Intro
Heading on a trip with your baby is equal parts exciting and nerve-wracking! It will cover a lot of fun firsts for your little bundle of joy. But you may find it tough, thinking of outdoor activities to do with your infant. Now you may think planning activities for toddlers and kids who are more active and walking may be easier, but that’s not necessarily true!
There are so many easy, simple, and quick baby outdoor activities that you can try on your next trip! With the global pandemic being a continuing concern for parents around the world, making sure your little one is safe is the number one priority.
In this article, we suggest 10 simple outdoor activities to try with your baby and offer 10 baby outdoor travel tips with COVID-19 in mind. Getting as much fresh air with your infant and letting them discover the Great Outdoors will broaden their horizons day by day!
10 Simple Outdoor Activities to Try with Your Baby
Since you will probably go out on walks with your baby, let’s skip that idea. Depending on your travel destination, you can also consider going on extraordinary hikes with your baby. But walking and hiking aside, what are some quick outdoor activities?
Here are 10 easy, simple and quick outdoor activities to do with your baby on your next trip!
Have a picnic
Your baby probably spends a lot of time eating throughout the day. When on a trip with your baby, consider changing up the scenery and feeding your baby outside. With fresh air and surrounded by nature and its beautiful sounds, your baby will be taking in a lot while feeding.
It gives you a chance to enjoy the fresh air and eat some quality picnic food while giving your baby a chance to see and hear brand-new things! This simple outdoor activity doesn’t have to be just limited to vacation time – you can do it as frequently as you want in your backyard or a nearby park when you get back home from your trip!
Read books outside
Pack a few books you want to read to your little one during your trip. Laying out in an open field with blankets and a good book will introduce your baby to a whole new world of literacy and fun! Explore your favourite books with your baby and be as dramatic and over-the-top as needed to capture the interest of your baby.
Reading is one of the best things you can do with your baby as early literacy skills will build a foundation for your baby’s academic life! With a tonne of baby books on the market – find the ones best suited for your baby’s age or some classics that you grew up loving to read. You’ll find this easy outdoor activity may become a favourite activity even when you’ve returned home from your trip!
Feel the grass
One of the easiest and fun activities to do outdoors with your baby is introducing them to grass! Take off your baby’s socks and allow them to feel the texture of the grass with their feet. Some babies will love the different textures and explore a bit more while others may be a tad terrified by the new sensation. Pick up on their cues and if they aren’t a fan of grass, you can introduce it to them slowly.
You can also start their discovery of grass by letting them touch it with their hands first. The beautiful thing about outdoor activities with babies is that everything is new to them. So seeing their reactions and how they respond to new things will be entertaining for you as well!
Play with bubbles
If your baby hasn’t discovered bubbles yet, introducing them to them while on vacation will be a great activity to do together. It will be amusing for them to watch these soapy bubbles float in the air and an interesting sensation to feel bubbles popping on their skin. This also helps with your baby’s sensory development!
Playing with bubbles is such an easy activity and is usually well-received by infants. This activity will help your baby’s motor skills so amp that up by encouraging them to poke the soapy bubbles with their fingers or kicking with their feet. Soon playing with bubbles will be one of their favourite activities, so be ready for that!
Free crawl time
Grab some extra blankets and towels and lay them on the ground. Let your baby have a free crawl around your fort of blankets while you or your partner watch and the other gets some me-time. This is one of the easiest outdoor activities to do with a baby – as they can’t run or move around a whole lot just yet. Being outdoors and crawling the way they do will put them in a happy mood. There will be discoveries and tonnes of fresh air which is all good for your infant!
Roll a ball
If your baby is starting to sit up, a great and super simple activity to start doing with them is rolling a ball back and forth! Since you’re on a trip and may not have space to pack a ball, try keeping your eye out for one when you’re shopping around or maybe you will have one for your use at your place of accommodation (baby-friendly Airbnbs). During a picnic, while you’re sitting on blankets (or grass if you choose), sit across from your baby and roll the ball towards them. They will have so much fun once they get the hang of rolling the ball back to you. Get ready for lots of giggles and fun!
Once you’re back home from your trip, you can introduce your baby to balls of different colours, sizes, and textures. Playing outside is the best bet because there is ample space and nothing to break.
Watch clouds
If your baby is feeling drowsy and on their back, take this time to point out and introduce them to clouds. Cloud watching can be an incredibly relaxing activity to do together. It gives you and your baby a chance to appreciate and enjoy all that nature gives to us.
When your baby is fully awake, watching clouds may not be the best activity to do as they probably will get distracted with other things outdoors. But just as they hit the surface of sleepy time, try this easy activity of cloud watching and adore your baby’s face of curiosity.
Water time
Water is intriguing and fun for babies of all sizes! When you’re out on a trip, it may be hard to find water to play with. If you find a playground with a mini water park, hold your baby and introduce them to the sensation of water being sprayed onto their body.
If there is no waterpark, try filling up a small bowl with water and let your baby splash their hands in it. Or if you have to get creative, get a bottle of water and squirt water on different parts of your baby’s body to let them feel the sensation. There is a high chance they are going to fall in love with water. And the best part? Since you’re playing outside, there is no need for any clean-up!
Dance to your favourite tunes
Lazing around after a day of eating your picnic food and playing with your baby? The best way to wind down is to play your favourite songs from your phone and shake a leg with your baby. Introduce all your favourite songs and baby songs to get your baby moving and squiggling in their spot! This fun and simple activity will create a beautiful bonding experience with you and your little one.
Explore nature
Remember that everything is new for your baby. So being outdoors is the perfect time to introduce them to things in nature. While laying down on a blanket or the grass, you can bring them an array of fun things for your baby to touch and discover.
Some examples include pine cones, leaves, sand, rocks, and flowers. Make sure to closely supervise your baby, especially if they are prone to putting things in their mouth. This fun activity is easy and can be done anywhere you travel! It will pass time and will get more interesting and lively with the more things you introduce them to in nature. And remember to always have a pack of wipes to keep your baby’s hands clean from any grime or dirt when playing with things in nature!
10 Baby Travel Tips
Try not to travel on busy days
Right before, during, and right after the holidays are when airports will be the busiest. Flying with your baby during a regular day can be stressful – but imagine that plus the airport is packed with busy bees around you? Something you can avoid by booking your flight (if your work schedule allows it) a few days before and missing the rush! It will be a much more pleasant experience for you and your baby!
Utilize their nap time
If you are taking a short flight and your baby takes a nap during mid-morning or afternoon, try to book a flight at that time. The hum of the plane and the adventure will probably lull them into a solid nap so they can (hopefully) sleep through most of the flight – and you won’t have to deal with a cranky baby on the plane!
Choose an overnight flight for long travels
If your flight is a long one, it’s best to choose an overnight flight where your baby will sleep soundly and get their full rest. Booking a mid-day or evening flight will have your baby in hyper mode and no sleep time. So choose wisely!
Pack light
As hard as this may be, packing light will help you out in your travels. Packing a lot of baby gear is going to confuse you when you’re in the middle of your travels and you may forget where you put what. The packing light ensures you know exactly where which item is and can save you from scrambling in a frenzy! Only pack the essentials and what your baby needs. Pro tip: if you question whether or not to take extra toys or gadgets – you probably don’t need them on your trip!
If you’re going to be travelling by bus or train when you’re at your destination, the last thing you need is bags full of baby gear and the hassle of lugging it around with you. Your baby probably doesn’t need as much as you think they need. So try to pack as light as possible, keep it simple, and trust that you will entertain your little one!
To pre-board or not to pre-board?
When the airlines call on passengers with babies or anyone that needs assistance boarding the plane –it’s a no-brainer to hop on board asap, right? Wrong! You should probably think twice before pre-boarding.
Sure, you can get yourself, your baby, and your baby gear settled into your seats without the hustle and bustle of other passengers waiting on you… but you’ll have to find a way to entertain your baby from your narrow seat while everyone else boards the plane (and don’t forget the rest of your travel on the plane with baby!)
So what can you do to make this situation a win-win? You should send any adult that is travelling with you (a partner, family member or friend) during the pre-boarding with your bags and baby gear, while you walk around with your baby. You are free to walk the terminal and get in line when your zone is called for boarding!
Ditch the stroller – wear your baby
Carrying your baby on your body will be the easiest way to navigate around your travel destination. You will be faster, can move around freely, take the stairs with no difficulty and much much more! Plus – the bonus? Your baby will love being close to your body the entire time!
Strollers are much more difficult to manage. From the assembly to tirelessly pushing around people, apologizing, going up and down stairs or spending time trying to find a more accessible way of going up… the list goes on. Wearing your baby is also perfect in tight spots like a plane!
Keep the essentials within reach
Whether it’s on the plane or by car at your destination spot, you want to make sure that your baby’s essentials are always accessible and within reach. Your diaper bag needs to be stocked and ready to go for emergencies, clean-up, and feed times. Packing strategically and knowing which part of your diaper bag contains what item will help you out when you’re scrambling in panic!
Choose a baby-friendly accommodation
Airbnbs and vacation rental homes are a much better option than hotels when travelling with your baby! In hotel rooms, you will find yourself stuck in a room with a sleeping baby, tiptoeing around and not being able to fully enjoy yourself. Also, you will constantly be thinking about neighbouring rooms hearing your baby cry in the middle of the night and putting in a noise complaint.
If you book a vacation rental home or Airbnb, you won’t have any of these problems! You can put your baby to sleep in one room and go hang out with your partner, friends, or family in the next room. You won’t have to worry about other people hearing your baby get fussy in the middle of the night. And you’ll probably be able to find accommodations that have toys and gadgets for infants!
Some Airbnbs offer cribs, toys, high chairs, and playpens in the accommodation. Just keep your eye out for baby-friendly listings and you’re good to go on trips!
Reminder – travelling with an infant is probably better than a toddler
Your baby under 1 can’t talk or run around at this age. They probably sleep a lot and are very light. This means you can do a lot more on your trip without being constantly on edge about where your little one is running off to. You will probably get a lot of attention and people admiring your baby – which means you’ll make friends around the world. So use this time with your infant to travel well and make good memories!
Final Thoughts
Planning and executing a trip or vacation with an infant can be intimidating to think about. But it probably will not be as bad as you make it out to be in your head. All you need is confidence and some patience!
There are plenty of easy and simple baby outdoor activities to do with your baby! Creating new memories and letting your baby explore the world at a very young age will be good for you and your little one! With the hit of COVID-19, the world is scrambling to get back to “normal” and there are safety concerns everywhere. But if you take all the safety precautions, choose quiet areas to explore, and travel smart, you will have the trip of your dreams!
In this article, we highlighted 10 easy, simple, and quick baby outdoor activities to try on your next trip. We also covered 10 baby travel tips to make your trip with your baby as efficient as possible! Take a deep breath and plan that trip – you and your baby are going to create precious and treasured memories together!