To ask my children's pre-school not to let them play outside

"being wet and cold stops play all together"

Quite.

Which brings us back to having an outdoor water table in November and why it's a stupid idea that can't be overcome with clothing.

Rubber boots might stop slide a bit, but being wet and cold stops play all together

It has been glorious where I am for the last month or so. Cold and dry and bright and sunny.

Barely even any drizzle, I don't think I've taken the waterproofs out since October.

But IME wet slides are not slippy enough, regardless of clothing. And rubber boots are the worst for stopping mid way.

fairy was going to say the same! They fly off the end! And yes its wet here and muddy, we walk across a field to school everday and they wear waterproif trousers over their school trousers so they are clean and dry for school. I wrar wellies to do the school run or else my shoes/jeans would be trashed.

Today we have sunshine and its lovely and bright out but as its rained everyday the last week or so its still wet! We went on holiday to devon this year, u fortunately it was wet/rainy but waterproofs and wellies meant we still.had fun, even on the beach and there were lots of families with toddlers in waterproofs having fun on the beach.

Our school recomends waterproofs as rhey are out lots and in certain years they go on activity trips for a few days and do allsorts, caving, river walking, lots of getting wet/dirty!

Depending on which park we go to.or where we go for a walk even if its not raining its wet and muddy. Dp.took the kuds for a ealk the other day and they have some great photos of them literally stuck in a muddy puddle and as dp picked dd up her wellies came off stuck in the mud. Boys had a ball pulling them out.

Waterproifs can just be wiped down showered ofc if they get muddy and the children stay dry and warm!

I live in norwich so not even the nirth where its colder and you get more snow etc but waterproifs are still worth having.

My experience of nurseries nd Early Years settings is that they generally provide waterproof all in ones and emergency wellies, and ask parents to send their children in dressed in suitable clothes for outdoor and messy play and to provide spate clothes in case the child gets wet. If I were the OP, I wouldn't ask for my children to be kept indoors, but I would insist that the staff made sure that children were dressed appropriately and not left all day in wet clothes.

The slides are def faster in waterproofs when wet. Maybe not in waterproofs if dry but that not what your saying. I don't have space to carry a wet towel around.

Like j said we re in London and have needed waterproofs for weeks so you must live in a dry bubble in Ireland

I go out in the wet all the time.

Wet slides are crap.

I'm guessing you really don't go out in the wet athinginyourlife, if you did you would know there's nothing faster at going down a wet slide than a kid in waterproof trousers!

Well I guess if your kids like inching slowly down a wet slide you can leave them.

It is shit though.

LOL @ drying a climbing frame or needing waterproofs to go on one that is wet.

I live in drizzly Ireland, not a Monsoon region.

We don't need waterproofs every day.

Err yoi can slide down wet slides, esp in waterproofs, mine do it all the time!! Re drying slides i dont carry towels around with me. I do often have a muslin cloth but depending on.how wet it is that wont be enough to dry it, plus climbing frames, round abouts, swings etc. Far easier just to stick them in waterproofs.

We need waterproofs for the school run and they had them when little for going in the bike seat as well as splashing in puddles etc.

You can't slide down a wet slide in any clothes, because they are not slippy.

You can buy a piece of equipment called a towel that will dry park equipment after rain.

It rains half the year here though, and I did its cold more than that. Going to the park in the cold and finding the slide wet is a regular occurrence, but if they are in waterproofs they can go down/ in swings regardless as will stay dry

butterz my ds4 is in reception and they have an outdoor area they go outside everyday and are still doing water play etc.

The problem isnt the childrem going outside and getting wet, its that when they came in they werent dried/changed as necessary.

And athing your bit about windows etc if course reads like you dont go out when its raining.

A snowsuit or waterproof trousers etc is not exactly going overboard given uk weather, you can pick them up cheaply and they can then layer up underneath if the outfit us just waterproof and not insulated.

I don't think you really have to go OTT with specialist outdoor clothing in the UK, for kids - a thermal vest, wellies/boots and good winter coat with hat, gloves and scarf usually do the trick.

You should get used to it OP, my DDs reception class spend half their day outside (I'm sure I see water play set up outside even now it's winter). I think it's great, so much more interesting than when I was a kid.

"Athinginyourlife are you seriously saying that if you look out of the window and it's raining you don't go out?"

No, I'm seriously saying nothing of the kind.

Can't you read?

The argument I'm having is that it shouldn't be necessary to send a child to nursery in gore-tex because they are going to be dumped outside playing with water in all weathers.

My children have good outdoor gear because we like walking and love going out in the rain.

We go out every day because I can't bear being in the house with a toddler who needs to get out.

But I'm not an idiot, of course I look out the window to see what the weather is like and make my plans accordingly.

Sometimes getting suited aand booted and splashing around in puddles is the way forward, other days we wait 5 minutes until the rain has passed and then go out in our regular street coats.

Part of loving the outdoors is understanding and responding to the weather.

Athinginyourlife are you seriously saying that if you look out of the window and it's raining you don't go out? Has your toddler never experience jumping in all the puddles as it raining heavily, or a strong wind blowing in his/her face, or the feeling of snow on their hands? Are you that adaptable that as soon as your toddler says its cold you go home? What about if your out with other people, or need to get other things done? Would it not be easier to buy some decent outdoor clothes rather than let the weather dictate yours and your child's lifes? After all I reckon it's going to be pretty cold, and no doubt wet for a fair few months now

Cold hands won't do them any harm if it's for a short amount of time though. If the child isn't distressed by it it's not a major issue as long as the staff make sure they dry their hands properly after (which I know it seems didn't happen in this case but that's a different issue)

Do you not let your children play out in the snow incase their hands get cold?

"Just a small point but I very much doubt the children had their hands held in the water while they were forced to play in it!"

These children are toddlers!

The fact that they will allow themselves to get freezing cold and wet playing outdoors in water doesn't mean it is a good idea for them to do it.

Shit, we wouldn't need nurseries in the first place if children of that age could be left to their own devices with no ill effects.

Just a small point but I very much doubt the children had their hands held in the water while they were forced to play in it!

YANBU

They left very young children in wet clothes... REGARDLESS of what the OP had left in the way of spare clothes the nursery surely had some?

And outdoor play is one thing but WATER play? I suggest that some of the adults on here take themselves out in the morning to play in some water and see how much fun it is when you can no longer feel your hands and they are bright red with cold.

Padded, waterproof ski gloves... are you all serious?? These are 3yr olds with developing fine motor skills how will they do anything? My 8yr old cant even clip the dog lead on in his or do his coat up and he even struggles to hold the dog lead!

OP... I would be furious! Perhaps not keep them in until spring though lol!

All children are different... I have one that has always seemed to need a layer less than other kids or will overheat but if he gets too cold, especially his hands it happens VERY quickly and it affects him very badly.

If the twin who was 'unwell' with the cold continues it might be worth popping him along to the GP - a friend of mine has a twin with Raynards that was diagnosed very young but if I am honest I don't know how he presented when he had it.

Just carry out sensible parenting OP and expect the nursery to sensible too... if they are not then a bit of a word might be in order.

Aldi.have snowsuits for £9:99 and gloves proper thick.ski.type ones for £2:99.

We go out in all weathers, given the damp misersble weather in the uk.you would have a lot of days when you never went to the park.if you stayed in when it was raining/cold/damp.

Even if its not raining when you go.out it us often still wet from the rsin, frost, dew etv. My kids dont moan they are cold as they have appropriate clothing! Tho.ds2 would wear shorts and t-shirt all year round regardless.

Get a snowsuit that is big and it lasts for two years, they dont get worn.out so can.be handed down to siblings or sold on ebay or gumtree etc.

Water play even in the cold is fine, mine love leaving various containers of water out overnight for it to freeze and then they play with the frozen shape. As soom as it gets properly cold we will be filling balloons with water and food colouring and leaving them outside to freeze. It make big ice marbles!! Fab fun.

Sorry but in the uk you cant stay in when its wet/cold all the time and its a crap attitude ti have. Being outside in the fresh air and getting some exercise is good for us!

I read the OP too

the OPs solution to them doing water play was to ask the nursery to "keep them inside until spring" not to ask them to just not do water play until spring!

rofl @ diving gloves

I read it. Water play outside at this time of year is stupid.