When baby loves the outdoors too much

by Kristin Darguzas (Subscribe to Kristin Darguzas's posts) Sep 29th 2006 2:34PM

Since he was weeks old, Nolan has been soothed by the outdoors. I remember bundling him in toques, woollies, and multiple blankets and looping around the neighbourhood with him in his stroller, fighting the pain of minus twenty in my nose. Nolan, however, was happy. He is always happy as long as he's outdoors.

Lately, though, I've been hesitant to play outside with him because it's always such a dramatic undertaking to get him back in the house. This morning I took him to the park down the road, where he bellowed with sheer joy and stomped around in the falling yellow leaves. He ran in circles and pushed the baby carriage and - I swear - pumped his baby hands in the air in pure triumph. All is beautiful and inspiring until it's time to put him back in his stroller, back to the house. He has a meltdown every time: squirming and crying and trying to open the door to get back outside.

I don't know if this is a normal thing or a genetic thing. My dad and my brother are both outdoor fanatics - if they could sit in a boat on the ocean and fish forever, equipped with only coffee and rain gear, they would do it in a heartbeat. Does your baby resist the indoors?

Comments (10)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Heather 9-29-2006 @ 3:12PM

My son is the same way. he is always asking to go outside and is happies t ut there. Our back yard is just a mud pit right now so it is hard to get out there right now. I think he gets it from me and my side though. I could spend hrs just sitting in the backyard.

LS 9-29-2006 @ 3:20PM

I don't think anyone can love the outdoors too much! That said, I understand the fit that is pitched by a little one who doesn't want to stop a beloved activity. Here's what worked for me:

I went and bought an inexpensive (around $10) digital watch with an alarm on it. (you can also wear a kitchen-timer-on-a-string around your neck) Let Nolan hear the beep. And then use it ALL the time... tell him, "When my watch beeps, it's time for bed", "...it's time to go outside", "...to eat", "...for a bath". Use it for happy activities and necessary activities. To start and finish things. Pretty soon, he will look forward to that beep, and you will be able to say, "Nolan, when my watch beeps, it's time to go inside".

Be consistant. When the watch beeps, immediately do what you have said. No arguments. Don't give in. Soon, he'll get it. Have other caregivers use the technique as well.

It works because it gives him a definitive beginning/end to an activity. And it's good for Mom/Dad, because you can't yet say, "Five More Minutes!", because the kids don't understand the concept yet. I've been using this method for about a year now, (mine's 3), and it works like a CHARM. I get positive results about 95% of the time.

Phc 9-29-2006 @ 3:42PM

Oh yes. I am the least "outdoorsy" person there is, but The Olive can't get enough of outside. She is happy as can be out there, no matter what.

ann adams 9-29-2006 @ 3:57PM

Sure; there's so much to see and do and it changes constantly. I'm not outdoorsy either but the girls always have been. A five minute walk could take up to an hour.

LS has a great plan. Even now that we wouldn't need a timer, I try to give them notice. Twenty more minutes and then get ready for bed. Thirty minutes to relax and then start homework.

Although lately I've begun to feel like a union/mnagement mediator (they're the union of course). I say ten minutes, one of them says 30. I counter with 15, they say 17. They don't know we usually arrive at what I was willing to do in the first place.

shannon 9-29-2006 @ 3:56PM

That is the reason I almost stopped taking my daughter to the park. There is a meltdown when we try to leave every time.

Ginny 9-29-2006 @ 4:50PM

Oh I know what you mean. My two don't want to come back in if I let them go outside. I even use the "10 more minutes" and then "5 more minutes" strategy but they will whine when it's time to come in, no matter what.

trisha 9-29-2006 @ 5:17PM

My baby Naomi is 7 months and has been an outdoor lover from the start. So far she dosen't have a fit when we come back it but it works wonders to take her out for a walk. I take her on a mile long walk nearly every day, she loves the whole thing.
I bet I'll start having resistance to come inside as she gets a little older.
I like the timer idea, it's a fun "game" for kids too.
Unless it's a bad air day- which we used to have in Logan, UT. I say go outside as much as you can, it's tons better than having a child who wants to spend all day playing computer or video games.

VL 9-29-2006 @ 8:41PM

All my kids went through this. It really is just a stage. Nolan is too young to understand time, but you can tell him when he can have one more time down the slide or one more push on the swing. The beeping timer would work well too. After a couple of months of consistency, my kids finally understood that the park would still be the next day and stopped fighting me about it.

Jennifer 9-30-2006 @ 12:46AM

That's my baby! Lily is exactly the same way. She walks around the house, pointing to the door while making her questioning sound as if to say, "Can we go outside now?" It's even tougher for us because our house backs the school yard so you can see the playground from all of our south windows. When I ask her if she wants to go to the park, she flips out, gets her shoes and coat and is PATIENT while I put them on her. Once we get outside, she RUNS holding my hand all the way down the sidewalk until we reach the school. But yes, she freaks out everytime we have to leave. She would really like to stay there with the other kids. Or even if there were no kids, she would be just as happy playing with the rocks.

weigooksaram 9-30-2006 @ 10:44AM

I'm a firm believer that kids need to be outdoors every day, weather permitting. But transitions are tough at that age. Something that has helped us is saying "bye-bye" to the park before we leave. It's kind of silly, but we walk around and say, "Bye-bye swings, bye-bye slide," and it really works.

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