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As a play therapist, I can truly see a difference in children that are given opportunities to play outside compared to those that are kept indoors. Being outside is so great for a baby (and mom!) Today, Babies”R”Us, Pampers and I are teaming up to remind moms how to best prepare for the First 100 Days with baby… this includes heading outside for some much-needed fresh air (Those daily walks during the first few months were my sanity-savers!) .
The average American boy or girl spends only spends around 30 minutes outside each day (in unstructured play). This means that between the ages of 9-13, only 6% head outside on their own during a typical week. We can change this. It starts early, even when they are babies… it starts now.
Being outside & giving our kids the outdoor experiences promotes early langugage development, among other things. It gives them more sensory experiences, too. When an infant feels the grass and touches the leaves, they want to tell you about it. When they hear an airplane or feel a raindrop, they express their feelings. The more that they WANT to say, the more it will be recipricated. They “talk” to you, you talk to them. This promotes social & vertbal development. In additon, play is extermemly important and the outdoors are like a giant playground.
1). Touching a variety of things.
Letting your baby lay on different textures is great for a baby when they are learning. Let their feet touch the sand… Let your baby lay on the grass, lay on a quilted blanket outdoors, lay on a picnic blanket. Let your baby and hold different things: a leaf, a pinecone, grass (just watch that they don’t eat it). I like to touch our baby with silk, leaves, flowers, tissues, wool, terrycloth, even harder plastic toys. I talk about the way that it feels and if it feels good or if we don’t like the way that it feels.
2.). Be prepared.
We always have what we need: Pamper Swaddlers are a must, an extra bottle, etc… We stock up at Babies R Us and I fill up my diaper bag every weekend. It’s nice to have a few extra Pampers Swaddlers for my on-the-go to enjoy outdoor activities. Whether you’re taking a walk, a wagon ride, heading to the park or going on a weekend trip, we just try to stay prepared. Babies R Us and Pampers help with everything. Babies “R” Us has always been the one-stop-shop for every baby need (especially purchasing Pampers! A leaking diaper is not what I want to be dealing with when we are out & about!)
3) Read to your baby!
When we are going on a picnic, I would read a book about a picnic before we left. Heading to the zoo? Prepare at home by reading a book about the zoo. It is proven that even babies as young as eight months can recognize words in a story if it is read twice in a row. This will help your child learn their language and learn to appreciate books, not to mention the bond built between the two of you. You can even head out and look at the stars at night…. We love to read Goodnight Moon outside on our back porch at night!
4). Sign with your baby.
Sign language is a great way to teach new words. Did you know that babies that learn sign language actually talk sooner than babies that don’t? Signing can be very easy! I always start out with More, Mine, Drink and Eat. You can find these & more by just doing a simple Google search for Baby Signs. Then, when you are outside, start signing what you see.
5). Talk to your baby
Simple, right? This is SO powerful. Talk to your baby all day long.
Changing their diaper? Talk to your baby “Do you have a dirty diaper? That’s OK! Let’s change it! Do you see the new Pampers Swaddler? Let me put it on you.” Feeding your baby? “Do you want a bite of these bananas? They are yellow. Let me open the lid. Here comes a bite!”
Cleaning the house “I am going to fold this shirt. You spit up on it and I cleaned it, so now I can fold it and put it away. It is white with blue letters. Do you like the color blue?” Talk as much as you can. Your baby is learning from you… every minute of every day.
All in all, be sure to be prepared. Buy what you need in advance. For both pre-natal and post-natal moms, Babies”R”Us has everything you’ll need to have the best products during those First 100 Days with baby (and beyond). We registered there when I was pregnant (we loved the playpen that we got) and we shopped there when our babies were born.
OH and be sure that you take advantage of sales & stock up. Here’s a good one:
- From 3/29-4/12: Get a FREE $20 GIFT CARD WITH ANY 2 PAMPERS VALUE BOXES OF DIAPERS REG 42.99 at Babies R Us (in store only)
- From 3/29-4/22: For onely 12.99, you can get PAMPERS WIPES (Normally $15.99). Gotta love a good deal!
Giveaway
I’d love to help you bond even more with your baby, so we are giving away an awesome prize pack! How do you win? Just leave a comment telling me your favorite outdoor activity with your baby…
- Babies”R”Us gift card (Woo-hoo!)
- Dreft Pen (you will be needing this)
- Pampers Wipes (our go-to!)
- Brown Bear & Friends Board Book Gift Set (Love these books!)
- Goodnight Moon Book (our favorite!)
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Pampers. The opinions and text are all mine.
This is excellent. I have really cut down on the huge birthday parties and have started to travel more. The kids love being outdoors or just taking a family vacation.
Our new favorite is taking bike rides with the kiddy carriage. Every time we get home he says “more” .
My boys loves sidewalk chalk and bubbles!!
My toddler loves the park and we go outside on a daily basis! Anywhere he can climb or run is what he likes to do!
My absolute must dos with babies are: water play with a cookie sheet and misc items for exploring, laying on a blanket under a tree to watch the branches sway and leaves blow(this mesmerized my babies and instantly put them in great moods- good tip when they’re screaming incessantly, just go outside). I also love to sit them among crunchy leaves and let them taste, feel, and play. Good sensory explorations.
A blanket in the back yard where the wee one can hear/see our chickens and the not so wee one draws on slate in the garden with chalk and watering-cans it clean while getting the plants at the same time. Balance beam-ing along the garden edges too!
We live next door to a park, so we will go and play in the grass, swing in the baby swings, and play with the playground bark.
We go to the lake most weekends in the summer. We take walks, swim, and go on the boat.
I keep a bag in my car filled with a picnic blanket, bubbles, shovel and bucket, & balls. I love to be able to stop at parks whenever. We go to this beautiful nature park with trails, but I love to sit under the big tree and play first, then take our walk.
swimming, bike riding/scooter riding around our neighborhood, with a stop to visit some nearby goats, walking/riding the playground.
We like going to thepark and play tickle fight
Where we live there is a small play area with swings, monkey bars and sand for digging. A big pond with two ducks who have taken up residence there we like to watch. Lots of walks and exploring.
I am a single mom of a adventurous and curious seven year old boy! We love to hike in the sand dunes near our home in south Texas, build sand castles at the beach, go out on the pier and fish, bird watch, plant and nurture our rosemary, lavender, lima bean, and parsley (for his pet rabbit- Bun Bun Pinkachu Walder), plants, go to the aquarium, ride his bike.
We like to camp in a tent in our backyard. Also lay a thick blanket in the bed of our pickup truck and watch for shooting stars. During the days we like to explore nature and draw with sidewalk chalk.
We love going for walks and playing in the san at the beach. The baby loves the feel of the water at it laps at their feet and the sand goes away. When we go to the park or even our backyard, we try out the swings and the slide. We sit on the grass and watch the other kids play Frisbee. Sometimes we play with medium sized balls while sitting there.