Babies and outside time

[playfelt]

I use the foam playmats in my playhouse that is outside since there is no floor in it and keeps the kids out of the mud that happens when rain gets in the window and door area but the sun doesn't. We left them out all year and only took them out a couple times so we could pull up the grass that grew between them and the house. They were still fine at the end of the season and we just washed them down and stored them for the second summer. This will be the third one and they seem to be in ok shape still.

I have done playpens outside, a play yard on the patio with a quilt on the bottom of it. Some babies do well in a plastic swimming pool with some toys.

Going outside as soon as the babies wake from morning naps means I can put the older kids out to play - the door is off our kitchen and have the babies in highchairs having snack either just inside the kitchen with the door open or moving the chairs to the patio. With a dish of cheerios they will take awhile to go through them. And the good news is the squirrels do any cleanup necessary.

[Crayola kiddies]

I would just tell the parents they need proper foot wear ..... I think you can buy rain boots starting at size 4 or just have them buy a cheap pair of running shoes ... They will get wet and muddy but change their socks as soon as they get inside ..... I told all my parents their kids had to have appropriate outdoor wear cause we go out side .... Two of my parents insist on sending their kids with fabric mittens and the kids dig in the mud and sandbox they dip their mittens in the puddles and everyday I send them home in a plastic bag ... Maybe next year they will get the drift

[Mamma_Mia]

Good to know that the mats fair well outdoors! I was worried....but that now will save me some time! I put 2/3 at the bottom of my slide too, that area always seems to get muddy and they land on their bums :-) so it's cleaner and softer.

[playfelt]

Leaving the grass extra longs helps too because then it folds over and provides some cushioning and less wear and tear so patches don't appear so readily. Can't help under swings where they scruff their feet but helps in areas where they run and roll and use ride on toys - makes it hard to make the toys go but then for my toddlers that works cause they just want to sit there anyways and can't reach the pedals.

[Skysue]

Best thing I found for this age group as well was a water table they would spend hours. All you need is a couple inches of water & you can buy plastic water bins at the buck store, set up a few and let them go crazy. The bins make it easier on the few that might want to sit in it! This way it’s too small! LOL

Painting the fence is really a good idea as well. Fill a plastic pail with water & paintbrushes and let them go crazy!

Blankets I find are great as well as play tents! Ikea has a good one for $20.00!

Mine last year were this age and they loved the ride on toys as well as the sandbox.

I hated the sandbox because they always brought sand and put it in the water table and it was just plain messy!

Oh and bubble, bubbles and more bubbles!

[sunnydays]

How do you keep them from drinking out of the water table? I tried one last summer and had to put it away as they all kept putting their mouths in the water and drinking...yuck! I'll just be glad when we get to summer and everything is dry...then it's no problem as I have lots of slides, climbers, ride-ons and we go to the park all the time as well. It's just spring with it't meting snow, puddles and mud...which are lots of fun for the toddlers, but challenging for crawlers! My most avid outdoor crawler has a new rainsuit today and some new boots that will hopefully stay on his feet. It is challenging to find boots that work for non-walkers as they usually hate them and can't move in them! I have one little guy who will not even try to walk in his boots although he walks well inside.

[Skysue]

Seriously you can't stop them just change the water a few times! I used to just go to the park and let thme go in arobies as there hard to take off!

[Sandbox Sally]

Skysue, what's an arobie?

[sunnydays]

I guess if it were just my own kids, I wouldn't care if they drank out of it, but it seems like a health hazard to have them all dipping their runny noses and mouths in the same pool of water! I thought maybe I'd try again this year, but now I have a new batch of little ones...nope!

[fruitloop]

I guess if it were just my own kids, I wouldn't care if they drank out of it, but it seems like a health hazard to have them all dipping their runny noses and mouths in the same pool of water! I thought maybe I'd try again this year, but now I have a new batch of little ones...nope!

They all share germs anyway when they're young. They're drooling on everything...touchin g something and then another kid puts that thing in their mouth, etc. Seriously, you'll drive yourself crazy if you're always worried about that stuff. We're big outdoor people and my dck are outside at least once a day for a good hour...if we can, we go out twice...once in the a.m. and then again in the p.m.. I have a pretty big deck so there is a large space for them to ride bikes/ride on toys all year around, there's a kitchen to play with, little people, cars and tracks, bubbles, chalk, etc. On my gras there are swings, play house, slides, basketball net, a big bucket of balls, a climbing triangle and in the summer/warmer months the water table comes out. I don't take a pnp outside or use a play yard, they just crawl/sit on the deck and play with toys or go in the baby swings.