In April of 2020, my wife and I were confident that the COVID pandemic couldn’t possibly last much longer, so we took advantage of all the discounted flights and booked tickets to Chile for December. Fast forward to the Spring of 2022 and we still hadn’t used the AeroMexico vouchers from when that trip was cancelled. The answer to why we booked tickets to Switzerland (through Mexico City) instead of Chile is a long and complicated story for another time, but that’s what we did!

While this wasn’t our son’s first backpacking trip, it was surely his biggest and most ambitious. There were a ton of unknowns that manifested as fears, but in the end, our Tour du Mont Blanc became one of our favorite trips of all time. I hope the information below helps you and your family plan an equally enriching and fulfilling trek!

What is the TMB?

The Tour du Mont Blanc (TMB) is a trek that takes hikers full circle around the Mont Blanc massif. Its ~105 miles (~170 km) of trail span three countries: France, Italy, and Switzerland. While it is possible to tent camp the whole hike, most opt to stay in mountain huts and hotels along the way. The elevation gain and loss makes for an especially challenging trail…roughly, it’s equivalent to hiking from the rim of the Grand Canyon to the bottom and back up again a total of 5 times! These exhausting days are balanced with delicious traditional food, generous pours of alcohol, and a warm sense of community with the many hikers you meet along the way. If you’re looking for a trail that feels lonely, this is not it. However, if you’d like a trail that has epic views shared with new friends, this is you!

Our Itinerary

Taking a Toddler

Practice & Experience

This 1st section is intended to be a disclaimer: I won’t recommend this trip to every family. This trip is tough…everyone, with or without a child, needs to be prepared for big mileage and big climbs. Yes, you will need to train to carry the weight of your child, but your child will also need to prepared for being in a carrier for hours a day. If you want some extra guidance on how to make being in a carrier as enjoyable as possible for you and your child, check out my post on happy babies in carriers.

Pack Weight

Fortunately, we were able to resupply along the way, so we only needed to pack a few days worth of diapers, wipes, and snacks. Markets to resupply can be found in at least Les Houches, Les Contamines-Montjoie, Courmayeur, La Fouly, Champex, Argentiere, and Chamonix. Keep in mind though, they don’t sell diapers in small packages, so make sure their’s some room for a big ol’ bag of diapers and a jumbo box of Cheerios like we had!

Safety & Contingency Plans

While this trek never takes you far from civilization, you will still be traveling through difficult to reach, backcountry locations. Be sure to pack children’s medication and, if possible, a GPS like a Garmin inReach Mini. And, as always, do not ever depend on wifi or cell reception while out on any trail.

In preparation for taking our son, we planned out every shortcut or bail out point we could find. I’ve included our list in a section further below. While we only chose to use one shortcut, it was comforting to always know the easiest way to get off trail if needed.

The scariest moment for us while on trail involved a sudden and extreme thunderstorm. All along the trail, rain was pretty unpredictable…the weather forecasts we used were not reliable. On this particular day however, we were heading over Grand Col Ferret. Fortunately for us, we heard a guide a breakfast informing his group of a likely stormy afternoon, so we ran out early and fast to beat it. Our biggest fear was being at one of the trail’s high points during an electric storm. Turns out, we made it to the pass with just about 10 minutes before the storm hit us. On the way down, we ran through slick mud while we cowered with each boom echoing around us. After about a full hour of this, we finally made it to the next refuge to take shelter, now soaked and freezing. While Brittany and I ran in fear and through discomfort, our son slept through it all! We were able to get him in warm layers, his rain suit, and rain cover at the pass to prepare us for what we knew was coming. Ultimately, we were prepared for the situation; we are grateful for the experiences and research that made for a safe hike through every circumstance on the trail!

Finally, there is one section that stands out as a place to consider rerouting…the ladders. Between Argentiere and La Flegere (Chamonix), you will come across quite a few ladders. If you have any doubt about your ability to climb ladders with a child on your back, find another route. If your child swings around in your pack, greatly moving your center of gravity, consider finding another route. As far as I know, there is an alternate route around these ladders, but we heard that it was steep and challenging. The third option would be to go straight through the valley to Chamonix and take the lift up to La Flegere. There is a train through the valley you could easily take. Unbeknownst to us though, there were more ladders just short of the summit of Le Brevent! These were fewer but definitely more intimidating. The only way to bypass these would be to take the Brevent lift to the summit.

Refuges, Rifugios, Auberges, & Gîtes

Booking hotels in the cities was a piece of cake. Booking all the mountain huts, however, was extremely stressful! First, we decided to take this trip well after the time we should have booked everything. Most book their lodging 6-10 months in advance…we somehow booked 3 months in advance. To avoid our this extra stress, plan to book your lodging in the Fall or Winter before your trip. See a list of all our accommodations later on in this blog.

Second, it was important that we book private rooms out of respect for other trekkers. While we would have no problem with a bunk in a shared room, forcing others to share a room with an unpredictable child didn’t feel right. Not every place had private rooms and we had no idea if they would allow us to bring a toddler. Therefore, I had to email each and every place we considered, asking if they had private rooms, had availability, and would accommodate our child. In the end, every place we contacted allowed us to bring our son (not every place had private rooms). Finally, we were able to secure private rooms in every location but one…at Gite Le Moulin, we had a room with 4 beds and ended up sharing it with a couple we had already met on the trail.

Because we chose to bring a lightweight crib, we didn’t have to pay for our child to stay at the refuges. We had never co-slept with him, but the first few nights, we pulled him in with us to keep our fussy, jet lagged baby from keeping those on the other side of the thin walls awake. The beds were small, especially with another body in it, but all-in-all, our son did very well sleeping through most nights in his crib!

Regarding food: there’s typically milk at every breakfast. Not sure what kind, but it’s milk! Finally, meals in the huts are typically prix fix so, if you have a picky eater, plan to bring your own meals for your child.

Was it worth it?

He also made the biggest trail family anyone could ever have…at just about every break, someone would run over and take Callan which was always a nice break! Avi, Nick, Meaghan, Sarah, Jordan, and Debbie became his biggest fans, playing with him and even buying him snacks. Even the waitress at lunch one day took him to the kitchen to get a humongous strawberry that he devoured!

This trip was invaluably memorable for us and we hope that these experiences help mould our son into a fine human being.

Shortcuts & Safety Nets

Variants & Options

In my GPS, I had programmed every variant on the TMB in hopes that we’d do as many as possible. In the end, we only did 2 variants and only because they were the most sensible options. We took the variant over Col des Fours because we were staying at Refuge des Mottets and we took the variant from Col de Balme because of knee pain and a shorter route to Gîte Le Moulin.

Be aware that many of the most desirable variants are much more difficult, especially with the weight of your child in tow. There is, however, an option to make this easier if you so choose! Many trekkers hike with a day pack and have their luggage transferred to their next destination. While they cannot do transfers to EVERY location, it can help save weight on your back for much of the trip, ultimately saving time and energy on the trail. We chose not to do this as the trip was getting very expensive already, but if you can afford it, it’s a great option!

You can also do this trip with a guide. Honestly, I do not think a guide is needed, however a booking service would have been convenient. Booking was incredibly difficult and stressful, but we ended up doing it successfully on our own in March, just 3 months prior to our trip.

Finally, you don’t need to do the whole thing if it sounds like too much! The stretch through the Chamonix Valley is amazing as is the stretch from Les Contamines to Bonatti or La Fouly. While I’m so glad I did the whole thing, many people we met on the trail were just doing part of it and that’s totally cool!

Our Toddler’s Things

Gear & Things

Clothing

Tech

Food Stuff

First Aid

Toiletries