5 Reasons to take your children walking (and hiking)
Now anything with babies, toddlers and small children can be challenging, take a million times longer than you planned and make you feel exhausted as a parent, but some things are just worth it.
And taking your children outside with you is one of them.
I personally find staying inside all day quite restricting and a little boring. And now I’ve had a baby, being inside makes me stressed and in a constant state of feeling like I need to be productive.
Whether that’s doing all the housework, researching different milestones or constantly entertaining my little one.
So going outside allows me to destress, not do the housework amd connect with my baby.
Benefits of going outside
Now let’s find out why:
Reduce stress and anxiety - being outside has been proven to reduce stress and anxiety and improve our mental health and wellbeing. This is mainly due to the outdoors reducing our levels of cortisol (the stress hormone). This is the same for children and adults, and if we can teach and show our children how to de-stress and slow down, they will be better equipped to face the challenges of the modern world
Free play and imagination - children need time to play without rules and boundaries in order to develop their sensory pathways, learn their limits, overcome challenges and gain confidence. Being outside naturally encourages all of this
Sleep is better, for everyone! - Our circadian rhythms need natural light for melatonin production and so that they are regulated, so spending time outside, especially in the morning will encourage our awake and sleep cycles to kick in, so good sleep all around! Plus if your children are walking, aerobic exercise contributes to improving your quality of sleep, and helps to tire them out!
Nature and the future - our children are inheriting this world from us, let’s help them learn about it and encourage them to look after it. If they don’t know about it, they can’t look after it
Family time - being outside with my toddler without any distractions, is not only the best thing I have done for my own mental health postpartum, but has allowed us to make memories and bond together, whilst I get to see him gain confidence, independence and curiosity
Now I know life can be challenging and things are always easier to start tomorrow, but I encourage you to give it a go, even 5 minutes a day to start with can help build it in to a routine and motivate you all to keep trying.
Happy walking!
If you like this post, why not read this, 10 things I’ve learnt as a second time mum.