Please tell me about importance of outside time for children

[theotherfossilsister]

I am agorophobic and have a lovely one and a half year old boy. Please tell me the benefits of outside time for him, as it will give me motivation to get well

Vitamin D for starters. Good luck 😊

Fresh air is good for you both and tires everyone out. There’s always something exciting for a child that age - at the moment it’s all about stamping in puddles, seeing where birds are making nests, spring flowers popping up everywhere, leaf buds on the trees.

It's essential, are you seeking help?

The absolute best times and memories of my kids lives have been outside.

The beach, the park, exploring in the woods, building dens with friends, improving resilience and confidence and trying new things.

Not to mention vitamin D and building their immune system.

Also, from a mental health viewpoint, i imagine this condition is so so difficult and so you want to avoid passing on the fear to your child.

Good luck!

Am sorry you suffer from this condition. I hope you get professional help and overcome it. Being outside obviously: fresh air, exploring the world, nature, socialising with other kids (and adults) and when they are older, getting them our of your hair otherwise they get on top of everyone

Yes, and doing exposure. It's just incredibly hard.

@thaegumathteth I do. I want him to feel free to explore the world and how lovely it is.

Being in nature is one of the best things anyone can do for their mental health, so if you can get out it will hugely benefit him and you too.

It helps with their physical development, their general education and their emotional regulation, as well as general health.

Are you getting medical support for your agoraphobia?

I will bypass the main things that come to mind (health & wellbeing & fun & it's what children are designed for) and tell you that life with small children is 1 million times easier when they spend as much time as possible outdoors. Less whining, less moaning, they eat better, they sleep better. Parenting is very hard when the kids spend too long indoors

Kids are just so much more relaxed outside. Mine loved the local park, wellies and waterproofs and the freedom to run round the playground. Learning about nature, getting muddy, playing with sticks, worms and bugs. Seeing ducks and other birds. For me it was a life saver as I found them so difficult to manage when they were indoors all day. I know this must be so hard for you, but you will get such amazing memories of you can overcome it. Good luck OP, you can do it.

That wonderful smell of fresh air that comes off them . The wonderful rosie cheeks they get from running around 😍the park . Seeing them approach other little ones and learning the skills of making friends . Stumbling upon freshly sprung spring flower (as you can see mine are grown up now) .
If your little one is lucky they might spot a squirrel or a rabbit .Birds busy feeding little ones or seeing birds gather nesting materials . I think this might be the best time of the year for toddlers .

They need to learn to walk on uneven surfaces.

Essential. Perhaps when you see how happy your child is outdoors it will help you.

It’s hugely important to developing sensory processing. Lots of children have proprioception issues relating to lack of outdoor play. It’s important for understanding who they are and how they relate to the rest of the world. It gives huge opportunities for physical development and imagination.

Well done for putting his needs first and getting help ❤️

We really notice when our adhd/asd child hasn’t been outside, it’s real open ended play, today one was the Fire King and they went round finding ice to break.

Good luck with this op!

It's so important for them to be outside. Mine are so much happier outdoors and it does tire them out which makes parents lives easier too.

I had agoraphobia (mild) as a result of an abusive relationship abroad in a shitty part of the world. My ds and I hardly ever left the apartment for 3 years- I’d come home every year for a few weeks and we’d go out an about but I found it very hard because of the agoraphobia

I got help in the end. My own ds was my safely blanket, I could go anywhere with him, so he helped me.

ds is a hulking great 18yo now and I can honestly say he never suffered socially from our lack of outings, so please don’t beat yourself up, I know how excruciating it is, but you will get there. Having to take your son to nursery, to school, to parties etc doing that for him will help you.

@Gagagagagaga the fire king sounds amazing!

I am seeking help but it's complicated. After he was born I had severe perinatal OCD and that has now morphed into this. I was under the perinatal team until he was one and had a lot of help but it stopped when he was one and now I see an occupational therapist monthly and a psychiatrist every six or so months. I am doing exposures, but it's hard.

Where I grew up was really tiny and rural and now I live in a huge city, although my childhood was magical with outdoor time

My childhood was growing up in the great outdoors as much as possible. I'm close to my sisters and brother and we all have a great relationship with each other, we are all gregarious and sociable and all of us are very confident.

I'm sorry you are unwell but you need treatment such as hypnotherapy to help you overcome your phobia so that your child does not miss out or suffer.

Being out in nature is food and nourishment for the soul.

Bring outdoors and burning off energy in nature is one of the best things your child can do.
It helps wellbeing, self esteem, boosts mood, regulates emotions, works off stress, promotes creativity, builds confidence.
It's invaluable.

Too many kids nowadays are short sighted from looking at screens too much (home and school) and have 'teacher's neck' so getting them outside away from screens will help with that.
It's great that you are getting help and want to do the best for your DS😍

It helps them sleep.
Develops gross motor skills like climbing and running
Encourages curiosity

But the most important thing for a toddler is love and attention. So if you can only manage small trips... he will still have the love and attention.

Good luck.

Everything everyone has already said but to add to that I believe that research has shown that children need to look into the distance for their eyesight to develop.

As well as the obvious ones such as gross motor skills, vitamin D, sensory processing, it will make it much easier to get him to nursery/school and all of those sorts of things if he is used to going out.

A big part of language acquisition requires exposure to different surroundings to encourage exposure and use of different vocabulary. Reading requires a lot of inference, for this to happen easily your child needs awareness of the world. My friend’s child developed sight issue which the optician said was made worse by not being outside enough during lockdown, something to do with depth perception.