Raising Wildlings
Raising Wildlings
Babies Need Nature Too!
In this episode, we are talking about why taking babies out into nature is not only the ultimate sensory experience, but how it will also help to develop their confidence and understanding of the natural world. 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, and being a parent of a baby is like seeing the world again with brand new eyes. We receive many enquiries asking when is the right age to start taking our children out into nature, and our response is the same every time. Children are never too small to experience the benefits of being out in nature. Let’s look at why!
👉 Vicci and Nicki discuss:
- The amazing, mind-blowing science and deeper meaning of why we need to make nature time a priority for babies
- Nature as the ultimate sensory experience
- The importance of a baby carrier
- Ideas of what taking your baby out in nature can look like
- Risk assessing for babies outdoors
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👉 Guest Details
Vicci Oliver and Nicki Farrell are adventurous nature play makers, risk-takers, children’s rights advocates and the co-founders of Wildlings Forest School. We are the hosts of the ‘Raising Wildlings’ podcast and we put the dirt back in childhood.
During any Wildlings Forest School program, you are likely to find Wildlings up trees, sliding down mud slides, whittling with pocket knives, lighting fires and building rafts. We let kids, be kids - because children can’t learn to protect nature if they’ve never had a childhood in it.
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In this episode, we are talking about why taking babies out into nature is not only the ultimate sensory experience, but how it will help to develop their confidence and understanding of the natural world.
Vicci:Welcome to Raising Wildlings, a podcast about parenting, alternative education, and stepping into the wilderness, however that looks, with your family.
Nicki:Each week we'll be interviewing experts that truly inspire us to answer your parenting and education questions. We'll also be sharing stories from some incredible families that took the leap and are taking the road less travelled.
Vicci:We're your hosts Nikki and Nikki from Wildlings Forest School. Pop in your headphones, settle in, and join us on this next adventure. We're your hosts, Vicki Oliver and Nikki Farrell. But before we start, we'd like to invite you to follow the Raising Wildlings Podcast on your podcast platform of choice. And we also absolutely love seeing your takeaway moments. We love resharing those so that we can get more children outdoors more often.
Nicki:So today we're talking about babies and nature. 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. And being a parent of a baby is like seeing the world again with brand new eyes.
Vicci:I just remember when I started to see the world through the eyes of my child, it made me see the world all over again. I the intricacies, the really little details, the things that can really excite a baby started to excite me. So it sort of reignited a passion in just slowing down and taking notice of things.
Nicki:That joy and wonder and awe and presence.
Vicci:We do get a lot of inquiries about when is the right age to start taking our children out into nature. And our response is the same every time. Children are never too small to experience the benefits of being outside. It's built in our DNAs. Our ancestors spent most of our waking hours outside in the natural world. And I'll add, there are plenty of people around the world that still spend their waking hours with their children in the outdoors. We're really hardwired to respond to nature in all of her glory. But specifically, the benefits for babies to start being outside are really important for us to discuss because we obviously get this question for a reason.
Nicki:So why do we need to make nature time a priority for babes in arms? There are so many benefits. So let's first chat about them, Vicky.
Vicci:Yeah, so I think one of the really amazing ones we've we've touched on a little bit before is that they're actually being in the dirt, there's bacteria in the dirt that stimulates our immune system. So as much as we it's counterintuitive, I think, for modern day parents to think that getting dirty is actually good for us, but it actually is. And there is this idea that now that in modern day society we are a little bit too clean. We clean everything down, we we sterilize everything, we sanitize everything because we are worried about bad bacteria, bad pathogens and diseases. But there is a flip side to that because everything in nature is imbalance. So whilst there are bacteria and pathogens that uh can be bad for our health, there are also bacteria and other microscopic organisms that help to boost our immune system to stimulate it to make sure that it can cope with anything that comes its way.
Nicki:And not just our immune system on that. That reminds me of an article that was in the New York Times, I think last year, about doctors that were prescribing probiotics that had bacteria from soil in them because the children in New York weren't getting enough dirt in their diet, and then it's been proven to boost mood because the microbiome, when it is healthy, increases serotonin. So a good gut microbiome is equals good mental health.
Vicci:And there's also been a couple of other really interesting studies about children who live on farms and things like that having really strong immune systems. So there is a lot to be said about actually allowing our children to experiment in the dirt.
Nicki:So I I love that saying to summarise that point, uh, a little dirt doesn't hurt. Is how I remember.
Vicci:Exactly. Yeah, exactly. So even for babies, it is okay for them to get dirty, to be mouthing things in the dirt. Obviously, you're being careful of the size of the things that they're mouthing, but it's okay for them to pick up things and to have a little bit of that in their in their guts and their immune system, obviously making sure that it's not in a chemical-laden area or anywhere where you know that it's that it's actually that could be harmful to them. Anything nature that's just been looked after properly, you know, that is dirty as in natural nature, dirty, not contaminated, then that's okay for babies to be to be having contact with.
Nicki:So another benefit that we see in babies in nature is the development of their fine motor skills from manipulating objects of different sizes and shapes, whether that's twigs and sticks, and you often see them mouthing those as well, uh, whether that's feeling the grass and pulling at that fist grip, opening and closing grip, or just crawling around on uneven surfaces.
Vicci:Yeah, that's a big one, yeah, because a lot of the time when our babies are crawling, they're on flat surfaces in our home that are nice and smooth under their skin. So we're not actually preparing them for the real world, which is uneven surfaces. So they get to crawl on elevated surfaces, bumpy surfaces with roots and uh holes and things like that, which are really good for developing also that those gross motor skills as well.
Nicki:So on that, the using those uneven surfaces and getting children out onto grass and mud and pebbles, it really helps those children, helps prevent them from being overstimulated by different senses. We find a lot of children when they get to our programs in Playgroup in Kindi haven't been exposed to different senses on their feet and hands, and so sometimes feel really uncomfortable if they get wet or muddy or um unable to walk on pebbles.
Vicci:So I think that's important because it's building that resilience that nature's not scary, that nature is something that is just part of our lives. So we're helping them to develop that confidence. They can come into contact with bugs and scratchy surfaces and all different textures, and they can problem solve a little bit too, as well, and also to be able to develop the ability to problem solve in situations that might pop up that are unknown, which happens a lot in nature.
Nicki:So another benefit to having babies out in nature is helping them develop their imagination and creativity.
Vicci:Yeah, so this is gonna obviously has to start somewhere, and uh having nature as your blank canvas is a way to really start to develop the way that they see the world. It's never too early to start sparking their imagination and finding ways for them to be creative. And nature is that perfect opportunity for them to do that because it's so open-ended, that's what's brilliant about it. And babies can work with open-ended loose parts just like older children can. So uh that's a that's a really good starting point for babies being outside.
Nicki:Let's be honest, it's where artists have been inspired by nature for eons.
Vicci:So another beautiful one that we notice with babies is that imitation. So oftentimes when we're out in nature, one of the only ways they can communicate with us when they're starting to make sounds is to mimic the sounds of nature, so like birds chirping, or it could be waves crashing, or it could be the sound of the wind in the trees. Um, mimicking those noises helps them to communicate something that they have observed in their lives, that they can communicate that with you. And it's also another beautiful way to increase their vocab. So I know that there's some feedback that I've heard from a lot of parents whose children have had difficulty with their language. One of the things that you can do to increase the language of your children or their capability or their understanding is to talk to them more. Now, that can be difficult sometimes when we're inside all the time, like what do I talk to my my little baby about? But when you're outside, the inspiration is everywhere to show them all these little details that we're seeing as we're going for our walk outside. And it really helps to increase their understanding of the language that we're using, broadening that vocabulary and really giving you an opportunity to talk to your baby.
Nicki:And I don't know about you, but when I'm outside, I'm far more present with my children. So naturally I'll talk to them more.
Vicci:Yeah. Yeah, it's important, it's important for children to see and hear you talking and specifically talking to them. And I know that sounds really obvious, but I think a lot of parents forget how important that can be for their development.
Nicki:Well, they've done the studies now, haven't they, on child learning English in front of a screen versus a child learning English via radio versus learning face to face. And the difference was astronomical and it was obviously learning face to face and being able to see a person's lips move and then the microfacial expressions as well that go along with that. That helps their social skills.
Vicci:And obviously being out in nature means that they are going to have a nature connection. And you know, for us that's obviously something that's really important.
Nicki:I think with the connection too, there's the study going back to the studies from Choler, I think that was in 2006, where and again it seems crazy that we need studies on this kind of thing, but it's been proven over and over again that the earlier a child is exposed to nature, then the more likely they are to want to protect it because they have that nature connection. And if we don't help raise this next generation of environmental stewards by getting them out in nature from a very, very young age, then who are going to be our environmental policy makers and our activists and the people that are going to stand up for our endangered species and so on?
Vicci:It is really important because moving forward in our society, we need to be taking into consideration the natural world. And that also leads to that wonder and awe and curiosity. We can't in any way think to promote that that and encourage that sense of curiosity if we are inside all the time. Nature really does help to put into context a whole heap of learning and understanding about how the world works and things that they find fascinating. That we all know that children find bugs and animals and trees and fascinating. They all do.
Nicki:Children don't learn unless they're curious, and nature makes us so curious. You know, there's so much to learn from just being outside, whether it's looking at the ants or looking at the clouds or seeing a bright new flower or bright new bug, and the learning that stems from that just comes so naturally as well.
Vicci:Exactly. And you can explore those patterns and life cycles in context. We go to a lot of effort in our educational settings to teach them about these things, and we've actually got an opportunity to learn about them if we just step outside when they have them. You know, if we just step outside and we are having these conversations with them all the time. You know, when you find a caterpillar and you're talking about life cycles of butterflies, when you're looking at finding tadpoles in a creek and you can talk about the life cycles of frogs and amphibians and how they're they've got a very different life cycle to a lot of other animals. There's so many conversations that we we can have, like on a bushwalk. I remember when we're hiking through the glasshouse mountains one day, and I remember you, Nikki, were saying to your boys, you're talking about one of the tree species, and it might have been something like a scribbly gum or a specific tree, and it was the first time I had been on a hike with another family who had specifically gone out of their way to show their child something interesting about nature. And I remember thinking, Oh yes.
Nicki:It's funny because I remember going to our very first playgroup with your oldest daughter's birthday party, and she mentioned something along the lines of, Look, there's an osprey. And you said, I wonder what it's looking for. And she's like, Karion. I was just like, What three-year-old?
Vicci:But you can, and when you do, this is what happens. They do, they learn it. Exactly. And that and that happens because that that conversation's happened from a very early age. And what it looks like for babies is I actually taught my children some really simple sign language, particularly because when they're little, they can't speak. So I would use certain signs when I was speaking with them. So for a bird, I would just sort of snap my fingers together like a bird beak. And very quickly, I noticed that um I my eldest was doing that at around the age of 10 months old. So when she saw a bird, she would sign bird to me, and that way she could communicate something that she had observed because she didn't have the word bird in her vocab yet. But she was able to communicate that with me, and that was a really simple way. Like animal signs are really simple. I mean, you don't have to know proper Oslan or whatever sign language. Um, you can do it that way, but you can make up signs to communicate with your children.
Nicki:Works so well, it eliminates so much frustration and it empowers them, and that it just builds that such a good, strong connection between caregiver and child.
Vicci:It does because they feel heard, they feel like they can actually you are acknowledging what they are, what they have observed in the world, and it is really special. And you can just see on their face like how how delighted they are that they can share this experience with you finally.
Nicki:And I think this I just want to add emphasize here that this isn't just for parents, this is also for early childhood educators who work with babies in that you are the caregiver during those days that those babies are with you, and if you're empowering them with that sign language, and this fits the early years learning framework so beautifully of being becoming and belonging, because if you can give them that place-based, here's a bird seasonally, this bird nests at this time of year, you can't hit the framework more intricately than that.
Vicci:Exactly. It really does, and it's amazing when you start to pull apart the actual curriculums that are in place and you align that with what we do outside, and just how much easier it is, how much more meaningful.
Nicki:It's just it fits so naturally and easily.
Vicci:Yeah. It really does. So, like there's just some of the benefits that we've we've looked at. Um, and one additional one that um is really interesting is that when you're taking your children outside, research has indicated that the fresh air really encourages healthy sleep patterns for babies because they're starting to understand that difference between night and day, which is obviously something that's very interesting for parents, particularly if your children are having a little bit more difficulty with their sleep cycles.
Nicki:Yeah.
Vicci:So as we know, and as we're just talking about, babies do have a really limited way in which they can communicate with us in terms of language, but we know that they're learning all the time. And nature has such a rich tapestry of details that we can can be integrated through all of their senses. So they can take on the sounds, the colours, the lights, the sensations, and in particular the textures of the world around them. And there's no better way to experience that than something like listening to the leaves rustling in the wind or the crunch of a dead leaf underfoot, or even the same leaf being drawn against the side of your face. You're sensing that in so many different ways. And then even again, sometimes the leaves have a scent as well. So if you you had something like a can't for laurel leaf and you crush that up a little bit, they'd be able to smell that. And there are very few places that you can get that whole sensory experience all at once in so many different ways without going to a lot of effort. You'd have to go to a lot of effort to provide that sensory experience on the inside.
Nicki:If you've listened to our previous episodes about um how and why we started Wildlings, you'll know that we have tried going to this effort in our original high school co-op uh when it was out, it was outside our front door. Outside or I just want to add there as well. When my youngest was a baby, he would he would wake up and have night terrors, and there was nothing almost like a sleepwalking state, and we couldn't snap him out of it. It didn't matter, didn't want milk, didn't want cuddles, and the only thing that would stop the the screaming, it was so loud, I honestly thought the neighbours would call the police on us, was to take him outside until he could feel the wind on his face, and that seemed to snap him out of his sleep state, but in a way that was calming to him. So that's just another way that we can use nature to calm and soothe. And I think that is so underrated for babies, you know. That if my nanny used to say, you know, if babies are upset, just add water. And I think again, we can get that whether whether we've put them in the bath or a shower or find a splashy puddle, everything's better when babies are in nature. Now babies are in water.
Vicci:They are, and I think this is also a a good time to sort of um talk a little bit about second and third babies because I think when you've had one baby, you do go to a lot of you know, your whole world revolves around, you know, that one child. When you've had a second baby, they spend a lot of time having to come along with you. And so they do end up like I know that mine spend a lot of time in the carrier, and they do spend a lot of time just being out in nature and falling asleep with the wind in their ears, and they they fall asleep with the rain patting down on us, and and they just get used to being, no matter where we are, no matter what's going on, they just get used to being in nature because that's what we're doing. That's that's unfortunately you're just coming along for the ride. That's what happens when you have larger families.
Nicki:So, from there, let's talk about what taking babies out in nature looks like, including some of the resources that we use, how to make taking babies outside easy on us as parents. Because sometimes it can feel a little daunting.
Vicci:I know that it is. It is hard to gather up all the supplies and know that you've got everything to go out.
Nicki:Well, yeah, let's start with that. So let's start with what to take. Most parents have some kind of baby bag. We have an extra tub in our cars.
Vicci:Yeah, we have a whole entire tub dedicated to extra bits and pieces that we might need. We might need if we're at the end.
Nicki:Which so you can find that downloadable on our website at wildlingsforestschool.com backslash free dash downloadables. And that will give you an idea of what we take in our car all at all times, no matter what. But there'll be a few extra things you want to add for babies.
Vicci:Yeah, and some of that is just gear for yourself.
Nicki:Yeah.
Vicci:Not always just for baby. It's making sure that you're comfortable as well.
Nicki:So other than your baby bag filled with regular baby things, one of the main things that we would recommend would be a carrier.
Vicci:Absolutely, without a doubt. The most important piece of baby item that I have ever owned was a baby carrier. Hands down.
Nicki:Hands down. Um, I'm gonna be unashamedly sprue our friend Gemma's carriers. So she's here on the Sunshine Coast, and this is not sponsored, by the way. This is just amazing.
Vicci:Um Gemma has created a beautiful line of baby carriers. Her business is called Zappa Bebe, uh, and they are made of the most beautiful materials, sustainably sourced, and they're just they look I'm so disappointed that I met Gemma after my children were too big to carry, but they look so comfortable. I can't even begin to tell you. Not only Are they comfortable? They look beautiful. But either way, she's got a whole range of different ones, right from newborns all the way up to older children. But you absolutely do need a baby carrier.
Nicki:Gemma's also a homeschooling mum and it's a tiny micro family business and it's locally run. And I just love everything about it. So we love you.
Vicci:We do. And we would love to see if you're looking for a baby carrier. We just want to say that you should definitely check out her range. They're amazing. So a baby carrier, it is the single most important piece of equipment that you'll need to get your baby outside.
Nicki:For many reasons. For sleep, for breastfeeding, for accessibility. When they've had when you're going on a bushwalk. I'm gonna I was gonna say hike, but let's be honest. When you're going for a wonder and they've had enough and they're ready to not walk anymore.
Vicci:When you're when your oldest child is still playing and your and your younger one needs to have a nap, you've just you've got everything you need.
Nicki:And I've also used my carrier for my older child. Oh yeah. When they've hurt their knee and can't walk any further. So yeah. Um, what else does being out in nature with babies look like? It it can include tummy time on the grass, it can include lying on the ground and looking up at the leaves in the trees. My youngest fell asleep so often at playgroup, either just on the mat or in the pram or even in the carry with his head back staring at leaves in the trees. Just loves it.
Vicci:Yeah. Which is another great piece of equipment to add to your list is to make sure you've got a decent picnic blanket, uh, one that often has a waterproof backing on it, so that you can put it down and have somewhere that you can sit, particularly if it's muddy or boggy, because a lot of the times we'll go out on a beautiful day the day before it's been raining, but you still want somewhere comfortable to sit. It's still okay to be accessing the mud and the grass and all of that sort of stuff, but also nice to have somewhere to put your things so that they're nice and dry.
Nicki:So many of these activities are so simple. So taking children, as we said, just adding water, taking them with their bare feet and streams and puddles and other bodies of water.
Vicci:Another really great one is to just show them when you find mini beasts like spiders or lady beetles or a dragonfly or a butterfly, pointing out when you find tiny little creatures because your children will absolutely be besotted by finding animals in nature.
Nicki:And they will while away ours as well. We loved taking our babies out during different times of the day, particularly sunset, sunrise, but night, nighttime is a whole new range of sensations for children.
Vicci:And things to look at because our world changes completely at night time. Um from obviously the moon and the stars that come out, so our celestial body is completely changed, and then also the types of animals that come out at nighttime are quite different.
Nicki:And you have different senses of on alert when it's pitch black, your obviously your hearing becomes more important.
Vicci:So I always also feel a lot of temperature differences as well between the night and the day.
Nicki:Yeah. We've already mentioned it watching and listening for birds and teaching babies simple sign language. Uh babies love exploring shadows, whether that's their own or some that you set up yourself.
Vicci:And even simple things like creating like a sensory box or a sensory sensory tub so 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.
Nicki:Especially on those rainy days when you don't maybe don't want to go out.
Vicci:But you're still having that constant contact. And you can also see how some of those treasures change over time as well.
Nicki:We've created a free downloadable on our website, wildlingsforestschool.com forward slash free dash downloadables, 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 so that we can share our love for babies in nature because you can't be what you can't see. And the more we normalize children outdoors, in all weather, in all forms of nature, the more children will get back outside, reaping the benefits of being in nature.
Vicci:So if you do end up taking your baby outside and experiencing some of the things that we've suggested, we'd love for you to tag us on Instagram with the hashtag WildlingsBabies and we can share what kind of adventures and what kind of amazing things you get up to taking your baby out to the great outdoors.
Nicki:Because you can't be what you can't see, and the more people see babies outside, the more normal it becomes, and the more children will get outside, reaping the benefits of being out in nature.
Vicci:Now there's just one more point we wanted to talk about quickly, and that's risk assessing for your babies. Obviously, being outside doesn't come without some hazards. So the main risks that we want to make you aware about and things to keep an eye on are things like the fact that babies love mouthing small objects. So you do need to keep a close eye on what goes in their mouths, including things like berries. So not all berries that we find on trees and on bushes are edible, and some of them can be quite toxic. So you just need to be mindful of that. And it'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 what is allowed to stay in there and have a little bit of a feel around in the mouth and what doesn't.
Nicki:And of course, making sure that we're dressing our babies for the weather, making sure you've got sun protection and appropriate clothing and absolutely positively one, if not two, if not three, changes of clothes. In fact, uh Vicki and I, even now at Forest Kindy, we'll get our children to have their own spare clothes in their backpacks, but we also keep a spare set of clothes and a towel in the car for when they've gone through their own sets of clothes. So they're not always going home naked from kindy.
Vicci:Exactly. And also a spare pair of even a spare shirt or something like that for yourself, um, 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.
Nicki:And the last thing we'd like to just point out is that yes, we do need to remove any obvious hazards in a space before they're exploring, but we want to reiterate there that you cannot possibly remove all risks, and nor should you, because we can't. That's not realistic, that's not the real world, and we need to be teaching children how to risk assess for themselves. So encouraging babies to spend time in the outdoor environment, including touching sand and grass and dirt or leaves, has so many health benefits and can help stimulate their immune systems. Opportunities to move freely, grasp objects, kick legs, crawl and observe others running and playing supports physical development. So, what are you waiting for? Not only will your baby enjoy learning from the natural world, you will also benefit from the slow pace and calm that nature provides.
Vicci:If you would like some more ideas on how to get your baby out into nature, you can download our Baby's Need Nature 2 printable with 20 simple ideas on how to start raising a confident nature-loving child. And as always, we love doing this journey with you. So until next time, stay wild.