Babies Need Nature Too
A little dirt doesn't hurt! It’s never too early for children to experience the benefits of being outside.
Babies are natural investigators.
You only have to spend a short amount of time with them to see that they are curious little scientists, experimenting with everything they can get their hands on to make sense of the world.
But when is the right stage to start taking babies out into nature? Our response is the same every time: children are never too small to experience the benefits of being outside. It's built in our DNA – our ancestors spent most of our waking hours outside in the natural world and there are plenty of people around the world today that still spend their waking hours with their children outdoors.
Encouraging babies to spend time in the outdoor environment touching sand, grass, dirt and leaves has so many health benefits. Not only can it help stimulate their immune systems, but it provides opportunities for them to move freely, grasp objects, kick legs, crawl and observe others running and playing, which also supports physical development.
Why do we need to make nature time a priority for babies?
Dirt is good!
Dirt contains beneficial bacteria that stimulate our immune systems. Everything in nature is in balance, so whilst there are bacteria and pathogens outdoors that can be bad for our health, there are also bacteria and other microscopic organisms that help to boost our immune system. Plus, the probiotics in dirt have been proven to boost mood! A healthy microbiome has higher levels of serotonin, meaning a good gut microbiome equals good mental health.
While a little dirt doesn’t hurt, we still want to pay attention to what babies put in their mouths. It's okay for them to pick up things and to have a little bit of dirt in their guts and immune system, as long as it's not in a chemical-laden area or anywhere where there are toxins that could be harmful to them. Nature that is dirty, as in natural nature dirty, not contaminated, is good for babies to have contact with.
2. Fine Motor Skills
Manipulating objects of different sizes and shapes, such as twigs and sticks, supports the development of fine motor skills. Whether that's feeling the grass and pulling it, gripping onto sticks and rocks, or just crawling around on uneven surfaces, they are building up muscle strength and motor skills. A lot of the time when our babies are crawling at home they’re on flat surfaces that are nice and smooth under their skin. Outdoors, they get to crawl on elevated and bumpy surfaces with roots and holes which are good for developing gross motor skills as well. Plus, being outside helps to build confidence and resilience that nature is not scary. Yes, they may encounter bugs and scratchy surfaces, and lots of different textures, but these can become a source of curiosity rather than fear.
3. Imagination and Creativity
Nature is an endless source of inspiration, and it's never too early to start sparking babies’ imaginations and finding ways for them to be creative. Nature is the perfect opportunity for them to do that because it's so open-ended. Babies can work with open-ended loose parts just like older children can. And let's be honest, artists have been inspired by nature for eons.
4. Imitation and Language Development
Often when we're outside, one of the only ways babies can communicate with us is to mimic the sounds of nature. Mimicking noises like birds chirping, waves crashing, or the sound of the wind in the trees helps them communicate something they have observed in their lives. It's also another beautiful way to increase their vocabulary. When you're outside, the inspiration is everywhere to show them little details and it really helps to increase their understanding of language. Being outside is also an opportunity to be more present with children, and naturally, you'll talk to them more.
You could also play with teaching your baby some simple sign language, particularly because when they're little they can't speak. For example, you could use certain signs when speaking with them, such as snapping your fingers together like a bird beak. Vicci did this with her 10-month-old daughter and then when she saw a bird, she would sign ‘bird’. She was able to communicate something that she had observed even though she didn't have the word in her vocabulary yet. This empowers babies and builds a strong connection between caregiver and child. It can make them feel as though you are acknowledging what they have observed in the world, and you can just see on their face how delighted they are that they can share this experience with you.
5. Nature Connection
It's been proven over and over again that the earlier a child is exposed to nature, the more likely they are to want to protect it because they have a nature connection. We’re passionate about raising the next generation of environmental stewards by getting them out in nature from a very, very young age. They’re going to be the environmental policymakers and activists of the future, and the people who are going to stand up for our endangered species. Children don't learn unless they're curious and nature makes us curious because there's so much to learn from just being outside. Whether it's looking at the ants or looking at the clouds, seeing a bright new flower or a bright new bug, learning flows naturally when curiosity is the curriculum.
6. Sleep
When you're taking your children outside, research has indicated that the fresh air encourages healthy sleep patterns for babies because they're starting to understand the difference between night and day. This is great news for parents, particularly if your children struggle with their sleep cycles.
7. Sensory Exposure
Babies love to experience the sounds, colours, light, sensations and textures of the world around them, and there's no better way to experience that than outside. Listening to the leaves rustling in the trees or the crunch of a dead leaf underfoot or even the same leaf being drawn against the side of their face – these are all wonderful sensory opportunities. Sometimes leaves have a smell as well, like a Camphor Laurel leaf, which when crushed provides a beautiful scent. There are very few places where you can get that whole sensory experience all at once, in so many different ways, without going to a lot of effort. Nature has it all in one wondrous package.
What to take
Here are some of the resources that we use, and some tips on how to make taking babies outside easy on us as parents – because, let’s face it, sometimes it can be a little daunting.
Most parents have some kind of baby bag. We have an extra tub in our cars dedicated to outdoor adventures. We’ve put it all in a handy downloadable on our website www.wildlingsforestschool.com/free-downloadables to give you an idea of what we take in our car, at all times, no matter what. But there'll be a few extra things you’ll want to add for babies, and some of that is just gear for yourself, because you deserve to be comfortable as well.
Without a doubt, the most important piece of baby gear that we recommend is a baby carrier. It’s perfect for sleep, breastfeeding, accessibility, and tired little legs when they don’t want to walk anymore.
Another great piece of equipment to add to your list is a decent picnic blanket, especially one with waterproof backing on it. This is a must-have, particularly if it's muddy or if it’s rained recently. It’s great to have a dry place to sit and put your things, and baby can still access the mud, grass and leaves all around.
IDEAS FOR BABY NATURE PLAY
Nature-play for babies can include things like tummy time on the grass, or lying on the ground and looking up at the leaves in the trees. You could dip their bare feet in streams and puddles and other bodies of water.
You might show them mini beasts like spiders or lady beetles, or a dragonfly or butterfly, because children are besotted by finding animals in nature and they will spend hours observing them.
We loved taking our babies out during different times of the day, particularly sunset and sunrise, but night-time is a whole new range of sensations for children. Our world changes completely at night-time, the moon and the stars come out, and the animals at night are different too. Different senses are on alert when it's pitch-black, and hearing becomes more important.
Another great idea is to create a sensory box or sensory tub at home. You can collect a whole heap of things from your walk with your baby and then bring them back and put them into a tub so that they can continue to go back and feel and touch those things. This is great especially on those rainy days when you don't want to go out but you're still having nature contact, plus you can watch how some of those treasures change over time.
Risk assessing for your baby
Open wide!
Babies love mouthing small objects, so it’s good to keep a close eye on what goes in their mouth, especially things like berries. Not all berries that we find on trees and on bushes are edible and some of them can be quite toxic. That's not to say that you don't allow children to taste and eat things in your garden, because that's also very important, but it's just being discerning as the caregiver about what goes in and can have a little bit of a feel around in the mouth, and what needs to be spat out.
Dress to impress
Make nature play easier by dressing babies for the weather and make sure you've got sun protection, appropriate clothing and multiple changes of clothes. Also, pack a spare set of clothing for yourself just in case you want to get in on the action, because there is nothing like bonding with your baby over mess and muck and mud.
Hazards
We do need to remove any obvious hazards in a space before we set babies free to explore, but we want to reiterate there that you cannot possibly remove all risks. It’s not realistic, that's not the real world, and we need to be teaching children how to risk assess for themselves.
Watching babies play outside proves how hard-wired we are to respond to nature in all of her glory.
So, what are you waiting for? Get outside under the wide-open sky and see what there is to see! Not only will your baby enjoy learning from the natural world, but you will also benefit from the peace and calm that nature provides.
To help you on your nature play journey, we've created a free downloadable with 20 different activities that you can do with babies in nature. When you download that we'd love for you to take some photos and tag us on Instagram @wildlings_forestschool so that we can share our love for babies in nature. You can't be what you can't see, and the more we normalise children outdoors, in all weather, in all forms of nature, the more children will get back outside reaping the benefits of being in nature.
If you’re feeling unsure about how to get started exploring nature play with your little Wildling, why not join us for playgroup and be supported by a like-minded community of families putting the dirt back into childhood. Click here to learn more about our playgroup sessions in Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast.
Written by Ellen Nesbitt. Ellen is a nature play advocate and creative writer with a passion for helping families connect with the outdoors. She is dedicated to exploring ways to nurture children's creativity, independence, wellbeing and love for nature.