This post is sponsored by Piggyback Rider. All opinions are mine.
All year long we like to get out and go on adventures with our kids. We spend a lot of family time hiking in the hills near our house and also adventuring around San Francisco and other nearby favorite cities.
Going on outings with toddlers can be a really painful experience if you aren't properly prepared. Today we are sharing three tips we like to use to make toddler outings more successful (and fun)!
Toddlers love to explore and see the world around them. I love to get my kids outside on adventures because not only are they able to get great exercise, but they are also able to build their vocabulary as they experience and see new things and learn a lot!
When we follow the three tips below our adventures are always way more enjoyable and memorable!
1. Turn your adventure into a game.
One of our favorite ways to make outings with toddlers more fun is by playing a game while we are out. If we are hiking in the hills we might play Color Bingo or go on a bug hunt or we might play I-Spy or even play stop and go while we are walking.
We also like to see who can collect the most colorful or odd shaped rock or the longest (or best) walking stick.
Do you have any other games you play?
2. Have the right gear on hand for when toddlers get tired!
There is nothing worse than going on a hike or an excursion with a toddler and having to carry him on your hip or shoulders awkwardly the whole way back. Earlier this year we learned about the Piggyback Rider carrier and now it is on our "must bring" list every time we go out on an adventure.
The Piggyback Rider is a standing backpack that is a compact, lightweight child carrier for toddlers 2.5 y/o+ up to 60lbs. Both my 3-year-old and 5-year-old love taking turns using it on our adventures. (The Piggyback Rider pricing starts at $99.99).
Often older toddlers have no interest in sitting in a stroller or having to sit down in a backpack, so they absolutely love getting to stand up high above everyone else in the Piggyback Rider and rest their bodies after walking.
Over the weekend we took our Piggyback Rider on our annual Christmas trek around San Francisco. We explored Pier 39, checked out the giant Christmas tree, saw the sea lions, and walked a few miles along Fisherman's Wharf to go get ice cream at Ghirardelli Square.
My 3-year-old loved that he could hug my husband while we were walking around and had the best views of the sea lions and the Christmas tree. When he was done riding he could easily hop off and run several blocks and give his sister a turn if she got tired of all of the walking.
I loved that we didn't have to push a bulky stroller for most of the evening and the kids were able to get a lot of walking in followed by some riding breaks.
The Scout Piggyback Rider that we were sent even comes with 2 safety harnesses and a hydration bag (so kids can get a drink on the go using their hydration backpack), and a carry bag.
The lightweight carry bag made it really easy to stow the Piggyback Rider away when we weren't using it.
Having the right gear on hand for excursions means that you can go on longer adventures and have less toddler meltdowns! You can also venture off pavement and onto more diverse terrain because you aren't just limited to a stroller. We can't wait to take our Piggyback Rider on some long hikes this spring and summer. It would also be great to use at the zoo, amusement parks, parades, sporting events, and charity walks. We even used ours indoors this year to help with Christmas tree decorating!
3. Keep an eye on the time.
With toddlers it is always really important to be aware of how long you've been out on an adventure and also try and schedule adventures for your child's best time of the day. When you go on excursions that are too long you just set your child up for failure and end up making your adventure miserable.
We like to schedule adventures for mid-morning (after breakfast), late afternoon (after nap time/quiet time), and after dinner because we find that kids are the happiest during those times. The kids are usually also fed and ready to get some energy out. If we go on an excursion too late in the day we just end up with whiny and annoyed kids and that makes everything terrible for everyone.
Do you have any other favorite tips that you follow to make toddler outings a success?
Where are your favorite places to adventure with your toddler?
Have you ever tried the Piggyback Rider?
You can get a $20 off discount only from www.PiggybackRider.com when you purchase a child carrier now until 1/2/16. Just use coupon code: ToddlerApproved
You can follow Piggyback Rider on Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest to find out about more cool deals and news updates!
This post is sponsored by Piggyback Rider. All opinions are mine.
As a parent it is quite necessary to entertain our kids through outing, movies, traveling, playing and many others. It will definitely increase their skills and behavior; here we can get some successful tips on how to make our toddler's outing success and I am sure this will definitely boost their mind power and physical attitude.
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