Is this really enough time outside ?

[Freshairr]

2 days a week nursery (free play so access to the nursery play garden and the outside activity area)

Park on a Saturday morning for 1 hour

Rest of the time activities at home so a typical day is usually a craft or similar activity in mornings and then nap 1130-1 then after lunch just playing with toys and YouTube for educational stuff. So lots of stimulation and learning. But just not going outside that much is this ok ?

edited to add -parent has disabilities and difficulty due to agoraphobia and ocd

Child is 3 years

I'm sorry your health makes things difficult to balance. I do think they probably need more exercise, but perhaps this could be dancing or yoga on YouTube if you don't feel you can manage more outdoors?
Perhaps you could do some local walks, even just on quiet streets and do a nature hunt- looking for the wiggliest and longest sticks, how many magpies etc?? It doesn't need to be in a busy place like a park.

have a wooden indoor play set and a soft play corner in the playroom and do dancing

No, I don’t think it is. A child this age needs 3 hours of activity a day including time outside. They need to develop their gross motor skills and long distance sight.

https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/exercise-guidelines/physical-activity-guidelines-children-under-five-years/

I wouldn't usually comment, but as you've asked, I think this is a really very small amount of time for a 3 year old to be outdoors.
I know mine is at the opposite end of the spectrum to this and is probably outside too much, but I'd say on an average non-rainy day he's outdoors between 3 and 4 hours.
Has the parent accessed support for the agoraphobia/ ocd?

Do you have access to a garden, OP? Is the OCD manifesting in not wanting them mucky?

The 2 nursery days are 8-4 and it’s mostly outdoors they have a building but it’s always open and they have a canopy area over some of the garden and they also have a separate area for activities like water and mud kitchen so it’s really like a whole day playing outside

Do you have a garden?

Remember the NHS guidelines are the bare minimum to aim for.

Yes have a shared garden and that’s the issue but worse is that one neighbour has a dog and they do pick up but I know it’s been there and the wee obviously they can’t pick up so I just can’t cope (ocd is about germs and Bacteria which is why it was even hard to join nursery but I knew it was important)

Honestly, in the UK, between October and March, taking toddlers outside for hours isn’t much fun. You don’t need to be outdoors to be active; gym and dance classes, swimming, soft play and trampolining all give them a good work out without being outdoors, and then you can have a little walk to the post office when you get home.

I could get a mini trampoline

My 3yo would be bouncing off the walls with that little time outside.

But I’m always happy to take other kids to the park - at 3 it’s easier with 2 as they entertain each other. Is there another nursery kid you can swap some time with each week? Those parents take yours out and the next day you have them over for some craft?

might see if can go up to 3 days a week nursery

Well, I never enjoyed taking mine out particularly, so we stayed in quite a lot.

I did take them out every day though, and we were lucky that there was a park just across the road from our house.

You're doing your best. Don't beat yourself up.

At the moment dh all drop offs pick ups , park on saturday.

i have therapy starting in 2 weeks and after a while will incorporate managed outings so maybe once I’ve coped I can do small walks. Also for the ocd so I can stop too much cleaning at this time of year (problems with worry over mud etc on floors)

All the nursery pictures involve the mud kitchen so at least I know my problems haven’t affected 😂

I’d be concerned about the experiences and interactions with people your child might be missing. Do you ever go with them to the supermarket, the shops, cafes, the library, on a bus, to watch the diggers at a building site or trains go under a bridge? Etc?

You do need to go out every day ideally or 6 out of 7 - whether it’s soft play or swimming. I’d definitely see about nursery - could you do 4 mornings instead of full days?

social interaction, daylight for eyesight, motor skills. I sympathise I don’t think I got this right either as mine were happier at home.

can you hose down the shared garden and then take dc out? You know that a dog is the best thing you can do for your dc’s immune system?

It’s probably not enough but probably the norm for many children. We are at the opposite end of the scale and spent 6 hours of today outside ( not all in the same place).
we often go to parks very early or at teatime when it quieter. Museums with outside space are often quiet because it’s paid admission. Weekdays are always quieter than weekends so you probably have a few places locally you could visit that’s ok for both of you.

Are you meaning that you don’t take your child to anywhere outside of the home, except the park occasionally? I thought you meant outside as in the open air, but now I’m not so sure.

Definitely not enough and it’ll impact their socialisation and eyesight. Can your husband or a friend at least take DC out on chores every day? Even a trip to the postbox or to pick up milk is better than nothing.

Good for you for addressing your issues though and hopefully you can resolve it before DC picks up on anything.

I don’t think it’s enough, but I do understand your difficulties.
Once you’ve had some therapy could you have “outdoor” attire that never comes in the house? We do, not for OCD reasons but it’s just more practical to store wellies/walking boots and waterproofs in a lidded box in the garden.
I hope the therapy does help.

This comes from experience as nanny rather than a parent but the parents had a rule that the children needed to go outside at least once a day. There was a day early on when it was absolutely pouring with rain with thunder and lightening. I didn't take the children out and it was noticeable from their behaviour. The parents didn't tell me off but the mum pointed out she could tell they hadn't been outside. They lived in a city and she said that even a quick trip to the shop around the corner tends to work. She was right. There's something about getting ready, going outside for 10 minutes and then going home that somehow regulated the children.