With the cold weather already here, you may be thinking about whether it’s safe for your toddler to play outside or not. However, no matter if the temperatures outside are decreasing, toddlers during the winter require physical activities because they are great stress relievers for them when they are cooped up inside their house for so many hours.

Thus, it is safe for a toddler to play outside during the cold weather. The American Council of Exercise even recommends that the children should receive approximately 60 minutes of physical activity each day. So you may allow your toddler for outdoor play in different intervals by providing them breaks after 10 to 20 minutes.

 Here are several other tips that will facilitate outdoor play for your toddlers while keeping them safe.

• Dressing Them Properly During Cold Weather

  Toddlers during the winter should be sent outside to play only after dressing them in layers.  The layered dressing will help to keep the body warm of your toddler with scarves, boots, hats, earmuffs, socks or mittens. Additionally, the layers will not only protect your child while they’re playing outside but will also help to retain their body heat through the air pockets present in the different clothes.

  Though your child may become sweaty through outdoor play, you can always take off one layer. It is even recommended to dress your child in an extra layer as compared to an average adult.

• Helping Them Keep Warm Indoors

  Unlike adults, toddlers cannot regulate their body temperature during cold weather. So, you need to take special care to help keep your toddler warm indoors during the cold weather. For this, you should shut off the windows in case it is extremely cold outside and use a room heater or a humidifier to provide a warm and comfortable environment for your toddler. Additionally, you can keep your toddler’s bed warm by using a warm water bottle and keeping it at the side of your toddler while he or she sleeps.

• Hygiene Concerns

  With winters just round the corner, comes the season of seasonal flu and cold.  So it becomes necessary to practise the right hygiene for your toddlers and help keep them safe. First of all, you should make sure that your toddler is vaccinated for the flu. Secondly, when your toddler comes home after outdoor play, you should wash their hands properly. You can also provide them with a sanitiser to keep their hands clean. 

  Additionally, in case any other person in the house is already suffering from cold and cough, do not let your kid stay around that person as there is a higher chance of getting infected with the cold and flu. In the end, another hygiene concern for toddlers during the winter is their dry skin. Tell your toddler not to bathe in very hot water and moisturise their skin after bathing.

• Tips for Keeping Them Active

  You should encourage toddlers to be active during the cold weather by playing outside and participating in their outdoor play yourself. There are a plethora of winter activities like outdoor as well as indoor games. You may play indoor games with your child like Ludo, Carrom or even teach him or her during the free time. Also, allow room for physical activity by letting your kids play outdoor with their friends.

• Keeping Their Ears From Getting Colds

  There is a higher chance of ear infections in toddlers during winter because of the reduced blood flow to the ear. With the reduced blood flow, the ears lose their capacity to fight off infections. Hence you need to keep your toddler’s ears from getting colds in winter. So let your toddler wear earmuffs or even a woollen hat during the winter that can help to keep frostbite away.

•  Avoiding Overheating Themselves

  Toddlers have an amplified sensitivity to temperature changes and hence it may become difficult for you to keep your toddlers warm in winter because there is the risk of overheating. You can avoid overheating your toddlers by regulating the layers they wear during winter. It’s crucial to layer up your toddler while he or she is going outside to play or going for a walk. However, reduce the layers once your toddler is peacefully sleeping in the car or is with you indoors.

  So, these are some of the tips for toddlers during the cold weather. Hopefully, this guide will help you to keep your toddler warm during the winter season.

*Information shared here is for general purpose. Please take doctors’ advice before making any decision.