Little Man's First Shoes

If I had it my way my little boy would be barefoot as much as possible. I think it’s important for a baby’s development to experience the world through as many senses as possible and our feet provide fantastic opportunities for this. There is nothing better than feeling sand, mud or grass in between your toes. For me it creates a real connection with the world around me, something tangible that roots me to the moment. However, we have to be practical and with Spring refusing to make an entrance this year, it’s too cold outside to let my little one run around with nothing on his feet.

So this weekend we made our first trip to Clarks and bought our little man his first pair of shoes. They are called cruisers because they are designed for babies at the pre-walking stage. They are made of lovely soft leather and the idea is that they are soft enough to mould to my little one's feet and allow them to develop unrestricted. They are super cute and although I expect he will grow out of them in less than 6 weeks, they will allow the little monster to explore the outdoors in the upright position he is choosing to be in more and more. I do have to admit that for those lovely muddy moments we have already bought him some wellies but we’ll use the shoes for those less messy moments and allow his feet a little more comfort. 

Bring on the sunshine so we can all get barefoot and feel the grass and mud in between our toes again!

Is a love of nature inherent?

Ok, so this is my first blog. Scary, huh! Well it is for me so here goes….

When I had my little boy last February I was love struck, as most Mums are. However, the little man was poorly and we had to stay in hospital for 8 days while he had antibiotics and got better.

Finally, we were let out into the freezing cold snow and ice and sent home. One thing that struck me about those early days was how my little boy loved to be outdoors, even when it was cold and especially when it was windy. He loved to feel the wind on his face and take in all the elements as if he was a little sponge. Sometimes when he was crying and nothing else would settle him, a walk round the garden would do the trick, whatever the weather. It was as if his connection with the outdoors was innate, something he needed and wanted instinctively. It surprised me!

I was discussing this with a friend the other day, saying that I thought that a connection to nature and the outdoors was something built into us, something we are born with but something we lose as we get older through our constantly evolving indoor and virtual environments. She then reminded me of how much I was outdoors while I was pregnant. Whilst pregnant I completed my Forest Schools Level 3 Assessment, bushcraft training, practiced fire lighting and den building with my friends and colleagues and through my job as an environmental educator was outside showing kids the natural world on a regular basis.

Has all this had an impact on my little boy? Or has he picked up that I like being outdoors and therefore feels safe there? Or is a connectedness to nature innate, as I first thought? 

What do you guys think? I’d love to know if you have had a similar/different experience with your little one