There's one simple truth that you have to except when you first start going outdoors with kids in the winter months.
It won't be easy.
Your biggest battle will be against yourself and I get it, I really do! It's cold, it's a lot of preparation (mentally and physically) and it won't always yield the results you want (am I selling this to you yet?) BUT it is always worth it for the long term benefits for both yourself and your family.
*Unless you know there's a swing of course!
Here are my best pieces of advice on embracing the great outdoors in these colder months:
Clothing
You've probably heard the saying "There's no such thing as bad weather, just inappropriate clothing". This is a rule I live by EVERY DAY and can make the difference between a wonderful walk in the woods and a muddy mess so make sure you're prepared for the weather. Remember that you can always take a layer off!
For yourself:
Sturdy, waterproof shoes and lots of easy to remove layers! My go to is: Hiking boots with thick socks, leggings (x2 if it's really cold), vest top, button up shirt, jacket and a coat, hat, scarf and gloves. If you have waterproof trousers these are always helpful and allow you to really join in with your kids exploring without ending up soaked at the end!
For the kids:
Lightweight layers under an all-in-one waterproof suit if possible. If you have a snow suit, even better! We currently have a ski suit for Calliope and a Snow suit for Lauchlan which means they have only needed a long sleeved t-shirt and pair of leggings underneath. This saves us so much prep time for getting out of the house because we just have to grab the 2 suits and a hat. Easy peasy!
Lauchlans suit is a hand me down from Calliope and still going strong, Buying quality if you can afford it is always worth it, even if it's second hand.
Bring spares and snacks
Better to over prepare than underprepare, especially whilst you're first figuring out what you will need or use most often! Think about how long you'll be going for and what you might want to do whilst you're there. Water, snacks and lightweight spare clothes are a good place to start. You don't want to be burdened with everything but the kitchen sink but a spare pair of socks after a particularly splashy puddle at a play park never goes amiss! If you're going to your adventure spot on foot (woods, park, maybe just around the block) then a backpack with the essentials makes sense. If, however, you're going by car then think about adding in some towels, blankets, spare shoes, extra water, anything heavy you won't necessarily need whilst you're out. If you're going to be heading out for longer or to a place that you KNOW an accident might happen *cough* a forest with a rope swing over a stream that you child might let go of and go face first into the mud *cough* then a full change of clothes and a thermos of hot chocolate is always a good idea to have to hand.
Oh and snacks..... ALWAYS bring snacks... for everyone
Take it at their pace
Take a deep breath, warm up your hands and dawdle along with them. This is something that has been a struggle in our household. The urge to just push on with the walk, get to the end, do the loop. Occasionally the kids will be just as eager as us to see what's around the next bend and want to zoom through it as fast as they can. Sometimes we go to a new park and they want to try everything all at once and then are ready to head back.... but that's usually not the case.
Usually we stop every 5 metres to look at a new and interesting leaf or see "THIS pinecone is SMALLER than the one I just put in my pocket LOOK!". But this is one of the best ways children learn so we have to except that sometimes it's better to take things slow...
Even if you don't want to.
This fallen tree was much more interesting than our walk and they spent a good 10 minutes exploring it
Join in
Even if you don't want to.... let me explain.
As adults we tend to want to LOOK grown up (especially when other adults are around). Children don't have this want, they just want to have fun! They want to have sword fights and rescue their friends from the dragon. They want to play tag as FAST as they can and laugh and scream and shout whilst they do it. They want to look really closely at the mud and jump in the puddles and pretend they've made a tidal wave. JOIN IN! Whole heartedly join in. I promise you'll have fun and make memories that your children will look back on with happiness. And if an adult walks past and laughs? Who cares? You're never going to see them again and what's more important? The opinion of a stranger or making a fun memory?
Don't let fear of looking stupid stop you from joining in with your kids games.
It's ok to give up
..... As long as you try again!
Disasters happen. Picture this: You have a young child who isn't potty trained, you forgot to bring a spare nappy and of course it's a poonami, you haven't even gotten out of the car yet and you have to turn around and drive the 30 minutes back to the house and pray the spare t-shirt currently being used as a makeshift nappy holds up.... The weather forecast said blue skies, 4 minutes into your walk the heavens opened, you're soaked through and so is everybody else. You're kicking yourself for not letting your 4 year old bring her umbrella because you didn't want to be the one carrying it..... You're having to fight through every step with cries of "I'm bored, I'm tired, I'm cold" and in your mind you're thinking EXACTLY the same things, can't stop picturing the hot chocolate and slice of cake you're going to have once you're back under the blanket at home (You're not even sure why you ever thought leaving the house was a good idea)..... These are all real scenarios that I've been through and all excellent reasons to give up along with countless others.
Throwing in the towel is often the strongest thing we can do. Accepting that today wasn't your day, but maybe tomorrow will be is ALWAYS better than building resentment towards the situation, either in your children, your partner OR in yourself. This is especially the case if you haven't grown up as "outdoorsy". Give yourself some grace to adjust to a new way of doing things and allow time for it to click.
“Knowing trees, I understand the meaning of patience. Knowing grass, I can appreciate persistence.” —Hal Borland.
Giving up is fine, giving up and heading into a café with novelty hot chocolate mugs is GREAT!
To summarize:
Clothing matters!
Bring spares!
Snacks and a drink
Go slow. Embrace being in the moment
Join in! Be a kid again!
It's ok to give up as long as you don't give in.
Are you just starting out or do you have any wisdom to pass on? I'd love to know in the comments!
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