The Benefits of Getting Outside as a Family

Although the weather is now getting colder, it is still important to remind ourselves about the benefits of getting outside, together as a family.

This can be important for helping your baby to sleep better at night as natural light plays a part in how our bodies release the sleep hormone. Interestingly, research has found that babies who were exposed to more light during the early afternoon slept better at night. Even on a cloudy day, this can help to establish your baby’s body clock, known as a circadian rhythm.

This can also be important for you, as well as your baby, even a short walk may do the world of good for your mental health, especially on those days when you’ve had a sleepless night. In fact, it may be that exercising outdoors can improve negative mood and improve self-esteem. For you child, allowing them to roll around on a blanket in the grass or practice their first steps may lead to endorphins in the brain being released because this happens when your lungs and blood are pumping during movement. Endorphins are chemical messengers that can do wonderful things such as helping to manage pain and bring pleasure, and so this can have a positive impact on the whole family.

Your baby’s brain can also be influenced when spending time outdoors because it can help with the development of the infant’s brain. New sounds, smells, sights, and textures (even rain) are exciting for your child, even if they are in a pram, they can still receive a lot of stimulation from the outside which they don’t when they are indoors. This stimulation can help to build synapses, which are connections in the brain, and help to build your infant's vocabulary and imagination – all of which are vital for development.

So have a think about when you can spend some time outdoors with your baby – even if it’s just a short period!