi-pitch, aesthetic sport lines, and world-class bouldering all within a 30 minutes drive.  It would only rain on days that you had previous (indoor) committments and couldn’t climb, and the sun would never set before 9.  Oh yeah, and you’d never have to wait in line for your favorite 4-star lines, even if you overslept. 

He had to come in so he could send the route that was named after him, which was set the day after he was born!

 Sure, it all sounds great, but if your life is anything like mine, sometimes reality goes more like this - You’re an hour away from the nearest decent rock, way too far to get out mid-week during those short winter days.  Monday through Thursday temps are dry and stellar, with storm systems moving in just in time for the weekend.  Then, when you finally do get the best weekend weather anyone’s seen in ages, it also happens to coincide with your boss’s daughter’s birthday party…

Canaan watching Mommy from the safety of his Cave

We all go through phases in life where we can’t get out as much as we’d like, which is why man invented climbing gyms.  And unless you’re one of the lucky ones that regularly reside in any of the above mentioned fantasies, you’ll probably be logging more than a fair share of hours at the gym over the course of this next year.  So how can you get the training time you need to stay in shape on the rocks while keeping your cragbaby entertained as well?  As long as you plan carefully, pulling on plastic can be a fun way for the whole family to stay active!  Here’s what works for us…

Timing is Everything.  Head to the gym during the hours that it is the least crowded.  For us, this means early afternoon, right when the gym opens.  Steve meets us there on his lunch break, and there is usually only a handful of other folks there.  We can get right down to business without wasting time waiting for routes to open up, and Canaan can wander around (within a safe distance of course) without getting in anyone else’s way.  In the early weeks and months, we would try to time it so that Canaan konked out on the 20 minute drive, and we would usually be able to successfully keep him asleep in the frame stroller long enough to give us an hour or so to climb.  After a few months though, Canaan realized that there was way too much going on to stay asleep!  So nowadays, our plan is to leave pretty soon after he wakes up so that we can maximize the amount of time we have before C turns into a pumpkin and gets whiney. 

Canaan getting his traverse on.

Get Your Stroll On.  We used to stroll sleeping beauty into an out-of-the-way spot where we could still keep an eye on him, and then climb as much as we could until he woke up.  Now we still start Canaan out in the stroller, but he will last anywhere from only 5 minutes up to about 30 tops before he gets antsy and wants to get down and explore. 

“Don't worry Mommy, I got you on belay!”

 Build a Barricade.  Another advantage of climbing when hardly anyone else is there is that you can commandier multiple crash pads for your cragbaby’s spelunking pleasure.  We push them up against the wall in the lead cave so that Canaan has a “cave” to play in with some toys.  Its a safe spot for him, and it keeps him happy for a good long while.  Sometimes he ”climbs” on whatever holds happen to be near him, sometimes he plays with his toys, and other times he just babbles at us – he’s either cheering for us, or spraying beta, we can’t tell which yet.

 

Have a Plan.  If its just the two of us, we try to do any lead climbing/roped stuff in the beginning, when Canaan is either happy in his stroller, or safely playing behind the barricade.  When he’s tired of entertaining himself and wants to hang out with us, we take turns bouldering problems that we feel comfortable working without a spotter. 

Daddy and Canaan having some bouldering fun!

Safety in Numbers.  We try to get out on real rock most weekends, but the weather sometimes has other plans, which means that we occasionally have to battle the birthday party and meet-up group crowds at the gym on the weekend.  Having an extra partner or two is always helpful, but its especially important if you’re dealing with crowds.  With friends around, your options are wide open – lead, toprope, boulder, depending on how you want to train. 

Don’t forget to have fun.  Yes, the main draw of a climbing gym is to train for the real crag, but you won’t fit in the door if you try to bring both your baby as well as your ego.  You’ll find that how much of a “workout” you get is  hit or miss at best.  Some days it will seem like all you did was crawl around after your 10 month old watching other folks hop on the “send train.”  Other days you’ll be the one sending all your projects.  Regardless of how each session goes, use this time as a family to have a blast being active together.  On the rare days  that Canaan ends up being the only one that got any sort of a workout, I remind myself that by no means was it a wasted trip.  I’m modelling to my child a healthy, active lifestyle, that will hopefully have way more long-term benefits than any pump my forearms might receive on any given day.

Who says you can only have fun while you're on the rocks? Make the “getting there” part fun too!

Everyone knows that not all crags are created equal – but the characteristics that make a climbing area perfect depend on what your climbing party is looking for. Who cares about the approach, you might say – don’t you just go where the climbing is good?!? It seems like a no-brainer for most folks…however since Cragbaby came along, we’ve realized that there is more to a great day than just great climbing. Here’s a list of the factors we consider when we are gearing up for a day out on the rocks.

Distance - Remember that short little legs tire out quickly!  If your little ones are hiking in under their own power, make sure you choose distances that are short enough to remain enjoyable.  Take breaks when you need to (its not the time to break any land speed records!) and don’t forget to bring plenty of snacks and water for along the way!  If the kiddos are getting to the crag via YOU (ie front carrier or backpack), the question is merely how far you want to hike with the added weight of a growing boy or girl.  However contrary to the majority of sedentary America, climbers are used to hiking in lots of heavy gear already, so for us distance is not really a factor as much as…

Long hikes can come in handy around naptime!

Terrain - Again, if your child is young enough to be in a carrier, then the “do-ability” of an approach is based on you - make sure you are comfortable with the amount of scrambling and hiking involved.  Research beforehand on whether or not there are any steeper fifth class sections on the hike that might require the use of a fixed line or ladder, or other hazards such as water crossings or scree slopes, and then decide if you can maneuver through those sections safely.  (You might have to get creative – we discovered that we can still do ladders safely by gearing up beforehand and anchoring in on the rungs)

Honeymooner's Ladders at Endless Wall, New River Gorge

Cliff Base - Remember once you get there you are staying there…probably all day.  Make sure that the base of the routes you want to climb provide ample room for all of your gear (which you will have 3 times more of than your non-kid partners!)  If you’ve got a baby who isn’t mobile yet, you’ll need to have enough flat, level ground to spread out a blanket for naps and diaper changes.  For toddlers and older children, you’ll need an even bigger area to make exploration safe.  Steer clear of steep slopes and drop-offs, poison ivy and thorns, as well as rocky areas. (Although kid-sized boulders are great entertainment for older kids to practice what the grown-ups are doing, they can be difficult to maneuver around for early walkers.)

Be prepared for conditions to change throughout the day…

Crowd Control - “Party Crags” with large groups of (often loud) climbers make it hard for little tykes to get some midday shut-eye, which in turn makes it a lot harder on everyone involved.  Look for crags that get less traffic or have plenty of routes to accomodate lots of folks.

Also don’t forget that usually what (and who) hikes down must hike up, and vice versa.  Some approaches are a lot more difficult on the way out, so be sure to factor that in when your planning your day (it might not be wise to try and squeeze in one more climb if you’re wanting to make it out by dark).

But probably the most important thing to remember is that all of these factors are relative to your own ability/comfort level, as well as the temperament and age of your child.  Be aware of both you and your child’s limits, and don’t do anything stupid that lands you both in an unsafe situation.

***You might be wondering why this post is labelled as “Part 1.”  That’s because the next post will continue along this theme with recommendations on specific crags, so click here to check out “On Choosing a Crag (Part 2)***

“On Choosing a Crag (Part 1)” discussed some tips for choosing a great crag with a perfect approach.  This is the continuation of that post – applying those ideas to real life scenarios.  The following is a compilation of several baby and kid-friendly climbing areas that our family frequents throughout the Southeast.

STARTER CRAGS -  From local jaunts to world-class rock, these areas are great first time crags suitable for the whole family, regardless of age.

• Pilot Mountain, NC - Certainly not a destination crag, but easy access and short approaches make it a great first-time spot.
• Sandrock, AL - the Alabama version of Pilot Mt, but even shorter approaches.
• New River Gorge, WV (Junkyard, Bridge Buttress) – Short approaches on great rock.  Both are primarily trad areas that also have easy top access, so be prepared to fight off the crowds of top-ropers.
• Red River Gorge, KY (Volunteer Wall at Pendergrass, *Roadside) – More great rock with an easy approach and several nice flat areas (*Its definitely worth noting that Roadside is currently closed at the moment, so until further notice DO NOT climb there…for more info check out this link)!
• The Obed, TN (Lilly Bluffs) - The approach is moderately steep in some areas, but no scrambling is required.  The cliff base is wide and flat for the most part.

Keep in mind that starter crags like this are perfect for more than just small families – odds are you’ll be sharing ropes with boy scouts, meetup groups, and guiding services.  If you’re not in the mood to battle the crowds, consider going on a weekday for your first time out so that you can figure out the logistics without the added stress of searching for open routes.

THE NEXT STEP –  Chances are after you’ve gotten a few trips under your belt, you’ll have developed a system that works for your family, and you’ll feel more comfortable maneuvering the trails with your child in carrier.  You’ll probably be ready to expand your repertoire of climbing areas.  The following areas won’t be as crowded, but the trade off isa more difficult approach.

• Red River Gorge, KY (Muir Valley) A long steep hike, but no scrambling is involved.  Lots of different walls within the same area so you can try to avoid crowds.  Much of the cliff base is flat.
• New River Gorge, WV (Sandstonia) – Long hike that is strenuous and very steep in places, it can be especially treacherous when wet.  Some parts along the base have a lot of open space, but others are pretty narrow/rocky.
• New River Gorge, WV (The Brain at Beauty Mountain) – A short hike with a very steep (only about 30 feet or so) initial descent, along with a very tame stream crossing…also keep an eye out for poison ivy.  The base is totally flat with plenty of room.

READY FOR A CHALLENGE – The following are areas that are definitely not good choices for a first outing together as a family, or even for children/babies without much experience hiking or traveling in a backpack.  Our family really enjoys climbing in these areas, so we’ve gotten creative and found ways to make the approach safe.  (Don’t forget #5 of the Cragbaby’s Rules for the Ropes: Don’t be a Moron!)  If you want specifics about how we handled a particular area, let me know!

• Summersville Lake, WV – Longish approach that is somewhat steep, but with fairly moderate terrain.  There is a small stream crossing, a bit of boulder hopping, as well as a 15 foot wooden ladder.  The area around the cliff base is flat in places but in others drops off into a lake with calm but really deep water (but it makes a nice spot for older kids and adults to cool off at the end of a hard day’s climbing!)
• New River Gorge, WV (Endless Wall) – Both the Fern Point and Honeymooner’s entrances involve tall ladders.  I always gear up before descending, and shuffle 2 personal anchors as I go down the rungs.  The routes are spread out and crowds are usually not a problem.  There are a lot of flat areas around the base, but getting around requires some scrambling through boulder fields.
• The Obed, TN (South Clear Creek) – The hike is long and steep, with a couple of 5th class moves.  There is one section at the base involving a traverse along a hand rail (Again, I gear up beforehand and anchor in as I go along).  Many parts of the cliff base are great for kiddos, especially the Stephen King Library.

By no means is this list anywhere near complete – I didn’t want to bog down the list by ranking every single place we’ve ever  climbed with Cragbaby, nor did I refer to some of the lesser known smaller climbing areas that a lot of folks reading wouldn’t be familiar with.  I just stuck with the most obvious/well-known crags.  I also didn’t include any bouldering areas, but we have found that at the majority of the bouldering areas we’ve gone to with Cragbaby, we’ve been successful in finding safe terrain for him, in addition to great climbing for us.  I also only included areas in the Southeast, because that’s as far as we’ve road-tripped with Cragbaby…so far anyway!

Please feel free to add your own ideas in the comments section below to beef up the list a little bit, regardless of whether its about climbing areas in the Southeast, Northwest, or Central Asia!  I’d love to expand this list so that its a more complete resource!

A sweet Cragbaby waking up after spending his first night al fresco

Ever since I came up with the idea for the “Creating a Cragbaby” series, I knew I would need to do a post on camping how-to’s since its such a big part of climbing trips, but for some reason or another I never got around to it.  As Cragbaby is getting older, however, I’m realizing that we are fast approaching a different “phase” of camping – helpful tips that worked initially are no longer needed, while we’ve had to find solutions for new situations that never crossed our minds during the early months.

So I figured I better go ahead and do this post before our helpful tricks and tips about camping with an infant get lost in a sea of toddler issues.  I also figure that this won’t be the last time we have to switch gears and do things differently, so expect a similar post about camping with a toddler long about the time C is ready to start preschool…(Yikes!  Preschool!)  But for now, here’s some answers to some of the important questions you might have about camping with an infant, whether your goal is a multi-day climbing trip or just a family night out in the woods.

WHEN:

Home is where the heart is. A newborn has no concept of home as the address thats on their birth certificate.  Keep in mind that your bundle of joy spent 9 months floating around in a cushy, state-of-the-art mobile unit – so the idea of spending a night outside of the more recent 4-walled space that YOU call home won’t be nearly as unfamiliar and terrifying as one might first assume.  To a newborn, home is where the mommy is.  So that means it doens’t matter whether you are pacing the halls at 1 am jiggling and sh-sh-sh-ing a screaming banshee or whether you are snuggling together out under the stars listening to the crickets and cicadas.  As long as your little one feels your presence, everything should be a-okay.

No prior experience with the boogieman.  It’s way too early for common childhood fears of the dark, boogieman, or monsters under the bed.  Waiting til your child is at the ripe age of being too scared to get up and go to the bathroom by himself in the middle of the night is NOT the ideal time to introduce sleeping outside in a tent – “Oh yeah, Junior, and if you need to go during the night, just pee in the woods over there by that large shadowy monster rock…”

Bottom Line - Babies are very adaptable and the changes in routine will probably be harder on you than it will be on them.  In my opinion, there’s no time like the present!  The sooner you get him or her out and exposed to new situations, the more equipped they will be to deal with change in the coming months.  After several successful all day outings with Cragbaby, we took the plunge and did our first camp out when C was 10 weeks old.

WHERE:

Start with baby steps. (no pun intended…)  Now is not the time for that 50 mile trek into the backcountry that you’ve always wanted to do.  Remember that your main goal is to have some quality family time out in nature.  Your little one for sure won’t remember it, and depending on how sleep-deprived your family is at this point, the details might be fuzzy for you too, so there is no need for your destination to be exotic.  Our first family camping trip was car camping at the New River Gorge.  We went mid-week to avoid crowds so just in case C screamed all night we could hopefully make a fast getaway the next day.  Steve and I made an agreement on the way up to not be disappointed or frustrated with C if he wasn’t ready yet and we had to bail (little did we know he would take to camping like a sport climber to a stick clip! )  Our first experience was heaven sent and just what our family needed to rejuvenate our spirits.  My fears of C keeping the entire campground awake with blood-curdling screams faded away when he ended up sleeping even better than he did at home.  We ended up staying 3 nights instead of 2, and got in 3 fabulous days of climbing.  It was the perfect way to celebrate Cragbaby’s 10 week birthday!

Have a dry run. If you are really worried about how the night is going to go in the tent, you can always have a dry run in your backyard.  It might make a spectacle for your neighbors, but if you’re family is anything like my family, they probably already think you’re a little weird anyway, so you have nothing to lose?  If you’re night on the lawn ends up a disaster, you can always cry uncle and head back inside.

Up and at 'em, its climb time!

“10 more minutes mom…”

HOW:

Catch your Zzz’s. – The number one question we got back in the early weeks of camping with Cragbaby was “Where does he sleep?”  The answer always was, it depends.  The first few times we let C drift off to dreamland in his portable swing.  Then we realized that more often than not C would konk out in the carseat on the way to the campground, or on the way back from dinner after a long day of climbing.  On those blissful days, we would simply place the carseat along with its snoozing occupant right in the tent.  When he woke up to nurse, he would just join me in my sleeping bag until morning.  That being said, we were a co-sleeping family for at least part of the night for a lot of the first year, so that seemed normal to us, but if the idea of a family snuggle patch doesn’t appeal to you, its also easy to bring a pack and play.  We exchanged the car seat/swing for a pack n play at some point towards the end of the first year, but we still usually end up enjoying some early morning cuddles .

Don’t forget to regulate. Body temperature, that is.  We lucked out with timing – since C was born on the first day of spring we didn’t need to worry about excess heat or extreme cold.  Do keep in mind, however that very young infants cannot regulate their body temperature as well as we can, so they will need extra layers even on mild-weather nights.

Travel in herds. Choose a few loyal, understanding friends that will still talk to you the next day if your sweet pea by day turns into a tentman terror by night.  Not only will the extra set(s) of hands be a welcome help, but everyone knows camping is a social activity!

WHY:

I think a better question is “Why not?”  Camping as a newly expanded family is a great opportunity to bond with each other, as well as a great learning experience for your child (and you too!)   Studies have shown that children that are given frequent doses of the outdoors are smarter, healthier, and happier than their stuck-indoors-behind-a-TV-screen counterparts.

Bottom Line – Don’t be afraid to get the whole family out there. Explore, get dirty, relax, stare at the stars, build a campfire – your wee one will enjoy camping for the same reasons you do.  The first few times will probably have some bumps in the road, but the best memories always do.  Those rare tales of logistical perfection are not the ones that are told and retold into classics around the campfire.

When did you first take your little one camping?  Feel free to share a funny story or add a tip!

Every cragbaby needs beauty sleep…

Taking your baby to the crag for any length of time means that there will be naps involved – for your baby most definitely, and for you…quite possibly after a long day of climbing and hanging out with your little one!  Everyone knows how cranky an overtired baby can be (and how annoying that can be to everyone within earshot…) so before you go off gallavanting around in the mountains, make sure you have a strategy for helping your baby to catch some Zzzz’s.  We found through trial (and error…) several tips for making on-the-go naps in strange places easier on Canaan.  The following is a practical guide for what worked for us – but remember that sleep habits during the early months are influenced a great deal by temperament and personality of each individual baby, so try our ideas but toss ‘em and go back to the drawing board if they don’t work…

Canaan catching some Zzzz's on a morning approach to some boulders in Grayson Highlands State Park, VA

Take advantage of natural sleep inducers.   

• Car Rides – For day trips with a decent drive, try to time your car time  with when you know your little one will be tired.  With any luck, your cragbaby will arrive at the crag well-rested and ready for new discoveries - plus mom and dad have time to scour the guidebook and plan out the day! 

The Kelty Kid Carrier makes it easy to transfer hibernating bears from our backs to the ground!

• Nursing -  There is a lot of “mainstream” information out there nowadays that cautions moms to NEVER nurse a baby to sleep because it creates bad habits – babies should be taught to be dependent, self-soothers,  etc.  Our family sides with the camp that knows that all of those things will happen soon enough, when a child is developmentally ready, but this post is about getting your baby to sleep at the crag, not to debate infant sleep habits in general.  We believe that God designed breastfeeding to be a wonderful cure-all for baby’s needs.  As far as sleep goes, breastmilk contains many sleep-inducing properties, not to mention that the act of suckling naturally soothes and calms babies – it was designed to put your baby to sleep, so why not use it to your advantage!  If your out at the crag and baby is too excited to calm down enough to sleep, take him or her to a quiet place away from all the action, and offer to nurse.  Have your sleeping spot picked out, and your blanket down and ready so that all you’ll have to do is place your little snoozer down.

Canaan rolling away to dreamland with his sleepytime music.

• Music – Canaan knows that when he hears anything off of Renee and Jeremy’s album, “It’s a Big World,” it can only mean one thing – sleepytime is coming!  He hears it when he’s getting dressed for bed, when he’s being rocked to sleep, during his last nursing session in the evening, when he’s fussy but fading fast in the car…and also when its time for a nap in the woods at the base of a cliff!  The album is downloaded onto my iPhone so that we have it in a pinch for whenever we need a sleep cue, STAT!  Obviously, it doesn’t have to be this particular album, (although many of our climbing partners can attest to its peaceful, eyelid-drooping properties!).  It doesn’t even have to be music (book, blankie, toy, etc)- the point is, find a strong sleep association that can be portable and easily accessible when you’re out at the crag.

• Movement – Its no secret that smooth, rhythmic motion can lull a baby to sleep (and for that matter, adults – hammock, anyone?)  Our family is big into babywearing, and in Canaan’s earliest months, he spent many a naptime nestled up snug and tight against Mommy or Daddy’s chest.  Now that he’s older and taking longer naps, he usually sleeps in his crib during the day, but we still capitalize on the movement principle a good bit on crag days.  Just like you can plan car rides to coincide with naptimes, you can do the same with approaches or hikes from one area of the crag to another.  Depending on your carrier, you might even be able to transfer your sleeping babe back to the ground when you get to your destination.

Expect a different routine.  Especially in the beginning, a trip to the crag is going to be a completely different day than your baby has ever experienced.  Don’t expect everything to fall into place perfectly the first time out.  Eventually, you’ll start to develop a “crag routine,” but it may or may not be the same routine that you have at home.  For instance, at home Canaan always has two naps, each 1.5-2 hours, whereas at the crag he usually has 3 naps, all around an hour or so.  It works for him, so it works for us. 

Know when to call it a day.  A full day of climbing, plus driving to and from the crag, makes for a long day for cragbabies.  Be considerate of your little people needs – finish up well before your little one gets overtired and cranky so you can end on a good note.  Our end of day schedule usually works something like this – We hike out sometime between 5 and 6, and grab dinner pretty soon after we get on the road.  By the time we finish dinner, its approaching Canaan’s bedtime.  We go ahead and put him in his jammies and “super-dipe” him (we use cloth, so our night diaper is bulked out to the max!).  Canaan usually falls asleep pretty soon after we get back on the road, and then when we get home we can usually transfer him to his crib with only some minor resettling, if any, rather than having him wake all the way up to get ready for bed at home.   

Don’t forget that sleep is an issue that can be quite fickle at times for babies.  Remember the saying, “The only constant is change?”  It’s not unusual for patterns of sleep to change dramatically by the week, or even by the day.  There are all sorts of outside factors that can influence sleep behavior - developmental milestones, teething, growth spurts, illness, separation anxiety, etc.  What worked last week at the crag might seem like a horrible idea this week.  The best thing you can do is to have a host of sleep-inducing ammunition lined up in your arsenal, understanding climbing partners, and a long-term perspective that all too soon you’re gonna miss these days!

A few simple essentials can keep baby protected from the heat and sun.

Just picture it – You’ve been climbing hard all morning, and are one run away from sending your summer project.  You’ve got the crux dialed, the draws are already hung, and you’re totally psyched – all you need now is to refuel, hydrate, and depump for a little bit before tackling your redpoint burn.  But just as you sit down with your trail mix and nalgene, the heavens open up.  What?!?  There was only a 10% chance of rain today!  Or picture this – you’ve got Monday off so you made plans to head to the Obed River for a long weekend of clipping draws, but the forecast is for brilliant sun with a high of 97, humidity at 85%.  Or even this – cold, crisp, temps in the 20′s that will make the top out on that friction problem you’ve had your eye on feel a full grade easier, but with winds 15-20mph and lots of cloud cover.  Now picture a baby in all of these scenarios…suddenly it feels a little bit different.  You can’t just wake up and head out to the crag with whatever was left over in your pack from your last trip, ready to climb on no matter what weather conditions you find there.  And no matter how much you stalk the meteorology trends on your favorite weather website, we all know that “subject to change” is probably the most accurate description.

Who knew portable fans could bring out so much “fun” in functional!

So you have a choice to make – you can either 1) Stay inside and wait until the forecast is absolutely perfect (and then hope that the forecast was actually CORRECT…), or 2) Make the most of the weather you’ve got.  It should go without saying that I’m not advocating taking your 8 week old out climbing during an F4 tornado – always be reasonable in what you ask of your baby.  We’ve not encountered anything Man vs Wild worthy by any means, but as long as the weather was good enough to climb, we weren’t afraid to get out there as a family and enjoy it!  But we have learned some lessons along the way with regards to keeping baby comfortable in all types of weather situations.  This post will attempt to tackle the main questionable conditions we’ve faced so far, along with some don’t-leave-home-without-it essentials for each situation.

No chill bumps here!

HEAT - To say that this past summer in the Southeast was hot would be an understatement.  In North Carolina we set a record of days over 90 degrees in a year, and most if not all of those days were coupled with humidity that was as tangible as wearing a wet blanket.  The main concerns we had to be cautious about were heat exhaustion, dehydration, and sunburn.

• Hat - Especially if your baby is less than 6 months old (when sunscreen is not recommended), make sure to cover the head and shade the face, as well as the rest of the body.
• Fan - A portable fan can work wonders.  We picked one up for a few bucks at K-Mart, and it turned out to be a fantastic investment.  Not only did it provide a nice breeze, but Canaan was mesmerized by the fan blades (thankfully they were soft…)
• Pack Stacking – Set up your climbing packs in such a way that they cast shade over your little one’s sleeping spot
• Tummy Sleeping – It’s a lot easier to keep the sun out of their eyes this way.
• Breastfeeding – This seems to come up as an answer to a lot of things…it really is nature’s perfect food for baby!  Remember that a nursing baby satisfies both hunger and thirst at the breast, so offer often to keep your babe hydrated.  With that in mind, make sure Mommy stays hydrated too – it takes a lot of water to make a lot of milk!
• Carrier - If your baby is too young to hike in with a backpack carrier, you’ll probably be using a soft front carrier on the approach, which means baby is snuggled right against Mommy’s chest.  Choose climbing areas with short, shady approaches to keep the sweat-fest to a minimum.

Extra snuggle time keeps Mommy and baby toasty!

COLD -  By no means does North Carolina get down to what I would call “extreme” cold temperatures during the winter months.  Compared to what Alaskan Mommies over on Skedaddle go through to get their kiddos bundled up for a trip to a local park, it makes our highs in the 20′s appear downright tropical!  But this blog series is about taking your baby ROCK climbing, not ICE climbing, so obviously we aren’t talking about sub-zero highs here…

• Layer Up – It might take 15 minutes to get your little one dressed in the morning, but layering clothing will go a long way in protecting him or her from the cold and the wind throughout the day.  For really cold mornings we use a down suit as Canaan’s outer layer.  It works out especially well for multi-day trips that involve camping – the down suit also doubles as a sleeping bag, so he can stay nice and toasty around camp while we are cooking breakfast and gearing up.  For day trips where we aren’t outside as the sun is coming up, we have a bunting type suit that we’ve christened as “the bear suit” that not only keeps Canaan warm and toasty, but is also amazingly cute!
• Double Diaper Duty -  Frequent changes are not pleasant for anyone as the mercury drops.  If you’re using cloth diapers, beef them up with a couple more absorbent layers so that you don’t have to change as often.
• Legwarmers - These are a must to keep the least amount of skin exposed as possible during diaper changes!
• Insulate - Don’t underestimate how cold the ground can be when it comes time to put baby down for a nap.  Make sure you have a thick enough layer (ideally with a waterproof underside) to shield baby from the frosty ground.
• Body Heat – Babies are like heat-seeking missiles.  Some extra snuggle time can be the ticket to keep both baby AND you nice and toasty!

WET – It’s a scientific fact that germs are what make you sick, not being wet (and not from leaving the house with wet hair…sorry mom)

  No matter how sweet your little bundle of joy may be, rest assured, he is NOT made of sugar and therefore will NOT melt in the rain.  Being stuck in the rain will undoubtedly bother you way more than your baby, provided you have taken some basic precautions.

• Rain Cover – Any good backpack carrier will have some sort of rain cover built in or as an additional purchase.  Learn how to set it up quickly BEFORE you get stranded at the cliff in a passing band of summer showers.  If your baby is in a front carrier, make sure that your rain jacket is big enough to cover both you AND baby!
• Extra Burp Cloths – These are invaluable for keeping all of the gear that you couldn’t get in your pack in time from turning into a mud pit.
• Waterproof Diaper Bag - Let’s say you were able to get your pack cover on before any water leaked through.  But then later on after the sun comes out you stuff your (wet) layers of clothes into the pack…water leaks through, diapers are now useless.  Something as simple as a gallon sized ziploc bag can make the difference between a dry, happy baby and a soaked, screaming baby…
• Sure Feet – It’s a lot harder to scramble around in the rain while wearing another person – bring whatever gear you need to make sure that you can move quickly but safely.  For us that means a good pair of approach shoes, and maybe even some trekking poles, depending on the terrain.

Again, this is not a blanket invitation to put your baby in dangerous weather conditions.  Do look at the forecast ahead of time, and do come to the crag prepared for any and all sorts of weather.  But also start to look at less-than-ideal weather conditions from your child’s perspective – an opportunity to soak up (maybe literally!) new experiences and learn from them, while you’re safe in the arms of the people who love you most!  Case in point – Last July we took Canaan to the New River Gorge for the weekend.  The forecast called for rain, but not til the afternoon, and if you have ever climbed at the New, you know just how fickle the weather forecast can be (as well as the fact that there are numerous caves and overhangs that provide climbable rock on even the wettest of days).  So we’re pulling down at some sweet Summersville sandstone when the skies went black and the deluge began.  We waded our way through ankle-deep mud over to a giant cave, where we could wait out the storm and dry off.

During the frenzy I started having those guilty “What kind of mom are you to take your kid outside in this?!?!” type of thoughts.  But when we got to the cave and I laid Canaan (who was dry as a bone, by the way) down on a blanket, he looked at me, flashed a toothless smile, and let out a cackle of laughter without abandon that I’ll never forget.  It was then that I caught a glimpse of the bigger picture – the experiences our family has had and will hopefully continue to have because we aren’t afraid to get out and explore.  Some days it would be easier to stay inside, but easier isn’t what memories are made of – so don’t be afraid to get out there!

Cragbaby fuels up at camp with a “squeezie.”

For the first 6 months of his life Cragbaby was on a breastmilk only diet. Food at the crag was easy – as long as he was with Mommy he wouldn’t go hungry!  Even when it came time to introduce solids we were still relying on breastmilk for the bulk of his nutrition, so it wasn’t until around the 9 or 10 month mark that we had to start planning out C’s crag menu along with our own.  Now that Cragbaby is a big boy, we’ve had to devise our own plan for making sure our picky toddler is putting more than just dirt in his mouth on climbing weekends. The following is a list of tips that have proven to be invaluable in keeping C not only nourished, but usually entertained as well!

1.  Eat and Run – Cragbaby has never been one of those mild-mannered babies content with being quietly spoon-fed from someone’s lap while everyone else dines at the table.  Attempts to do so usually end up with spilled drinks, dropped food, and frustrations all around – the only winners here are any furry friends scavenging below for scraps!  We’ve discovered that a more “on-the-go” eating strategy works out well for all parties involved (especially when we’re outside and no one cares about the trail of crumbs left behind!).  Instead of just chasing C around while he explores, I chase him around with a granola bar, offering him a bite every time he stops to catch his breath.

The portable high chair allows Cragbaby to be part of all the action!

2.  Seat with a View -  If our crew is having a meal together as a group back at camp (or if the crag setting is not conducive for roaming) we perch Cragbaby up with everyone else so he can be part of the mealtime conversations.  If there is a picnic table at our campsite, we use a portable high chair.  Ours is made by Chicco and its been a lifesaver numerous times – its relatively cheap (less than $35) and easily hooks on to any picnic table.  If there isn’t a table, we simply strap C in to his backpack carrier – so long as other folks are sitting with him and he’s getting food, he is usually quite happy to remain there long enough for everyone to grab some grub. 

3.  Eat Your Greens - Since C is still doesn’t have enough chompers to handle easy-to-pack raw veggies like carrots or broccoli, he could easily go a whole weekend without eating any veggies.  Not a big deal every now and then, but as often as we rely on eating at camp or out of a backpack, I want to make sure that we’ve got enough tasty and healthy options.  We’ve had a lot of success with “squeezies” (our unofficial name).  Made by several different companies, these resealable pouches are made with blended wholesome ingredients (no weird fillers), and have a consistency of applesauce.  They are made with all different combinations of fruit and veggie mixes, pack well, and best of all taste great!   Cragbaby’s favorite brands are Happy Baby, Plum Organics, and Trader Joe’s, which we rotate through depending on what’s on sale.

4.  Container Entertainers - Having plenty of containers on hand means that not only will you have less wasted food (please tell me my kid’s not the only one who takes one bite out of the granola bar before signing the words, “All done!”), but also plenty of nesting, stacking, pouring, and collecting tools.  One of Cragbaby’s favorite pasttimes is filling empty tupperware containers with various nature trinkets (rocks, twigs, sand, etc), then gleefully dumping out the contents on our blanket before gathering them all up again. 

5.  Hydration Stations - Especially with warmer temps on the way, don’t forget to have water easily available to your tyke, and to offer often.  We of course have a sippy cup available, but one of the best parts of a climbing day according to C is getting to drink out of the camelbak like Mommy and Daddy.  Cragbaby is also still nursing a few times a day, which goes a long way in keeping him well-hydrated, as well as filling in any nutritional gaps caused by picky eating. 

With the right food choices and a flexible attitude, eating in the Great Outdoors doesn’t have to be complicated.  And the best part?  No crumbs to sweep up afterwards!  What about everyone else?  I’d love for others to chime in on their must-haves for making outdoor mealtimes a success!

In my last Cragbaby post, I mentioned that our family uses cloth diapers.  I’ve received a few questions about it and decided there was enough interest to warrant a separate blog post.  It is something that I felt pretty strongly about before Canaan was even born, but now that we’ve survived a full year almost completely disposable-free (except for the first week before the cord fell off and a time or two at the doctor when I forgot an extra…), I feel even more passionate about the merits of cloth.  But why on earth would anyone choose cloth over the “convenience” of disposables? Isn’t it really expensive?  Doesn’t it get too complicated?  And the million dollar question that everyone has of course – what do you do with the poop?!?  If you’ve ever wondered about the answers to any of these questions, then read on – this post is for you! For the record, by no means is this post intended to pass judgment on those that don’t choose to go this route – the majority of my friends use dispsosables, and they are great parents and are doing what works for their family!

Not to mention that cloth diapers are way more stylin' than disposables…

Why choose cloth?  The benefits are many – it’s better for the environment, healthier for baby, and saves a ton of money!  Here are just a few interesting stats from the Real Diaper Association (for more stats, click here).

Better for Environment – Disposable diapers generate sixty times more solid waste and use twenty times more raw materials, like crude oil and wood pulp.
Healthier for Baby - Disposable diapers contain traces of Dioxin, an extremely toxic by-product of the paper-bleaching process. It is a carcinogenic chemical, listed by the EPA as the most toxic of all cancer-linked chemicals. It is banned in most countries, but not the U.S.
Saves a Ton of Money – The average child costs about $1600 to diaper for 2 years – as opposed to getting out for around $300-$500 using cloth (which can then be used on the next kid as well!)

 

How does it work?  There are tons of options here, and it seems like everyone develops their own system that works for them.  The most expensive options (all-in-ones and pocket diapers) are as simple to put on as a regular disposable diaper.  The more basic options require a couple of extra steps but are a lot cheaper.  Click here to learn about the different types of diapers available nowadays. We use a combination of both – prefolds and covers around the house, pockets and fitteds when we are out and about.  It’s pretty simple, really.  We have a waterproof bag that hangs in the closet – that’s where the dirty diapers go.   For wet diapers, you just put them in the bag, as is.  For code browns, it depends on the age of the baby – breastmilk is water-soluble, so before baby starts solids, you just dump the diapers in the bag right along with the wet ones.  Once baby starts consistently eating a lot of solids, you’ve got to get rid of the poop before you put it in the bag.  Again, there are a few ways to do this.  A lot of times the poo just kinda “rolls” off the diaper into the toilet without any extra work.  For the mushy ones (sorry to be so graphic…) we either scrape it off with toilet paper or a designated wooden spoon that we can then rinse off and store with the plunger and other gross toilet-y things.   Some folks like to use a diaper sprayer that you can attach to your toilet, but that seemed a little over the top for our tastes.   When its time to do laundry, just dump everything out directly into the washer, turning the bag inside out and throwing it in the wash as well.  Easy peasy, right?  I don’t feel like we end up with poo on our hands any more than my friends that use disposables.

Another little known fact – did you know that the instructions on a disposable diaper package advise that all fecal matter should be deposited in the toilet before discarding?  Not that any law enforcement officers are going around inspecting dirty diapers in the landfill, but its worth mentioning that in many states its actually illegal to dispose of human waste in a manner that doesn’t allow it to be treated in the sewage system!

C posing with a one-size cover at only 2 weeks old…

…and in the same cover at 12 months!

What do you need? 

• Diapers – Decide how often you want to do laundry, and then by accordingly.  When C was a newborn, we went through 10-12 diapers a day, now we use about 6 or 7.  We have around two dozen diapers (mostly prefolds, but with a few fitteds and a couple of pockets), and this lets us wash every 2 or 3 days, and gives us some extra allowance in case I forget to move the dipes to the dryer…
• Covers - If you are using prefolds or fitteds, you’ll need a waterproof cover.  You don’t have to wash these every time you use them (unless they get poop on them, of course!).  We rotate between 4 or 5 covers. 
• Wet Bags - We have two big ones that hang in the closet, that way we have one to use while the other is in the wash.  We have smaller versions that fit in a diaper bag for on-the-go changes.  Again, when it’s time to wash, the whole bag goes in, so you don’t have to touch anything but the outside of the bags.
• Snappies - I so wish I was the person that invented these little babies!  Now instead of fiddling around with pins and bare, squirmy baby legs, just use this nifty little trickto secure your diapers!  I’d advise that you have several of them – they are cheap, but also easy to misplace…
• Diaper Soap - You can’t use detergent that leaves any sort of residue or chemicals behind, otherwise these will build up in the diaper, which will cause them to be less absorbent over time.  We prefer Charlie’s Soap – a little goes a long way and it’s very reasonably priced. 

As you can tell, I’m pretty passionate about cloth diapering!  There are probably a million more posts where this one came from on more specific topics (nighttime diapering, brand reviews, swim options, etc), but hopefully this was a good introduction to those of you that had questions about cloth!

Did somebody say road trip?!?

Ah, the family road trip.  There’s nothing like an 8 hour car ride to get your family vacation started on the right foot!  If your climbing family is anything like ours (ie you don’t have an unlimited supply of cash, frequent flyer miles, or world-class climbing in your backyard) you are probably racking up more mileage on your bumper-sticker laden SUV than you’d like to admit.  And all that mileage adds up to a lot of hours in the car together…very close together, maybe even touching, since your tent, camp stove, and climbing pack are taking up the majority of the backseat.  Sitting in rush hour traffic on a Friday afternoon watching the minutes slowly tick by can be painful enough for an adult jonesing for fresh mountain air – add in a young baby/toddler?  You might as well have the whole family committed now because if you’re not careful, it’ll make everyone go crazy.

So how do you make all those long cramped, hours in the car manageable?  The following steps won’t get you there any sooner, but hopefully will help the time fly by faster.

1.  TIMING IS EVERYTHING -Most young children are champion car sleepers, if given the right opportunity.  Try to log most of your car hours for when your little one would naturally be taking a nap.  Hopefully this will give you at least an hour or two to read through the guidebook and pick out a couple of projects for the upcoming weekend.

A dirty Cragbaby snoozing after a long day on the rocks

2.  PROVIDE ENTERTAINMENT – Be sure to have a near endless supply of books, toys, snacks, music, and other time-consuming activities freely available.  It’s amazing how long a half cup of Cheerios can last a 1 year old perfecting his pincer grasp!  One fun car ride tradition we established early on was to make personalized books for C, using our own pictures and the pre-made templates from Shutterfly

.  He has a “Let’s Go Climbing” book that we always break out on the way to the crag, as well as a “Meet My Family” book that is perfect when we are on the way to see relatives!  Now we have a family tradition that not only has sentimental value, but also gives the C-Monster something to look forward to on a road trip (we only read those books in the  car.)

3.  GO WITH THE FLOW – Throw away the schedule and allow for flexibility on your road trips.  If Cragbaby is sleeping, we sure as heck don’t stop unless we are running on fumes or someone (usually me) is about to wet their pants.  But if he’s awake and getting antsy, we don’t hesitate to stop and let everyone stretch their legs, even if its just in a small patch of green space at a truck stop.

4.  THE BUDDY SYSTEM – Put yourself in your baby’s little wee shoes for a moment.  You’ve been in the car for 30 minutes of grown-up time (which in toddler time is probably closer to 2 hours).  You hear your favorite voices, so you know Mommy and Daddy are nearby, but you’re stuck in the backseat, facing the wrong direction.  Its not surprising that you might get a little cranky back there all by your lonesome!  If your tyke tends to get fussy, try playing musical chairs and sending the non-driver back.  The extra company might just be enough to take the edge off until you get to your final destination.

5.  START EARLY – No matter how you look at it, children and car rides will never be a fantastic combination.  But if introduced early, hopefully they will be able to view the “road” part of trips as a necessary annoyance they must tolerate to get to the “trip” part.

What secrets do you have for maintaining your sanity on road trips?

Probably the most common question I get from non-climbers is, “What does Cragbaby do all day while you guys climb?”  I realized that while I generally give a recap of all of the climbing-related mumbo jumbo the grown-ups do on the weekends, I don’t usually go into much detail about the kind of adventures that Cragbaby gets himself into!  Since we just recently got back from a 4 day trip to Kentucky where C’s personal photographer (not really, but she might as well be!) got some fantastic shots of him and his various “cragtivities,” it only seemed fitting to let Cragbaby have a post dedicated to telling his own story through pictures and captions.  So here’s a play by play of what C is up to while we are scaling rocks (from his perspective of course…)!

When we get to the trailhead Mommy puts me in our backpack so we can all get to the rocks safely.  I like walking around and exploring and holding Mommy’s hand.

It’s fun to watch everyone climb. I can’t wait til I’m a big boy and can climb up really high. Sometimes I like to practice bouldering on big rocks along the trail.

In the fall my favorite thing to do is play in the leaves.  I found some really big leaves and pretended they were elephant ears.  Sometimes the grown ups like to play tickle monster with the leaves and it makes me giggle.

Being a Cragbaby is hard work. I try my best not to, but sometimes I have to close my eyes for a few minutes. I also like to sit and eat my lunch with Daddy. Sometimes I make a mess.

Another thing I like about being at the crag is that there are lots of creepy-crawlies to play with. I would have to say that spiders are my favorites, but last week I learned about cave crickets. Don’t tell Mr. Bennett but I “accidentally” dropped one in his hiking boots while he was off climbing.

Climbing trips sure are fun, and I really like being one of the gang!

As I said in yesterday’s Sentimental Snapshots post, I’m not so sure that “Cragbaby” is such a good moniker anymore…but that for nostalgia purposes, we’re gonna let it stick as long as he’ll tolerate it.  But regardless of semantics,  our modus operandi at the crag has certainly evolved a good bit from those early weeks with an infant.  Since we’re celebrating moving from baby to big boy phase, I thought it would be fun to have a look back at C’s favorite “cragtivities” from the past 2 years.  Hopefully this stroll down memory lane will provide some good ideas to all the parents of very wee ones out there for how to entertain your little one while the rest of the family crushes (or at the very least, prove that it doesn’t take too much to keep a baby happily occupied!)

1.  SLEEPING:  Ok so this might not have been Cragbaby’s favorite cragtivity, but he certainly spent a lot of time doing it that first year, which was a great time to really focus on sending projects.  Nowadays I’m psyched if I can get an hour out of him at the crag. 

2. EATING: Especially around the 9-12 month stage when fine-motor coordination skills are starting to emerge, something as simple as a bowl of Cheerios could provide entertainment for a solid 30 minutes, which in baby time is the equipvalent of 3 hours.

3. DRINKING: I guess its no surprise that sucking on a Camel-bak nozzle would be intuitive for a baby, but C certainly took great delight in staying hydrated. Initially he just wanted to suck – it didn’t even matter if the mouthpiece was locked or not. It was a lot easier to keep clean (and keep track of) than a paci!

4. MAKING A MESS: It’s shocking to me how much dirty laundry we bring back from a weekend at the crag! I shudder to think at how much dirt (and probably worse) Cragbaby has swallowed in the course of his 2 years so far, but I think there may truth to the idea that “a dirty kid is a happy kid.” A lot of the early months at the crag were literally spent wallowing in the dirt with C – and in his defense its hard to stay clean when you get from point A to point B on all fours!

5.  LEAVES:  Pile ‘em, throw ‘em, jump in ‘em, wave ‘em around.  Big ones, small ones, green, yellow, red, and brown.  No matter the season, leaves were (and are) always in style with Cragbaby.

6.  HUNTING AND GATHERING:  Collecting and stacking rocks (along with pine cones, sticks, etc) turned into a favorite past time sometime shortly after C’s 1st birthday.  Actually, the stacking part was really just a means to get to the good stuff – the complete and utter annihilation of the entire stack.

7.  CREEPY-CRAWLIES: Spiders and Crickets and Worms, Oh My!  Whether it was just observing with fixed fascination (first few months), daring to reach out and touch (around a year), or putting a creepy-crawlie lovingly in some unexpecting person’s face for closer inspection (early toddler…), our climbing trips usually involved encounters with all three of the above.

8. HIKING: C knew he was a happy hiker at heart even before he could walk. Whether it be an actual trekking pole or a stick/stick clip used for that purpose, an astonishing number of our pictures feature C and some sort of hiking apparatus.

9. CLIMBING GEAR: In the beginning it was all those shiny cams. Then for a while it was Mommy’s nut tool, for which C discovered an untold number of off-label uses. But the common theme has always been – the rope.

10.  CLIMBING:  This is, of course, the end goal after all.  From patting his hands on the holds, to crawling over small boulders, to actually slapping on shoes, chalkbag, and harness, C has always been an avid participator at whatever level he was developmentally ready for at the time.  I have no idea whether or not climbing will become his “thing” as he grows older, but regardless, our family will always treasure these memories we have made together these first two years.  And it wouldn’t surprise me if the day comes when I’m relegated to top-roping his warm-ups…

We were never ones to want to lug in a whole bunch of toys to the crag.  I always felt like there was more than enough in nature to keep him occupied, and so far we’ve been right.  Now that C is older and into mobile exploring, our playspace has certainly expanded, but the premise remains the same.  His imagination runs wild and his pockets are filled to the brim with special treasures.  Some days I’m convinced that Cragbabyhas even more fun than we do! 

We’ve had so many fun memories, both on the rock and off these past two years.  While saying good-bye to C’s “baby” years is certainly bittersweet, I’m looking forward to seeing what lies ahead of us!  For you families out there still in the infant phase (or with fond memories of it anyway), what are (were) your little one’s favorite “cragtivities?”

 

Recently I was asked about how our family handles Cragbaby’s enthusiastic climbing skills in and around the house – and more specifically, in areas that aren’t safe to practice heel-hooks and fist jams.  In non-climbing families, its probably easiest to implement a few hard and fast rules.  For example – NO CLIMBING.  For obvious reasons that mixed message would cause a lot of confusion in our house.  Though we are definitely learning as we go, here are a few concepts that have proved to be helpful for us – by all means they aren’t gospel, and I am very interested to get some discussion going on this topic – so please read on and feel free to comment below!

1.  DON’T SQUELCH CREATIVITY:  Climbing is a developmental skill that all toddlers enjoy learning.  By providing secure, age-appropriate outlets for your child to hone their emerging skills, he or she can explore their vertical world in a healthy and safe environment (as well as give them the opportunity for some exercise!)  The best options are usually found outdoors – on playgrounds, at parks, and of course rocks.  Especially for the smallest climbers, however, sturdy everyday objects such as stools, chairs, and boxes can make for great indoor jungle gyms.  Just make sure that your budding explorer is within close proximity for the inevitable tumbles, which brings me to number 2…

2.  REINFORCE THE VALUE OF A GOOD SPOT:  If you’re child is born into a climbing family, odds are good that they’ve seen this concept put into practice more times than they can remember.  But even if he or she isn’t familiar with technical climbing, the idea of having someone behind you providing a “spot” is still a valuable lesson to learn,especially when you’re little one is still in the “projecting phase” and trying to figure out all the moves to hoist themselves and and onto that living room chair.  A good example of one of these limited access areas in our house was Cragbaby’s Changing Table Problem. When he first tackled this project, he was pretty unsteady on his feet.  We tried to establish a “wait for Mommy/Daddy to spot you” routine early on.  C took to this pretty easily, and even now will generally wait excitedly for a spot before getting too high off the ground. 

3.  IT’S ALL ABOUT WORD CHOICE:  Regardless of how aesthetic a line may look, it is inevitable that some parts of the house will always be closed to climbing (unstable shelving units, lampstands, china cabinets, etc).  In situations where access is closed and the law needs to be laid down, choose a word or phrase that is clear but not confusing to a toddler that does not possess the powers of abstract reasoning.  For example, instead of just saying “Get down, no climbing,” which is clear at the time, but gets muddled at the climbing gym, we usually say something like “Get down, that’s not safe.”  As he gets older and has the developmental capacity to understand reasoning, we’ll probably have a fair amount of discussions about safety with regards to climbing. 

Admittedly our family probably allows Cragbaby to be more on the adventurous side when it comes to scaling household walls, but I do think there is value in letting children explore (in a safe way of course).  In my opinion the act of climbing is intuitive and natural to most kids.  Sadly, however, I think a lot of times that instinct is squashed by overprotectiveness, and replaced instead with activities that are “easier” for adults to “supervise” – ie video games and TV.  Not that video games and TV are inherently bad, but I’ve seen a lot of instances where they are used as baby-sitters in lieu of spending quality time together.  I know this is taking it one step further from the original topic of this post, but I’d be willing to go out on a limb to say that maybe if we as grown-ups allowed our kids to explore and just be kids more often, we wouldn’t have the obesity and couch potato epidemics we have today…  But enough of the soapbox rant.  That’s our family’s take on climbing rules around the house, for what its worth, which may or may not be much.  I’d love to hear from other families (climbers as well as non-climbers) as to how you handle boisterous toddler forays into the vertical world!

Somehow (overnight it seems) I became the mother of a toddler.  And with that, our crag “issues” have shifted a bit.  No longer am I trying to balance a soft carrier with a baby on the front and a pack full of gear on my back (sigh of relief…).  Instead I’ve got a big boy that’s not quite as big as he thinks he is, who often insists upon hiking in himself, only to discover halfway through that his little legs are, to quote my Maw Maw, “plum wore out.”  He never asks to nurse at the crag anymore, so I don’t have to make sure my climbing tops have easy (and discreet) nursing access, but he feels pretty strongly about drinking like a big boy, which often results in the appearance of rocks, twigs, and other undesirables in an almost full bottle of Gatorade.  Suffice it to say, the challenges of a little guy at the crag have certainly not disappeared – but they have changed.  Last year I did a series of posts which got such a great response it ended up being one of the foundations for this whole website – the Creating a Cragbaby series.  Now that we are in the midst of our third season of craggin’, I thought it might be appropriate to revisit some of those baby-related topics and update them with a big boy twist.  

This time around however, I’d like some of your input!  Here’s a list of older posts on tap for resurrection over the coming weeks.  

6 week old Cragbaby enjoying his first day trip to Pilot Mountain

A big boy at the same crag a couple of years later!

See a gaping toddler issue I’m leaving out?  Please leave a comment on what else you’d like to see! 

Making your Cragbaby a Good Car-Baby - With only one nap per day, it’s not so easy to time car rides with naps anymore…
Camping with Infants Under 1 is Fun - And it’s even more fun with a toddler!
Because a Cragbaby’s Gotta Eat - And the main staple is no longer Mommy’s milk.
Always on “Doo-ty” - Some time in the near future, we’ll have to deal with potty training at the crag…heaven help us all.
Weather or Not? - Keeping your tyke cool, warm, or dry takes twice the effort once sitting around looking cute turns into running circles around mom and dad.
Sleepytime Solutions - There may be less sleep to coordinate, but the logistics can be equally frustrating.

Now it’s your turn – what big boy (or girl) topics am I missing?