Observations

Beating the autumnal weather: Getting outdoors with a toddler

When the weather turns from being (vaguely) sunny to being damp, wet and otherwise not very appealing to head out into, you need to find a way to motivate yourself as a parent to make sure you don’t end up getting cabin fever!

Sure, when the snow comes along there’s the satisfaction of feeling that crunch under your feet, the fun of showing your little one how to make snowballs, and perhaps even making a snowman with them. However, it is that intervening period where the weather is dreary and dismal in autumn which can be a challenge, but not impossible to conquer if you have the right gear!

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Our little girl is a huge fan of puddle spalshing, mud digging (and at one of her outdoor classes, even mud monster making!) and flying a kite in windy conditions, so there really is no reason to hide away in the house when it comes to the autumn months.After all, the great Yorkshire countryside is right on our doorsteps, which is why we’re big fans of Reima’s #millionhoursofjoy challenge.

Of course, Reima have a vested interest in getting us outdoors as they produce some pretty amazing clothing and our little one is a big fan of their rain outfit as well as the Nuoska overall that we have even managed to make use of despite undergoing potty traning(!).

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Indeed, appropriate outdoor gear has given our little girl the chance to explore the world of acorns and conkers and to go out and find spiders, newts and minibeasts while wearing her wellies. For days when we wanted to treat ourselves to a break from the weather, we have still been able to visit beautiful local attractions like RHS Harlow Carr and Harewood House to enjoy some warm coffee and cake once we’re out of the elements knowing that we have well and truly earned them!

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While it’s easy to say all of this, of course there are challenges. Toilet traning hasn’t helped making getting out any easier and finding the motivation to take a battering in the rain while your little one jumps in a puddle or wants to feed ducks while you are getting blown all over the place might not sound ideal. However, to be honest, one of my favourite autumn memories has been me chasing across an entire park with our little girl, who had decided to let go of her kite to see what happened only for it to take flight in the breeze and end up in a tree in the garden of a house bordering the park. My little one enjoyed recounting the tale many times that week to her mum!

All in all, if you don’t want to spend the less sunny seasons indoors then you don’t have to if you can take up the challenge and work to help achieve those million hours of joy outside simply by getting yourself the right clothing to take on the elements!

Categories: Observations

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