...to think that toddlers should go out for a walk every single day no matter what?

[welliemum]

This is really an open question, I promise to take it on the chin if people think IABU >

So, I have dd1 (just turned 3) and dd2 (15 months) and they are lovely but never sit still. If they don't go out for a walk - ideally 2 walks - they're literally climbing the walls at 5pm. And when I say 'literally" I do mean literally: eg standing on the window sill after traversing the North Face of the sideboard, working out how to traverse across to the glasses cabinet.

Yesterday (working day for me) it was very cold and windy and they didn't go out and then were just awful and didn't go to sleep until 9pm.

So, should the person who was looking after them have taken them out?

We're in NZ, it's spring, mostly too warm for frost now, but yesterday we had rain and strong wind, and it was very cold out because the wind was coming at us straight off some snowy mountains.

I'd have layered up and taken them out, but AIBU?

"toddlers are just labradors with less fur" - marvellous.
Big walk every day, whatever the weather.

Take them out. Even a bit of rain won't do them any harm. If my boys 5 & 2 don't get outside daily we all get cabin fever. I have a good sized garden fortunately so we don't always have to go to the park. And if it's cold just put them in an extra layer.

I would insist, as long as children and nanny all had good warm clothes and/or waterproofs as appropriate. It doesn't have to be for very long, just to blow the cobwebs away.

i think if you insist no matter what the weather that they go out then that would be ok but personally if i was looking after them and the weather was like that i wouldn't take them out its more fear of making the child ill with cold

but if you make it clear then no problem but you can do many excercising games in doors we dance we play chase and my ds still settles 6-7 for bed no problems

not everyone thinks the same in bad weather with 2 small children it makes more sence to stay warm in doors so you do have to tell whoever has them what you require and why but it seems weird it takes two walks otherwise they dont settle what activities do they do in the home my ds is always racing around

Bubblagirl; "fear of making the child ill with cold"

xXxamyxXx; "maybe the person minding them was unsure if they should in case dcs caught a cold"

How is fresh air going to make the children ill???

Maybe I am wrong but I was taught that fresh air helps you stay healthy. Feel free to correct me if I am wrong.

Now I know that artic freezing conditions can kill you but do you live at the North Pole?
Do you think that by taking the children out I mean taking the children for walks on the highest mountains in winter time?

I dont think you are being unreasonable, who is the person taking care of them? Are they aware of your position on this?

Cant post too much now but i essentiall agree

mine doesn't

"Recent research has demonstrated that chilling may cause the onset of common cold symptoms5. A study at the Common Cold Centre in Cardiff UK in 2005 took 90 students and chilled their feet in cold water for 20 minutes and showed that the chilled group had twice as many colds over the next 5 days as a control group of 90 students whose feet were not chilled. The authors propose that when colds are circulating in the community some persons carry the virus without symptoms and that chilling the feet causes a constriction of blood vessels in the nose and this inhibits the immune response and defences in the nose and allows the virus to replicate and cause cold symptoms. The chilled person believes they have caught a cold but in fact the virus was already present in the nose but not causing symptoms. "

From here

But there has been research that showed that getting your nasal passages and throat chilly makes them less effective in dealing with inhaled bugs.

Hence it's not unreasonable to assume that excessive "chilling" of children by outdoor activities in inclement weather could lead to them catching a cold as a result.

You can wrap up warm but you're still breathing in cold air.

Personally I still think fresh air is a gift from the gods as far as ensuring children are tired at bedtime and sleep better.

Well done Tellusmater, I am impressed.

"chilled their feet in cold water for 20 minutes and" it is not quite the same as talking your children for a walk in the rain with appropriate wellies, rain-coats/hats/trousers, plus they are going to be walking/running not standing still in a puddle with no shoes on. .

Fedupwasherwoman that is relating to icy freeze cold air, not normal bad British weather

Dare I say it that these attitudes seem vaguely Victorian and/or Truby King-ish. Nobody needs to go outside - in some countries they just don't. DH grew up in teh kind of household where they always had a window open, I am the kind of wuss who firmly shuts all windows in October and leaves them there till May. I am generally healthier than DH! The main reason for fresh air is to occupy them in a physical way - a soft play place would do it as well, if not perhaps so pleasantly as a day on the beach. If the weather is truly grotty (and in Wellington it can be - can't think of much worse than going out when it is blowing a southerly and raining) then thinking of a lively fun game inside (easier to do in NZ where houses are larger) may be teh answer.

Tellusmater I used to volunteer for the Common Cold Research Centre when I was a student and I can confirm that any results from there are nonsense, as all the volunteers are students faking their symptoms for the cash Afriend of mine put cayenne pepper in his eye to get the streaming eyes required for that week's tests. Can't think who advised him to try that stupid idea

The things I have done to 'cure' a cold include having a heat lamp pointed at my face, taking arthritis medication and oh yes, Lemsip was my personal favourite.

Wow, lots of posts while I was asleep! Many thanks for the opinions.

OK, up to tellusmater's post I count:

YABU: 10
YANBU:22

... and some fence sitters

Based on that, I had a chat with our nanny, and said it was really important to me that they went out for a walk each day, and she was happy with that but said she didn't have a warm coat. I got out all the outdoor clothing - we have a poncetastic collection, it's total overkill for people who are unlikely to attempt a Himalyan summit anytime soon - anyway, got her and her little girl sorted out with coats and hats. They went out and all seemed to enjoy it.

A few people have mentioned the horrible wind in Wellington - we're outside the city and live in a deep, narrow river valley, so in fact it's quite still around the house even on very windy days. I have various walks and activities that we do when it's windy, keeping to sheltered places. It's not quite the same as in the city where you get blown sideways as soon as you step off the doorstep.

I know that extreme chilling can make people susceptible to colds, but I don't think we're running big risks in a climate that's basically milder than Somerset. It gets very cold at night but am not sending them out for walks in the small hours (tempting though it is sometimes).

Am a bit aghast at being compared to Truby King though... not my favourite person.

Actually, that's another thing.... I do get them jumping around indoors too, but this seems to wind them up even more sometimes, whereas being outside calms them down. Maybe just my imagination.

maisemor i only said fear of making them ill with cold as we was not talking about noprmal british weather we were talking about nz wreathewr very strong windy= and rainy day as wind was coming off snowy mountains hensce the fact that 2 small children who are not your own you would be in twominds about taking them out incase they did get ill

and as i said if telling someone to take your child out then thats ok but for someone who does not know in that weather to take 2 small children out then you would be worried slightly different to our rain over here i would imagine i do take my ds out in rain to splash in puddles but i dont have strong wind and rain coming off snowy mountains to contend with otherwise i might think twice

but i think that it is ok as long as parent has said so but you could have a child that is prone to chest infection where strong wind and rain could play havoc with there chest then if parent hasnt said to take them out and you did then the parent could become up[set as now childs chest is playing up and ill my fear of making them ill comment i'm all for dc getting exercise

I think in this case (having chatted to nanny) that she simply has a different threshold to me when it comes to "weather too bad to go out".

Which is fair enuff, as I've lived/stayed in much colder places than she has.

in general yes unless ill or absolutely baltic weather (but hey thats my experience of scottish childhood) snow, rain, sleet, hail, dreich still went oot

ha, i kknow someone with a 15 month old who always keeps her strapped into buggy, pushchair etc as she doesnt wantto run round afterher.
let the child move! after all we would never tie a five year old to a chair, so why a 15 month old?

Wot's "dreich" scottishmummy? It sounds baaaad

i nearly always take ds out for a walk in the fresh air even if it's raining. a bit of rain never harmed anyone!!

I had DS1 in Germany where they think that not only toddlers should go out in the fresh air everyday but babies as well. My neighbours and in laws used to worry about DS1 because if it was freezing cold I wouldn't go out. Not just for his sake but for mine too - unused to such inhospitable whether as I was. I was talking to my neighbour and a friend of hers about it one day and the friend relayed a terrible story of how the Jugendamt (Dept of Community Services it would be called over here) knocked on her door one day as the neighbours complained to them that they never saw her walking her baby in the pram - the explanation this poor woman had to give was that she had been pregnant with twins but that they both died during delivery and then she was forced to produce their death certificates for this sad sod!

My German MIL opens every window of her house early every morning regardless of the temperature to let the fresh air in. On some days this is complete madness!

Re the OP, I would just have a friendly chat with the minder as she may not understand the consequences of not taking them out for you. Here in Sydney in crap weather I take my boys to one of those indoor play centres to burn off the energy - makes a nice change to the park on those rare days. This is not a cheap alternative though.

my mum's the same but she's not german!! she opens every window in the house to let in the fresh air. i think that's where i got my habit of taking ds out every from since he was a baby. it did help him sleep though.

ne'er cast a cloot til may is oot
"but mum i dont want to go outit is dreich"

"stop yer gurningits only a wee bit dreich",

My DCs walked the dog with me everyday from about 1 week old, regardless of the weather. They only stayed home if they were really ill. If you're dressed for the weather it's fine.

We would have all gone mad if we were indoors all the time. And would have been bored senseless. But we are a very outdoorsy family.