My Baby
Outings and fresh air · 11 months to 2 years
A different surface every weekend
Grass, sand, gravel, dry leaves. Walking on different surfaces is fun and practice at the same time, and the park down the road will do.
Why change the ground
A child learning to walk spends most of the time on the same smooth floor at home. Every different surface is a new problem for the body to solve, and it is also an outing that costs nothing: it already exists a few blocks from you.
One surface per weekend
- Grass, which gives a little and changes the balance.
- Dry sand and wet sand, which are two completely different things.
- Gravel in a square, with you holding a hand.
- The wooden boards of a deck, with the gaps between them.
- A shallow puddle, in wellies, the day after the rain.
- A gentle slope, up and down, which is another exercise altogether.
What to bring
Clothes that can get dirty without it becoming a problem, a full change, water and as little else as possible. An outing with a lot of luggage tires whoever carries it and cuts the trip short.
The record worth making
A photo of her feet on the surface of the day, always from the same angle, from above. Over a year it becomes a wonderful series, and it is the easiest photo to take of a child who never stands still.
More ideas for this stage
Routine and organisation
Settling in at nursery
What the first week usually looks like, what to agree with the school, and the record nobody keeps.
Letter idea
Write down the wrong words
The first words come out crooked, and the crooked version is the one the family keeps forever. Write them down before the correct pronunciation erases the joke.
Routine and organisation