Nursery Don’t Let Kids Outside Because it’s Cold

[FanofLeaves]

And I think it’s ridiculous.

its not a particularly spacious place as it is (inner city) but they have climbing equipment and bikes, a sandpit etc outside. ‘garden time’ is easily my son’s favourite part of the day. He’s 4 and just missed going to school this year so he’s feeling pretty frustrated as it is but he’s been livid this week that his outdoor fun has been curtailed.

Anyway, apparently it’s been ‘too cold’ this week to be outside even in a short burst. I pointed out that my son has mittens, a thick winter coat, woolly hat, boots and an extra jumper if needed, and one of the staff said that not all of the children do so it’s ’not very fair’ to have some out but not others. In fact they seemed a bit surprised that I wanted him to be outside in ‘these low temperatures’.

AIBU to think that a) it’s the staff not wanting to go out and be cold and b) they can’t be arsed to put hats/coats/gloves on the small children that can’t do it themselves.

Because I really can’t think of a valid reason not to let children outside, I know it’s been chilly and yeah I get staying in while it was raining for a bit yesterday but apart from that, we live in the south of England- and there’s no need to keep kids cooped up inside just because it happens to be winter.

Son only attends 3 days a week but they’re full days. When he’s with me we go out to the big parks, scoot everywhere, climb trees, out on waterproofs to be out in the puddles etc. I really notice a shift in his behaviour when he’s not had fresh air and active outdoor time. I don’t drive either so sometimes we just need to get from A to B whatever the weather.

Any other nurseries have this ridiculous policy? Would you agree with it if they did?

Why would your job have to involve working outside?

Many work is outside. Even if he does get a " sit on arse in warm office" job then he's actually got to get there. It might be cold

Presume no outdoor sports would ever be played either. Including skiing ( has to be freezing for that)

My son was out yesterday in the snow at his school nursery. We are inner city too. They are meant to be outside for a bit of time each day.

Oh i see you edited. He can perhaps drive or get an uber (PIP).

You see very few people from my son's background skiing 🤣.

No he's just autistic and hates being cold. Lots of people have varied sensory issues and they are often so severe, they classify as disabling them. Some of those people are entitled to PIP to overcome some of the barriers they have to things like work and socialising. Using his PIP to get an uber so he doesn't have to face the distress the cold causes him is sort of why he has it.

If your son has a disability then adjustments would be made for him at nursery but that doesn't mean all the other children shouldn't be able to follow Early Years Guidelines and have free flow inside and out.

No it wasn't always the case due to ratio. I had to insist with him that he could stay inside when ratio allowed.

Well the response was that it was deemed too cold all day yesterday to go out at all as the temperatures only climbed to 2 degrees (actually wrong as it hovered between 3-4 between 11am and 2pm) and the day before (Wednesday) it was ‘raining all day’ (again totally false as it did rain in the morning but was dry as a bone all afternoon)

‘the above temperatures make it too cold for some of the children to be outside comfortably’

I mean honestly 🤦🏻‍♀️ just change the word ‘children’ to ‘staff’ in the above sentence and I reckon that’s the long and short of it.

Or using the PIP to get clothing that's suitable is another option

Suppose they don't play football or rugby either

Getting used to cold weather at a young age prevents a lot of misery every winter for the rest of their lives, wouldn't you want that? The UK is going to get more and more extreme weather thanks to climate change so even more cold snaps (and heatwaves) so it'll be harder and harder for those that can't cope with the cold.

Autistic children have to wear outside gear here, there's no option not to.

Is it a low income area? Just asking because my child's nursery insisted that parents provide things like a puddlesuit, wellies hats and gloves. The puddlesuit and wellies stayed at nursery. The gloves always got lost and I had to keep buying new ones. Then in the summer I had to provide a sunhat and roll on suncream.

Maybe the nursery are mindful that parents can't afford all that in the area youre in? Thats all I can think of as I wouldn't want my child outdoors without all those things.

I totally agree, it's about the staff not wanting to go out.

They're in breach of the guidelines, please raise a complaint with the inspectorate, they can require them to get the kids out.

It’s a real mixed bag to be honest. It’s a south London borough but yes absolutely one of the poorer ones in terms of housing and council funding etc . There are almost certainly children from low income households attending as well as those who are more financially well off and commute into the city for work. We fall in the middle I guess. I have spares I could send in but definitely understand not all parents could do that (and I’ve already replaced about 3 pairs of mittens already)

Unfortunately life doesn’t always work out the way we’d like it and coddling children with autism and sensory struggles does then absolutely no favours in the long run.

I have autism myself and as much as I’d love the world to cooperate with my needs all the time - it obviously does not and I have had to learn to tolerate things that are very unpleasant for me.

While you may feel like you’re helping your son by avoiding things he finds uncomfortable, at some stage he is going to have to learn how to tolerate cold temperatures and how to safely dress to keep himself warm and dry.

Then as someone autistic, you'll know there are hundreds of things one has to adjust to in order to "get by" in society, thus one must pick one's battles. Not every battle needs fought.

My son has no reason to train himself to withstand cold temperatures. He knows how to dress. He also knows how much clothing will cause him intolerable sensory issues so aren't really accessible options.

Having limited accessible options in comparison to one's peers is another reason they may get PIP to overcome said obstacles.

Yes and thats partly why a lot of children with SEND find educational institutions intolerable and won't go to any.

There's no option not to wear them in life where I am, not just in nurseries and schools - parents have to make sure their children, autistic or not, wear suitable outside gear or they will be neglecting their children. Can't just stay inside half the year, that would also be neglect and harmful to children so the only option is to get them used to them.

Maybe that is part of it then, as it just wasn't an option for me not to provide those things for my child. We are also in the south west where it's a very outdoorsy life in general but my son spent hours outside in all weather at nursery. Even in snow I'm sure they would have just built a snowman with the kids or something.

both my kids nursery and Reception class have free access to outdoors all day pretty much! They just get coats on and off they go out if they want no matter the weather!

There is a covered area so they can still be out in the rain!

both places say leave wellies permanently there and i leave spare warm clothes too in case needed

Bags packed with hats and mittens

Id hate them to be stuck indoors all day they both love being out

no such thing as bad weather anyway just the wrong clothes as the saying goes!

Well seeing as you can’t always avoid weather - I’d say it’s very much a battle to fight, unless you’re going to raise a child who is never expected to ever go out once the temperature drops below a certain number?

You may believe he has “no reason to train himself” but you have absolutely no idea what his future will hold and you won’t always be there to protect him or fight his battles for him. One of the best things my (also autistic) father did was teach me how to cope with things that make me uncomfortable or even sick.

Exactly. What does PP think happens in freezing cold countries where it doesn’t get above zero for months on end?

This whole “it’s difficult so they don’t have to try” train of thought with autism is very recent and I’m not sure it’s particularly helpful.

It kind of sounds like the staff don't want to go outside. Also, getting outside in the cold with a bunch of children who will inevitably need help putting on gloves, wellies, waterproofs etc takes effort. Maybe they are just lazy.
We would take our children out in -7 in the northeast of England. All wrapped up and having fun !