Opinion

Let's Get The Kids Outside!

Wednesday 17th of July 2013  |  Category: Opinion  |  Written by: Leoarna Mathias

In the midst of this exceptionally good weather, I have spent a very pleasant Sunday afternoon in the garden of friends watching my children dip in and out of the paddling pool, slide down a piece of plastic, and munch their way through strawberries and ice-cream wafers. As the mums sat drinking tea, checking the application of sun cream to the kids, we observed how beneficial it is for our children to be outside as much as possible. We all agreed that this was a day like the days of our own childhoods. Not rushing around from piano lesson to gym class to maths tutoring, but running around naked, giggling like mad, covered in bits of grass that leave a raft in the bath later on. Minimal interference from grown-ups, maximum fun being had. As I type, my house is quiet with the sound of heavily sleeping children.

Just a few days ago I read an insightful piece in The Guardian. An interview with David Bond, who has been charting children’s declining access to nature and the difference between previous generations and the current crop and their access to outdoor play, it confirms what many of us probably already intuitively know; that our children’s play experiences are vastly different and much more limited than for any previous generation. Fear of strangers, cars, no-go areas in our towns and cities, and a preoccupation with technology – all these things lead us to conclude that the only safe place for our kids is the closely supervised back garden (if we have one). Bond went as far as to tape a camera to his daughter and found that in a usual day, only 4% of her time was spent playing outside.

Bond makes some astute observations about how the outdoors has become an ‘experience’ to be marketed in much the same way as other toys and games. He also talks of how other parents will judge if a child is left to roam a little free-er than others in a neighbourhood, and thus parent-peer pressure plays a part in keeping children indoors. Perhaps all our kid’s lives would be a little more free-range if we all took the pledge on Bond’s Project Wild Thing site, to give our children as much outdoor time as screen time, every day.Baby Outside

Here at Babies.co.uk we’re thinking that good habits can be started early on. While being mindful of the need to keep very young children safe in the sun, there’s no reason why your baby and toddler can’t play on a blanket in the park, or wonder barefoot through the grass in the back garden. Take the high chair outside and have a picnic tea, or take a stroll for its own sake with your baby in the pushchair. My 20 month old son brings me his shoes as soon as he has finished his morning bottle and before he is out of his pyjamas! He loves to stop and pick a daisy or push his truck up and down the lawn. So let’s not consign the current generation to a life indoors; let’s embrace the good that can come from being outside.

Is advice always useful?

Just recently a piece in The Telegraph reminded us of just how important it is to find the right approach when you are a trusted source of parenting advice. In it, a team of experts are highly critical of the ‘Positive parenting’ approach espoused in the NHS-endorsed book ‘Birth to Five’, which is given to all new parents. Family Law expert at the LSE Helen Reece has researched what she calls some of the more ‘subjective guidance’ within its pages and takes issue with the positive parenting movement, concluding that, “Positive parenting is hard if not impossible work, setting parents up to fail.” Ms Reece called for the Government to remove advice on such issues from official guidelines while still giving parents important information on matters such as a safe temperature for a baby or nutrition.

Now we know that parents seek advice from a variety of sources, but that online information plays a significant part in that. Here at Babies.co.uk we think carefully about the tone and content of our pages. We want to be supportive of parents seeking answers to the myriad questions that arise when baby first arrives. We want to present all sides of the arguments, the pros and the cons of a certain course of action – and we never want to appear judgemental or critical of certain parenting choices. We are acutely aware of just how much parenting advice there is out there these days, and how it can all become just a little overwhelming. So we’ll leave you with a reminder of our goal as outlined on the home page;

‘Our site aims to help you and your baby get the most out of your first twelve months together by equipping you with up to date, relevant and useful information. Our content has been carefully compiled with the help of Mums, Doctors, Midwives and fitness experts to ensure that we are bringing our users clear, accurate and helpful material.’

- and remind you that the team here at Babies.co.uk works hard to get things right – so your life with your baby is a little easier!


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