Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/caring-for-the-little-ones-beyond-buggies-having-fun-outside-with-babies/5012794/
This article is actually the beginning of what I hope will be an ongoing discussion. I am a strong advocate of outdoor play for all children, including infants and toddlers.It seems that in recent years many people are shortcutting outdoor time by relying solely on buggies and strollers to simply take children for walks. There are some wonderful manufactured products that allow caregivers to take small groups of babies outside and I am totally in favor of these. BUT . . . that should not be the only way the youngest children experience the out-of-doors.
I sent out three questions to our "Caring for the Little Ones E-Mail Network":
1. What are the benefits to bringing babies outside?
2. What are the barriers to bringing infants outside? How do you overcome them?
3. What are some of your favorite things to do with infants and toddlers outside?
Dawn Rouse, director of the Somersworth Child Care Center in Somersworth, New Hampshire, sent in a timely response that will form our first installment. Dawn writes:
I wholeheartedly agree that just buggies tend to be the primary way babies experience the outdoors, as a spectator sport. The outdoors becomes an extension of the car window, something to be seen but ...