Cross-country Ski Sunday

  A few weeks ago, the sun was shining and our local Nordic center was on the verge of closing for the season. Not wanting to let the winter pass us by without getting out at least once as a family, we packed up the little one and the dog for a short ski, committed to exposing Addy to the trails for the first time.


 While I was rusty and unstable in my morphed postpartum body, my husband had been out several times this season so we decided he ought to be the one to bear the responsibility of carrying Addy. We suited up and I tried to figure out how to dress Addy so that we would be both comfortable and warm (she would not be expending any energy while skiing). I lucked out a few months ago and found 3 month sized long underwear at a consignment store in Steamboat Springs so I dressed her in those and put her bit fleece bear suit on over. I like that this little suit covers her hands and feet so I don't need to worry about shoes/boots or gloves (which are nearly impossible to find for infants). While I thought the hood would be warm enough, I later realized that she definitely needed a hat on under the hood.

 We stuck to a few flatter loops close to the Nordic center so that we could make a quick getaway if needed. We also opted to classic ski, rather than to skate, as skate skiing is more labor intensive and I'm Addy didn't seem to mind her carrier and generally enjoys being outside. She got a little fussy early in the ski but as soon as this happened...

 she stopped crying. :) Seriously, she was completely content from this point on. The freeze/thaw cycle combined with the time of day we were out (around 4pm) made for some icy spots on the trail. This one got the best of M. We were only out for about an hour but it was a great family adventure. As you can see, Addy was wiped out by the end of our trek.

  While we chose to go for a backpack, there are other options for carting your kids around on the snow. Last year, our Nordic center only had pulks, a pull behind sled with a canvas zippered bag on top (like the one on the right in the photo on your left). While these may work okay for older kids who can sit up, stabilize themselves, and tell you when they're cold/uncomfortable, I could not imagine bundling up and zipping a 4 month old into it laying down. Has anyone tried it? This year, the facility upgraded to offering a few Chariots which seem like they'd be much more comfortable and enjoyable for a child to ride in. While I was told that they could be adapted for infant use (think internal hammock), I still wanted something a little more secure for Addy. Of course, if we had been using the Chariot, Addy would probably not have fallen with M.

Takeaways from this adventure include:
* Put a hat on your kid in the winter.
* Be ready to roll with your kiddo's attitude but also work to teach them patience, resilience, and to have a sense of humor.
* Hanging out as a family is always worth the effort.
* When considering timing, think about trail conditions in addition to the very long list of other kid-related considerations (weather, feeding, diapering, sun exposure, sleeping, etc. etc.). We could have easily found a less icy time of day to be out and about.