How Long Are Children Allowed To Play Outside In Cold Weather?

[SilverSabre25]

Hee hee this is amusing; this thread was started the day I was induced with my DD!

Anyway. 45 *is* pretty warm and as long as kiddos have jackets and pants I don't see a problem with them being outside for that long. It's preference though--45 to Floridians is going to be a LOT colder than 45 to Minnesotans or even Ohioans.

(and the first unregistered response amused me!)

And fwiw, I don't consider 45 to be cold at all--chilly, maybe, but not cold.

[lvt77]

Well I am lucky to say that I have never had to deal with that kind of weather, but I do have one question.
From a provider prospective--How do you know that your child was outside for that long and if he was still sick then why would he be at D-care?

From a parent’s perspective, I would think that is way too long to be outside in that cold of weather, however, if I sent the child with the right clothing then I would think they would be ok for a shorter period of time.

[DBug]

45 degrees -- seriously? There is nothing to worry about at all at that temperature. Yeah, they need a coat, but if they're having fun, let them play. The fresh air is so much better for them then being stuck inside all day!

[jen]

No kidding! If it were 45 we'd be out all day!!! Put a coat on them and let them have fun.

PARENTS: You have to understand that this is GROUP daycare. Your child being sick is not of consequence to the other children in care. If you want a prgram that caters to only your child, please hire a nanny. If you believe that your child is too sick to participate in ANY activity, then you should keep them home. When you attend a GROUP daycare facility you should always be aware that the teacher and staff are looking at whats best for the group as a whole. Only after that requirements is met, do they look at whats best for the individual child.

[JenNJ]

If he is in daycare, he should participate in all scheduled activities. If he is unable to, or you don't want him to because of a recent illness -- keep him home. If he is too sick to participate, he is too sick to be there. Oh and cold weather does not make people sick. Germs make people sick. The fresh air and sunshine are great for kids.

Dress your child appropriately for the weather so that he won't be cold (though 45 degrees is NOT cold). Thick pants, warm socks, jacket, boots, mittens, and a hat.

[mickey2]

I try to send all of my kids who can walk outside EVERYDAY even if it is only for 5 minutes at a time a few times a day!!
(unless of course there is some type of wind-chill warning saying exposed skin will freeze in 1 or 2 minutes which we have been known to get often during our winters)
If they are dressed for the cold weather they will be fine. Kids are just babied way too much and some parents are just not too bright when it comes to common sense! Kids need to run/play and get fresh air! Its beneficial to their health,
(and with my own kids my sanity! Even if I just get to have that 5 minutes to have a quiet cup of coffee it is worth getting them all bundled up!!) ::


This morning at 10 am it was it was -27 degree Celsius = -16.6 degree Fahrenheit. My 2 dcks played outside for 15 minutes!

It is now -12 degree Celsius = 10.4 degree Fahrenheit and they will be going out again after naps! They will most likely be out there for at least an hour! This is beautiful weather! :-)

[lil angels]

we get the kids out daily 45 is warm I am waiting for that. For them to be out like that is great it is better than them sitting in from of the tv. If your child is getting over being sick and you don't want them outside then keep him home.

[littlemissmuffet]

No kidding! If it were 45 we'd be out all day!!! Put a coat on them and let them have fun.

PARENTS: You have to understand that this is GROUP daycare. Your child being sick is not of consequence to the other children in care. If you want a prgram that caters to only your child, please hire a nanny. If you believe that your child is too sick to participate in ANY activity, then you should keep them home. When you attend a GROUP daycare facility you should always be aware that the teacher and staff are looking at whats best for the group as a whole. Only after that requirements is met, do they look at whats best for the individual child.

*CLAP CLAP CLAP* Agree 100%!

[Madux]

Weather Conditions

I own an at home child care and I always tell the teachers that they make the judgement don't go according to the tempature. However NCCS( North Carolina Child Services) rule is we go out for 1 hour a day if the weather permits.We generally break it down maybe 30 mins. in the morning and 30 mins. in the afternoon. If a child is sick or just getting over a cold he/she should be at home. There are just not to many centers that have an extra room with a teacher to watch sick children. As we all know that ratios are very important in childcare. 45% for a child is great weather for them to inteact and socialize with their friends playing various games or just riding bikes or playing on the playground equipment. Wrap them up good and have a blast outside!!!

[makap]

Very old post! Originally posted 10-25-2007, 06:11 AM

[Michael]

Very old post! Originally posted 10-25-2007, 06:11 AM

Yes, but these posts are always relevent and are well indexed in the search engines. Unless it is a time sensitive thread they are always "live".

[Countrygal]

Hello,
I moved to USA from Russia 3 years ago, and I have a 4yo child. As you know Climat in Russia is colder then here.
In your post, Im very much surprized about kids being out for such a long time, coz mostly we face an opposite problem - nobody thinks that being out enough is important for growing kids. While In Russia they really think that going out (at least twice a day) is a MUST when you have a child. So, I can only wish my kid to be out a lot here also, but I can only dream...the maximum they do is up to 30 mins
Yes, 45F is pretty cold weather, but also, in my opinion, american parents dress kids very strange, and never according to weather during cold time (in my eyes). coz the lifestyle here is an "always driving" style. Just pay your attention to what your kid is wearing during cold time and you can avoid a lot of problems with colds.

what also kills me,,,they never ever here get any fresh air inside,,,the air is always stuffed, looks like they have no idea that the rooms should be aired out from time to time.

Sorry if my post hurt somebody. its just my look.

This post makes a lot of sense, to me!

45 here in the North is pretty warm, in my mind, but honestly, if I had a sick child I would not go out that long. A lot would also depend upon the wind and whether it was sunny or cloudy.

When I got up this morning and the first kids arrived it was 46 degrees. It is now 51. It has warmed up 5 degrees in two hours! So while the children probably went out at 42 degrees, I'll bet by the time they came in it was well over 50 degrees. Yesterday the kids were out at 9. They had light jackets on, and the temp was probably around 45, no wind and sunny. By the time we left 2 1/2 hours later, all the kids had stripped their jackets - I had, too, and the temp was about the mid-50's. I live in WI, very near to MN.

[Unregistered]

wet weather

I just had a similar situation today. Last night it rained good here. There was plenty of wet muddy ground outside and mixture of snow/ice. My class is 2 1/2-4 year olds. I chose to stay in and go into our tumble room and play there. My Director disagreed with what I did and said I needed to take them out. I am frustrated with this. I watched the preschool room go outside and several came in entirely soaked through their clothes and cold. Was I wrong to keep them inside today?

[MissAnn]

No there is no rule-but COMMON SENSE should ring a bell-GOOD GRAVY----does this provider not have any? Time to get a new provider. WOW- ! My rule of thumb is-if it's 32 we don't go OUT-The air temperature has to be BELOW freezing in order for frostbite to develop on exposed skin. But skin can freeze within 30 minutes-no matter what age-but come on-children play in the snow-and don't "feel" the cold like we adults do-TIME FOR A NEW PROVIDER-and report them!

The poster said the temperature was 45°. I don't see a problem with a child playing in temperatures that high. Am I missing something?

[Blackcat31]

The poster said the temperature was 45°. I don't see a problem with a child playing in temperatures that high. Am I missing something?

You are replying to someone who posted that comment in 2008.