Biking with Toddlers: Building Confidence and Joy

We are so excited to be participating in the Brushwood Center’s kickoff event for military families on June 8, 2024! “Brushwood Center works collaboratively with community partners, artists, health care providers, and scientists to improve health equity and access to nature in Lake County, Illinois, and the Chicago region.” While there are many programs that encourage kids to get outside in nature, very few focus on families with babies and young children. OutGrown specializes in bridging the baby nature gap, connecting families to nature from birth. We are excited to help extend the Brushwood Center's reach to serve a wider audience of military families. If you are a military family and in the Greater Chicago area, be sure to check out the Military Kids Fest from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. to enjoy the beautiful trails of Ryerson Woods, art activities, games and food with us. We will bring our Footprints activity (sponsored by our partners at L.L. Bean), handouts, a Wander Walk adventure, and a baby carrier library to try on different types and sizes. Photo credit: Jenn Canjar We know how important it is to find support and other families—your village—as you adapt to new surroundings and raise your kids while in the military. Events like this provide a great opportunity to try new things and find community in your new backyard. Here’s what some of our military families have had to say about finding community with us over the years: “I found Hike it Baby (now OutGrown) when I needed it most at our previous duty station. My husband was working super long hours, we had no family nearby, and I was desperately trying to get my son (who was 8 months old at the time) and myself out of the house. I struggled to find a community that felt like the right “fit” until I stumbled upon OutGrown. Everyone was so welcoming and non-judgmental! When we PCS’ed a few years later, I was happy to find a nearby branch at our new duty station, and it has provided an instant community full of wonderful people with similar interests for both my son and me. I’m not sure what we would have done without it!” ~Becca, Kitsap Peninsula, Washington Branch (Navy) “It made it so easy to find friends with similar interests and lifestyles. My entire community here is built from OutGrown!” ~Heather, Colorado Springs, Colorado Branch (Air Force) “In a duty station that wasn’t connected to a base... OutGrown gave me my first few friends and thus insight into a new location. It also got us out and about... no wallowing in despair here!” ~Jenyfer, Eugene, Oregon Branch (Navy) Find a community near you at: https://weareoutgrown.org/find-your-community ABOUT OUTGROWN Here's a little more about OutGrown: We're a national, 501c3 nonprofit with over a decade of experience helping families get outside with their babies and young children. We believe it is critical to include and center families from birth because it is a crucial developmental time for both the infant and the parent, where we can create a life-long, multi-generational impact. We know that we protect what we love and we're helping families build a loving connection with the outdoors so they can value and protect it for generations to come. As a community-driven organization, we have been working with indigenous, Latine, BIPOC, immigrant & refugee, and rural families to co-design multilingual and culturally relevant solutions in our programming. Since its grassroots inception in 2013, OutGrown is a growing community of 280,000 families and over 300 volunteers. More information on all of our programs can be found at WeAreOutGrown.org. ABOUT THE BRUSHWOOD CENTER Our Vision We work toward a future of resilient and connected communities, both human and ecological, where all lead healthy and thriving lives. Our Mission Brushwood Center at Ryerson Woods works collaboratively with community partners, artists, health care providers, and scientists to improve health equity and access to nature in Lake County, Illinois, and the Chicago region. We engage people with the outdoors through the arts, environmental education, and community action. Brushwood Center’s programs focus on youth, families, Military Veterans, and those facing racial and economic injustices. More information can be found at: https://www.brushwoodcenter.org/ EDITORS NOTE: We hope you enjoyed reading this article from OutGrown. We’re working hard to provide our community with content and resources that inform, inspire, and entertain you. But content is not free. It’s built on the hard work and dedication of writers, editors, and volunteers. We make an investment in developing premium content to make it easier for families with young children to connect with nature and each other. We do not ask this lightly, but if you can, please make a contribution and help us extend our reach.

Raising Confident, Safe, and Healthy Bikers from Birth: A Complete Guide for New Parents | 3-part blog series "It's as easy as riding a bike..." New parents may not feel the same way about biking with a baby as they did solo. The overwhelm is real when it comes to planning any activity with kiddos—so how can you overcome the challenge and reap the benefits of a bike ride with an infant? Honestly, when you talk to seasoned parents about biking with babies versus older children, you realize that babies may be easier travel companions! Older kids independently (and sometimes chaotically) zoom on their two wheels, stop for frequent rests/off-road adventures, and may not allow for a quiet commune with nature. Here's why you should pack the diaper bag, fill up those bicycle tires and enjoy a bike ride while your kiddo is still in the infant stage! Biking's Physical Health Benefits New parents may struggle to find ways to maintain their physical fitness (other than walking a million steps as they traverse the house between feed/change/comfort cycles). Biking alone isn't always an option—so why not take your newborn along for the ride while you get some much-needed postpartum exercise? Early exposure to physical activity leads to improved physical development as babies grow. This often results in a more active lifestyle for them as adults. It's a win-win! You get a workout and your baby learns the importance of physical activity. Biking's Mental Health Benefits Many mental health benefits come from spending time outside. Combine the outdoor exposure with a bike ride to experience post-biking stress relief and improved mood. When you bring your baby along, you also benefit from quality parent-child bonding time and instill a love for outdoor family activities. Biking and Sensory Engagement The warmth of the sun, a breeze past their face and the sounds of our environment passing by are all direct sensory inputs as babies ride along with you via bike. Baby sensory experiences like this are critical for sensory development and regulation. Your senses are also exercised as you pedal—experiencing sight, sound, smell, and touch—and you boost cognition as you think about and implement biking safety guidelines. A lifetime of benefits from biking as a family Starting young, children and new parents benefit physically, mentally and emotionally from the exercise and sensory input bike rides bring. With the right tools and support, you can begin as soon as your healthcare professional gives you the go-ahead! If you are experiencing—or you’d like to help other new parents with—the “baby blues”, please consider our Turn the Blues Green program. Join us in turning the blues green by supporting our initiative to get more families outside and active. This blog is proudly sponsored by our friends at Burley. Looking for an investment in biking gear that will grow with your kids? Our partners at Burley offer products with the versatility to last throughout a child's early years. Baby Seat Insert: A cozy, hammock seat designed for babies aged 1-10 months, fitting in the Honey Bee, Encore X, D’Lite X, and Cub X trailers. This transforms these trailers into a primary stroller option for newborns, offering a water-resistant cover, interior rear storage, and adaptability as the child grows.   From Infancy to Toddler Years: Burley trailers can be used from infancy to the toddler years: 1-6 months: Use the Baby Seat Insert or Baby Snuggler for strolling. 6-12 months: Transition to jogging or cross-country skiing with the Baby Snuggler. 12+ months: Expand to biking, jogging, strolling and skiing as the child continues to grow and enjoy more activities. Related Links Benefits of Biking as a Family My Biking Workbook Biking with Toddlers  Biking with Older Children