To ask nursery not to let my child play outside when it’s dark out

Ratios wouldn’t make this possible, the children go outside after tea so the practitioners can clean the room and set it up for the morning. Hard to do that with 23 3-5 yo under your feet!

Not being adequately dressed for cold weather is the problem here.

This isn't a joke you know. He could turn into a pumpkin.

As long as they are dressed appropriately, what difference does it make if it's dark? You are being ridiculous. The fact you don't go to the park in the dark is your choice, mine did in winter, dog needed walking and it wasn't fenced. Some places get dark very early in winter

You would be U because nurseries have ratios and asking them to keep him in means other kids also can't go out and play. Outdoor play is good for kids and the dark will not harm him.

It's also unreasonable not to send him to nursery with appropriate warm clothes for the weather and I'm sure the nursery will have recommended this.

That would be very unreasonable of you. I currently live in a country where the sun doesn’t rise until about 9:30am and goes down just after 4pm… and soon it’s only going to be daylight from about 11:30am - 3pm.
Children here go outside in any weather and are dressed appropriately. So even if my son hates gloves, hats, scarves and zipping up his coat he goes outside. And he is never sick (maybe once a year, if that) so I say let them be outside and for the sake of your sanity, don’t ask the nursery to make him stay inside. It’s not even possible at most nurseries I’ve worked in.

If it's a question of being too busy to supervise a pre schooler in the garden after work, then you have "no playing in the garden after nursery" as a rule.

Otherwise, you have an issue in the summer months, when it's not dark until much later.

Op said 'when it's black outside'....black!! What does that even mean?? Bloody weird

Ges been hapoy when you picked him up. You sound ridiculous not letting a child go out in the dark.

I didn’t know kids were like laundry and suffered from being “darked” 😂

@Singlema99

I think your child may be more likely to get ill from being cooped up indoors.

If I was running non stop for 15mins, I might even feel inclined to take a layer off. Even if it’s cold.

I’m sure if your DC has coat, hat, gloves they’ll be fun - and kids love being outside in the dark.

We often take our DC on 'dark' walks with headtorches.

OP your DC just needs appropriate clothing to enjoy playing out in the dark. He can look at the stars😊

Were you perhaps raised in a culture nearer the Equator where the day lengths are more equal?

I was just coming to say OP would struggle in a country like that! I was in such a country recently where it was dark around 6pm every day and there were families playing on the beach in the dark; they'd set up some powerful floodlights to light up a patch of sea for swimming.

I've heard it all now.

He will get darked on obviously. The same thing that happens if you leave your washing out overnight.

Were you perhaps raised in a culture nearer the Equator where the day lengths are more equal? Assuming you are in the UK now, not going out in the dark will be very limiting. Perhaps concentrate on teaching him how to dress appropriately when going outside so he doesn't get cold If he is upset about being cold perhaps talk to the staff but as others have said perhaps he refuses.

He should be fine learning that things are different at home and nursery. I can understand if you are wanting to get a meal ready you can't drop everything to go outside and watch him. Maybe if you don't want to supervise at home then outdoor play could be something he does with your partner or a trusted uncle/ aunt.

😂

Children can understand that the rules are different at nursery and home.

The issue is the clothing, that's all.

I live in Germany and they would laugh at you if you suggested this. Also surely the staff are outside supervising the other children, so who would you expect to watch him?

Ok so I'm just going to guess based on OP's name and the fact that she has a child in nursery, that she's a single working parent to maybe a 3yo.

So am I - to older children now - and as soon as I get home it's into cooking/laundry/all the things mode.

So I'm guessing she's too busy to supervise a preschooler in the garden after work, so that's why she has that rule at home. I don't think that is unreasonable.

But OP kids are really adaptable with rules between nursery/childcare/school/home. He's happy - ask them to make sure he's dressed warmly, and let him have fun. And it's fine if you don't want to stand in a freezing dark garden to supervise him at home.

You do realise that through life what ‘rules’ we have at home don’t apply at other life settings? So for example when I work at home it has been known that I work in my pyjamas. At home at don’t expect my children to raise their hands to ask me a question or to go to the toilet.

Children have to learn that society is based on various flexible rules. It is YOUR job to gentle teach your child - this is our rules and this is nursery rules.

Though as a beside why on earth is your child not allowed in the garden in the dark? I’m assuming he’s going with you what dangers are you thinking will lurk out there?

What an odd way of parenting. It’s winter, so dark early. It’s not like it’s midnight and your child is playing out.

I am forever baffled by the decisions some parents make.

Gently, you’re being insane.

Why don’t you let him play outside in the garden at home when dark? Fit an outdoor light if you don’t have one and let him crack on.

I’d remind them to make sure he’s appropriately dressed if he’s regularly not but that’s it

Same! We've done evening walks for years with ds, he loves it. Take a torch, look at stars, spot plane lights.

What on earth do you think is going to happen in what's presumably an enclosed space with lighting and staff supervision? Vampire bat attack or something?

Our dogs still have to be walked of an evening, our other animals still have to be fed and looked after even when it goes dark early. DC are old enough now to go sort the animals by themselves, and it's only a short walk up to where we keep the goats and chickens, but when they were younger I'd take them up, we'd put hi-vis on, head torches, thick socks in their wellies and warm clothing if it was cold. If you're appropriately dressed and have a light source there is literally no issue. He needs to be dressed appropriately of course, but the dark is not the problem here...

Why don't you let your child out after dark?