Read growth charts right

Time to get up and go out into the sunshine! Stretching those legs, breathing in the fresh air and seeing the sky can be good for both you and your baby BY LIZ SENIOR, OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST AND FOUNDER OF CLAMBER CLUB

It’s time to take advantage of our fair weather with your little one. Occupational therapist and mother of four, Ayelet Gochin, believes that it is healthy for babies to be outdoors: “As newborns, babies are oblivious to the world around them. All wrapped up and protected, they are insulated from external sensory input. As babies get older, they start to engage with their senses; they are able to turn their faces away from sunlight or the wind, notice new sounds and will move their heads towards them. Gently exposing babies to the world around them, while respecting their very new and still maturing sensory systems, helps to pave the way for them to experience their environment in a positive way.”

Ayelet believes it is important to encourage babies to explore the outside world slowly. As parents our role is to enable engagement with the environment, ultimately facilitating a baby’s ability to process sensory input efficiently. This will help babies make sense of things around them with joy, clarity and a sense of adventure. “This week my three-month-old Anna noticed the movement of the birds on the grass and watched them hop around for ages,” says Ayelet. “She enjoys walking around the garden with me, or lying under a tree. On our recent holiday she loved watching the waves on the beach and listening to the sound of the surf. This soothing noise helped her to enjoy long deep naps.”

WHY IS OUTSIDE PLAY BENEFICIAL?

Research shows that babies sleep better when they are exposed to natural light during the day. A study by the Liverpool School of Psychology has found that babies who slept well at night were exposed to significantly more light in the early afternoon. So everybody gets more sleep!

Your baby learns everything through his senses. There are different sights, sounds, and smells outside: the smell

ENJOYING OUTDOOR PLAY GIVES HIM THE CHANCE TO EXPERIENCE A MULTISENSORY ENVIRONMENT. FURTHERMORE, FRESH AIR AND SUNSHINE ARE HEALTHY FOR BOTH YOU AND BABY.

of fresh grass, the change in light from in and outdoors, and the sounds of twittering birds. Even the sound of traffic is different to sounds in and around your home. Enjoying outdoor play gives him the chance to experience a multisensory environment. Furthermore, fresh air and sunshine are healthy for both you and baby. A brisk walk with your baby in a sling or a pram can help to relieve the baby blues and improve energy levels.

USE ALL OF YOUR BABY’S SENSES

There are loads of ideas you can use to incorporate all of your baby’s senses in outdoor play for optimal benefit.

LOOK

Lie your baby under a tree so that he can watch the leaves move and see the shadow patterns the branches make.

Walk around the garden, street or park together and look at the different colour flowers, leaves and plants, as well as any other interesting visuals.

Point to objects that are close by, but also help your baby to look for things in the distance, such as a dog running by or a car coming down the road.

Birds flying, hopping or digging beaks into the soil will fascinate your baby.

Tie some colourful ribbons on a frame, along a chair or table and let baby watch them flutter in the breeze.

LISTEN

Bring sounds into your environment to your baby’s attention. Think of aeroplanes, birds, dogs barking, and the wind in the trees. Listening to different sounds teaches auditory discrimination, the ability to tell differences between sounds.

Help your baby to identify where the sound comes from.

Talk about the things you see while using repetitive words to teach your baby the meaning of sounds and words.

Sit baby on your knees and sing a song, swing or rock baby in your arms and sing, make your voice softer and louder using different tones as you describe the environment.

Hang chimes in a tree for your baby to hear.

TOUCH

Feel the grass – from about four months of age, show your baby how to rub, tug and pull the grass, help him open his hands and feel the grass.

Remember that it’s not just the hands that feel. If it’s warm enough let baby lie in his nappy outdoors and feel the breeze on his skin.

If it is a hot day, run the hosepipe gently and let your baby feel the water, or sit baby in shallow tub of water, and pat, tap and splash together. Remember, never leave your baby alone in water.

Make your own tactile nature basket for your baby to feel, adding pine cones, dry leaves, chunks of bark and large pebbles.

Put out a basket of balls for baby to crawl after and to feel. Use different sized and textured balls.

If you feel like being messy, put some cake flour on a tray for your baby to pat and experience some messy play.

MOVE

Babies love the calming motion of swinging. Use a bucket swing or a hammock to relax in.

Brisk walking will energise you! Push baby in the pram, or put baby in a back pack or a pouch.

Dance, spin and lift your baby up and down like an aeroplane

For your nearly walking baby, give him a walker to push along on the grass.