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

All of these are really interesting. Thank you. The depth perception thing in particular.

Have you thought about finding an childminder that takes the children out and about a lot, so he can have a couple of days a week sooner than you might be ready to do that? Lots of great reasons given. Language is a big one. The outside world will always be more dynamic than indoors, and commenting on changes that you notice is a massive driver of language development.

@napody he's at nursery three days a week and I know they take him out

I try to push through it but it's hard

It is completely essential to health, movement and knowing their physical limits.

The thing is, you think you are protecting yourself and him by staying in, but over time exactly the opposite is the case. You are actively causing harm because he doesn't know the limits of his body in jumping, running and swinging, spacial awareness and sight. For example, you don't just send a child out to drive a car, he needs exposure to how roads work, riding a bike or a scooter is a great start. When he does eventually go out into the world, learning as a bigger child who doesn't know their own physical limits carries much riskier consequences for a bigger child. Small children are designed for falling over (much closer to the ground!) basically it's a window you don't want to miss.

As Napody says, the outside world is random, squirrels, foxes, other people, show that many things are outside the child's control and this will create an adaptability and resilience in him. Inside remains the same, you are giving a message that events and things are controllable but they are not.

In order to get over a phobia, you need to willingly expose yourself to what you are afraid of. There are plenty of people who have conquered their fears and there is no reason why you can't be one of them if you have the motivation to do so. Good luck.

Ah thats great OP. I don't have much knowledge of agoraphobia but I did worry a little that it might extend to a fear of him going out too. Great that that's not the case. Do you have much RL support? Can anyone help support you to take steps? A friend or family member's garden to start with perhaps?

Timbitstimbytes that's a really good point about the MH benefits of children getting used to experiencing more unpredictable (in small ways) environments. Brilliant news about nursery for that reason too.

That's really good piece of advice , about the child needing to know their limits . They do need to know what is safe to do and what is not .

As mentioned already being outdoors is really important for eyesight to develop.
An intervention in Taiwan following 18,000 children over five years showed that increasing outdoor time reversed the rate of myopia(short-sightedness)in children.
https://www.myopiaprofile.com/articles/outdoor-time-works-to-delay-myopia-onset-proof-from-taiwan

Really important. My LO is not quite a year yet, but i have to take her out everyday..if i don't she is a nightmare and she will not sleep well at all. Not to mention by lunchtime she just sits staring out the window, once we have been out she seems a lot happier and more settled.

Its stimulation, fresh air, burning off the excess energy. Plus its the natural environment.

Have you got a garden? Maybe you can start easing yourself out there? I have in my past struggled with this many years ago. I had support, someone to come out with me initially. Then just walk around the block and slowly built up. Do you know what your phobia is built on? Triggered by? Mine was anxiety regarding people. It would set off paranoia and panic attacks.

Have you any friend/family support?

I also found having access to a car helped initially. Just to be driven to a destination, with a distracting action at the end (coffee, buy something in a shop) then drive back. So it was all planned with a time allocation made it more bearable initially. I could think just do this then i am back. 5 more mins then i am back.

As well as the benefits of nature and fresh air, there's going to the shop, the library or a cafe, so he can learn about how they all work, see different people doing their jobs, choose his own book in the library, maybe choose something in the shop and put it in the trolley or basket. And looking out for things in the street - there's a bus, there's the postman, there's a police car, there's a train going over the bridge. It's all learning about and interacting with the world around him.

As well as the benefits others have mentioned, I’d add that being outdoors in daylight (even on a dull day) is crucial to health. As well as for producing Vitamin D we humans need the UV light in our eyes and on our skin in order to regulate our circadian rhythms. We also need the good bacteria we can only get from nature and the fresh air. Indoor air is a LOT more polluted than outdoor.

I hope you get well soon OP. I can recommend EMDR therapy and also EFT tapping too.

Going to the local wooded park will provide so many wondrous fun for your toddler!

Looking at flowers, identifying their colours, counting them.

Looking at birds and insects. Listening to birdsong.

The feel of grass beneath your feet.

Looking at and picking up interesting sticks. Lichen is so pretty!

Finding a muddy bit and scwelching in it, the fart noises are sure to illicit giggles!

All the play equipment.

Having a little late winter picnic with scones and warm herbal teas.

Looking at all the clouds in the sky and imagining they're animals.

Putting daisies in your hair.

Breathing in that crisp, fresh air.

Running and spinning in circles together.

I'm sorry to hear you are struggling. Its so great for your little lad to have a mum who cares about him so much and is pushing herself to give him lovely expereinces, much respect.
Another benifit of being outdoors is bone density. A study of children who spent regular time playing outside in green spaces showed they had much better bone density than children who didnt. Much of your bone denisty as an adult is set in childhood too so it really would be great at setting him up for a good healthy later life 🙂

https://ecohappinessproject.com/soil-benefits/

Exposure to soil is really important for health - we're not designed to be in concrete cities and carpeted houses, our bodies need to encounter bacteria from nature to be healthy. Read the link above for details!

If we don't encounter enough microbes, the immune system can start working on itself, leading to autoimmune illnesses.

Sign him up for forest school

Schools are now expected to run forest schools for this very reason. You won’t be the only one on this position. Are there any support groups you could join locally? Worth asking. Sounds like another person could be the help you need.

I was agoraphobic before I got pregnant . I had a psychologist prior to getting pregnant

i used my pregnancy as my motivator if i am honest .i knew i would need to leave the house to firstly give birth , go to Gp appointments take child to school .

i made myself go out every day . Set myself goals . Once Ds was born I found been out with him was easier as my focus was on him .

i grew to love been outside as my Ds loved it so much .

Do you have a back garden - play out there first , park early mornings as nice and quiet .

I now by co incidence work in a building that has no daylight and truly crave it .

One other point to make after I realised none of the places I actually would have loved to go without agoraphobia , my ex never supported me going to.. it was always on his terms . Reward yourself - think what you would like to do . Is there something relating to childhood you would really enjoy - a trip to a farm for example .

you can do it

Do you have a garden? If so is it possible to start to think of it as an extra living room? Our outside time is 90% in our garden, DS mixing up a batch of potions in his mud kitchen while I stand giving encouragement and 'tasting' the creations (often declaring them disgusting and in need of FAR MORE LEAVES before I'll pay anything to this restaurant) while having a cup of coffee in hand.

Vitamin D is essential for their energy levels and healthy growth. You need direct sunlight to make it.

Being in nature helps develop their sense of wonder at the world. There is nothing cuter than a toddler being totally in awe of a frosty leaf or a snail or a passing cat.

Fresh air and exercise will increase their physical health, making bones, muscles, lungs and heart all stronger.

Being outdoors creates opportunities for something very important called Accidental Learning. This is where you learn something you didn't know you didn't know, or didn't know you wanted to know, due to interaction with other people or unknown situations. This opportunity is massively reduced if you are stuck in a familiar environment all the time.

And selfishly, their total joy and fascination at things we take for granted brings us so much pleasure. Taking DS on a train and him telling me and the whole carriage that there was a DIGGER!!!! or a DOG!!!!! through the window used to make me so happy.

Thank you all

I'm seeing my occupational therapist today so hopefully she will help advise. I didn't know air was more polluted inside, I thought that living in a city everywhere outside must be really polluted.

We don't have a garden but live near a big green space

Good luck today @theotherfossilsister. I hope you can start making progress with the occupational therapist.

At this age, the outside world is absolutely fascinating to them. In a way that we take for granted. The sheer joy they get at seeing a stone or a puddle or a cat or a red car. Or two red cars! And their imagination just takes off! It’s really magical. And it’s infectious, it’s not just you who will enjoy those moments but passers by too. We went to a national trust property yesterday and our toddler was over the moon with the daffodils and splashing in the puddles, then was saying there’s an elephant and baby elephant in the moat. It’s so wonderful watching them explore the world with fascination and I hope you get to experience that.

It’s great he goes to nursery so gets socialisation. Could you work up to taking him to the park?

Similar to your agoraphobia. Biophobia is a fear of nature. If children are not exposed to nature at a young age then they will not develop the innate biophilia response. This is a natural human response to green space. It lowers blood pressure, reduces cortisol, enables restoration potential in the brain.

This is such a powerful thing. Those with this enabled heal quicker in hospital rooms with a view, require less pain medication and get better grades if they study with a view.

Besides this fundamental human switch there’s loads of other benefits to children getting outdoors. Seeing the community and others, learning to live in our society and the norms of our culture, gaining independence.

Another thing which may be of interest to you as agoraphobia is linked to perceiving areas as unsafe is the risk assessing skills children grow through natural play. This is where they learn about surviving in the world around them. About tensile strength if they climb a tree or about gravity and it’s risks if they throw sticks, stack rocks or build dens.

Natural play is also extremely important to building the idea that you control the world around you. When I grew up I was always told I could be whatever I wanted to be, but natural play showed me that I could build the world around me in whatever way I chose, and could rip it apart also if I chose to.

I think inner city kids have reactions to need for this as their world is set in stone quite literally. Which is a demoralising idea for a child. Hence the creation of parquor (I will walk/ run how I like along this stone scape undictated by these norms) or graffiti (I will change this wall set in stone).

Goodluck OP. You can do it

Thank you. All this is really interesting. I'm going to try for twenty minutes in the playground tomorrow as we have to pass it to get to nursery anyway. I'll see how it goes

It’s so satisfying washing a thoroughly muddy child!!

All the best with conquering this, OP, one step at a time. You can do it 💐

All the above, but also daylight helps to regulate sleep cycles in a way that artificial light doesn't. And they need good quality sleep to grow, heal and learn (as well as giving you a break!).