Dear All,

Each year for New Years my hubby and I have enjoyed hiking up Rigi to watch the fireworks at midnight and enjoy a Feuerzangbowle (mulled wine with caramelized sugar and rum) before merrily rolling back down.

Last year I was heavily (over due) pregnant and couldn't go. This year will be a bit different with our little baby girl in tow... I'd really like to carry on our New Year tradition of adventure but am really worried that it will be way too cold for our little one. It will be night time of course and I'm hoping she will be able to sleep all the way (she naps well in the back pack carrier we have)

Does anyone have any experience of such expeditions? Am I being unrealistic with my expectations? If so I would stay home with her while the others go out.

Thanks for your help, and meanwhile have a warm and peaceful Christmas

Puddy

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I didn't lose my mind. It was mine to give away - Robbie Williams

I've done something similar when my kids were young. We brought sleds with a fitted metal chair where we could use a sleeping bag (we used the one from our buggy) to put our little one in. It worked well.

How long does the hike take at night in the snow? Babies get cold a lot easier than adults do so you could be putting her at risk of hypothermia if out in a backpack for several hours.

This sounds like it would work better than a backpack.

When you have a baby things change, some for the better some for the worse...

Sounds like your girl is about 9-10 months old, a lot has to be determined close to the date depending on the prevailing weather conditions.

There won't be much help around if things go wrong, you need to wrap her up very well and keep checking on her. In fact you'll have to check so often that the firework show may not be so interesting after all.

Don't forget to think about her nose and ears as these bits fall off when they get very cold.

i would use a snuggly i bought one when i bought the stroler its a heavy sleeping bag, im sure you have such a thing. I think you will be fine. I see ppl. on the go with there little ones all the time. Have fun

I would NOT use a backpack to carry her. The childrens arms and legs get very cold since they don't move. If you take her along, then use a sledge or a three-wheeled pram. We did hikes with our kids when they were small using the three-wheeled pram. We put a lamb-fur as insulation and then the baby whent into one of these "bags" that you can buy for the pram.

Wrap "Kiddytat" up in appropriate clothing, warm hat, booties &cetera and wear her, as shown here.

With your (or your husbands) body warmth and the coat you/husband will be wearing wrapped around to cover her back, baby and baby wearer will be nice and toasty warm for the duration.
Plus, hands free to more easily partake of the "Feuerzangbowle"

I too would leave the backpack one at home this time, it would be a real risk I feel.

Sorry for being such a mama hen, but a baby is just way too young to take that kind of hike in the middle of winter.

Thanks for all your input guys. I have considered those things and we also have a sled with metal cage type thing for security as an option. The trail might be too steep for a sledge though (seebodenalp to rigi kulm). Though it would be worth the extra effort we'd have to make if it meant keeping her warm. We've bought a whole pile of warm stuff for her for Xmas so we'll test it out before the big event.

She's 11 and a half months and will be almost 1 yr at New Years - still very young. If in doubt I will stay home with her.

Thanks again

Puddy

__________________
I didn't lose my mind. It was mine to give away - Robbie Williams

You're really brave to think about such a trip.

I personally could not do it with my little one. I'm a bit "too" mama for that.

Dying to know .... did you go??!!

Know Rigi and the walk well and you are right, pulling a sledge up would be hard work so if you did go, which option did you take?? You could have always trained it up to say, Staffelhohe and then done a shortened walk to the Kulm??

Anyway, Happy New Year however you spent it!

Hi ecb and fellow EFers... Happy new year to you, too! I hope you all had a nice Xmas and festive season

For any of you who might be interested in knowing how our experience went...

After a nice relaxing day with lots of opportunities for kittycat to snooze, she went to bed with a nice full tummy at 17:30. She slept well until 19:30 when we woke her up, gave her her last boobie feed and a fresh disposable nappy (usually she has cloth, but in the carry sack it's more comfy for her with (oecoplan) disposables).

We wrapped her up nice and warm (wool thermal under shirt x 2 and stockings + extra thick knitted socks from aunty that go up to the knees + thermal wind proof down filled boots + Thick lined fleece pants + thick lined wind/water proof ski pants that are too long for her and cover her feet. + The ski pants have a thick fleece vest built in + a thick vaude 'funny turtle' fleece; thick thermal gloves; vaude kids hardshell jacket that are too long for her and cover her hands fully).

We set off in the car just after 20:00.

On arrival (Seebodenalp) we put the wind + water proof hardshell (vaude kiddies range). In the car she'd built up a good reserve of warmth too.

We (in total 10 of us with one 6mth pregnant woman) left the carpark at around 21:30. On the way up (600 alt. meters to Rigi Staffel) she slept 30mins. Otherwise she was wide awake taking everything in. At our destination, arrival 23:45 (just down from Rigi Staffelhöhe) we took her out of the carry sack to cuddle and move around for the 45mins we were there to drink mulled wine (I was driver so didn't drink).

*A note to the lunatics at the Staffelhöhe lookout point = Do NOT place a large fountain firework 5 metres away from a group of people!!

We headed back down following the loop track to Seebodenalp at 00:30 or so. Kittycat slept briefly, but was mostly awake taking it all in.

It was 02:00 by the time we got back to the car and drove off. Kittycat slept the whole way in the car. By 03:00 we were home. I breast fed her and had nice long cuddles (she slept while drinking and cuddling) before popping her in to bed at 03:15. She slept through until 09:00.

After breakfast and a fresh nappy she went straight back to bed and slept for 3 hours. In the afternoon she had another 1 hour nap.

In total for a 24 hour period she is in top form with about 13.5 - 14 hours sleep. On this occasion she had 12.5 in total and slept and extra hour on Jan the 2nd to catch up.

As far as weather protection and warmth is concerned, she was not as toasty warm as I would have liked, but she was not too cold. By the time we had cuddles and a feed she was OK again.

I think I was more unsettled and worried about things than she was.

The biggest issue for us was the hoards of people on the mountain this year. Last time we were pretty much the only ones there. Next time I think we'll try a less popular destination.

I hope this helps any one else who may be planning to take their little ones out in the snow. I think it's fine as long as you wrap up nice and warm and take a break each hour or two for baby to move around and cuddle.

Take care, Everyone

Puddy

__________________
I didn't lose my mind. It was mine to give away - Robbie Williams