Candace's Question:

My husband, our almost four-year-old daughter, and I will be backpacking to Chapel Beach on the Pictured Rocks National shoreline of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. We have been there many times and know the trail and campground.

My concern is keeping my daughter safe. Of course, we will not let her out of our sight. We thought we would put her in the Kelty backpack/carrier when we go to look at the cliffs and lake. She still fits in the pack.

Do you have any ideas for keeping her occupied while we are near our camp?

Candace

Alice's Answer:

	Alice Cary Alice introduced her oldest child, Will, to the outdoors at a very early age by climbing New Hampshire's Mt. Washington—in winter—while pregnant. And she and her family haven't stopped experiencing the joys of outdoor adventure, even with newborn twins. Meet Alice Answer Archive Family Forums

This sounds like a wonderful family adventure.

I haven't been to Pictured Rocks, but my reaction is that loading a nearly four-year-old into a child carrier for safety's sake sounds like a drastic measure unless you're venturing near unleashed alligators or some other such unpredictable, moving menace.

Regardless of whether your child still fits into her carrier, most kids her age are heavy and unwilling to be loaded up. They want to walk on their own unless they happen to be ill or exhausted.

Unless your daughter has some special traits of her own, most four-year-olds are reliable enough to hold a parent's hand near a dangerous spot such as a cliff or lake. I wouldn't let go of that hand near the cliffs, of course, or venture too close to the edge. But most children this age also have a healthy enough sense of fear that they're unlikely to make wild lemming-like lunges for the edge.

If you do feel a strict need for controlling her, why not consider one of those child leashes instead of a carrier — although I doubt most four-year-olds would tolerate these, either.

Words from a Pictured Rocks Vet
Since I haven't been to Pictured Rocks, I consulted mom and outdoors writer Carrie Gaska, who toured the area this summer with her own three kids, ages 4, 5, and 8. Gaska reports that as the whole, the area tends to be safe for family exploring, and many cliffs are fenced in to prevent falls.

That said, of course, any wilderness area has its own pitfalls, even the proverbial back yard.

Camp Site Safety
For parents of young children on any camping trip, the safest campsite strategy is to have one parent tending to camp chores while the other's primary concern is child-watching. That way your child can't get into trouble while each parent assumes the other is on duty.

For those who have more than one young child in your family, consider bringing along extra adult or teenage helpers, if possible. That's what we did when we took our twin toddler girls camping this summer. My girls enjoy exploring opposite directions, so the extra hands and watchful eyes were lifesavers.

But since you have one child and two adults, you should be all set.

It's fairly easy to keep kids this age busy in camp:

		Give them simple camp chores, such as setting up the sleeping bags.
		Let them play in the tent, which is a natural"playpen." Keep an eye on tent entrances and listen for your child's voice, and all should go smoothly.
		Bring along a few small toys and activities, such as Legos, crayons, paper or coloring books, Beanie Babies, or whatever small items are apt to entertain your daughter.
		Your child is likely to find her own amusement at your campsite, such as constructing little villages out of twigs and pebbles. Encourage this as much as possible and be thankful.

Have a great, safe, trip!

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