>>459790Younger one is three now, but yeah I carried my kids /out/. The middle child, now 7, rode all of Bright Angel Trail in a backpack. I made a carrier from scratch that put the kiddo in front so I could have both hands available and carry a backpack as well. Youngest went through Mammoth Cave in that in the summer of 2013. Both of the younger children have been carried all over Big Bend. Pic related is middle child at the age of 2 somewhere north of Pecos, NM getting a ride from Dad. He's the same kid with the Mexican walking sticks from BBNP.
You don't do rough trails with them, but you can start them getting /out/ when they're too young to walk. Both mine with the current wife slept in a tent before they were six months old. They can play in the water, fish, look at the campfire, cook hot dogs in it, et cetera. They just can't climb Mt. McKinley.