Practice taking long walks with your four-year old before the backpacking trip. She needs to get used to walking regularly before a longer hike will be feasible.
Involve your four-year old in the planning of the backpacking adventure. Let her see the maps and talk about the destinations.
Plan to hike a total of two to four miles per day with a four-year old, as children at this age are easily distracted, do not walk very fast and get tired easily. Spend approximately four to five hours walking each day so that you give your family enough time to set up camp, enjoy nature and explore the area. Allow your child to rest when she gets tired, but try to meet your daily goal.
Provide your child with a small backpack that does not carry very much weight, but makes him feel like he is contributing to the trip. He can carry such items as snacks, a small water bottle or a book to read for entertainment during the trip. Dress the four-year old in clothing that can handle rain or other bad weather, such as rain slickers with hoods, wool socks and long underwear.
Pack enough food for your family to eat on the backpacking trip. Plan to bring three meals per person per day, based upon how much each individual eats at home. In addition, include snacks such as granola bars and dried fruit to eat between full meals. Make sure your four-year old has three to four beverages to drink per day besides water, including such things as juice, powdered drink mix and milk.
Bring a ceramic filtration system for water that you come across while hiking. Your child could become sick easier than you when drinking water with bacteria in it.
Direct your child to use the woods or facilities in the same way that you do, which is usually creating a hole and burying it when finished. This will help the child understand how backpacking trips work when there are not bathroom facilities nearby.
Carry a few books and small games for your four-year old to play with on the trip, but focus his attention on the nature around you for entertainment. A four-year old should have no problem finding things to do when there is wildlife, trees and insects to look at and explore.
