Nothing is more fulfilling for a new parent than new experiences with his or her baby, and an outing to a park or the backyard can be both simple and a wonderful experience, as you enjoy bonding time outside with your baby, fresh air and all. My friend recently had the cutest baby, and for the past six months, she's been worried sick about taking her little one out for walks. With disease outbreaks and flu season hitting hard, she constantly questions the right timing.

We have all tried to reassure her, but it has been a tough decision for her. But as a new parent, you might wonder when it's safe to take your newborn outside. Let's explore the right timing, precautions, and benefits of venturing outdoors with your little one.

When Can You Take Your Newborn Outside?

There are no universal rules about when to take a newborn outside. Healthy, full-term babies can enjoy a walk in the pleasant weather from the very first weeks of life. However, some pediatricians advise against taking your baby to crowded public places, such as malls or theaters, for at least a couple of months, to protect your baby's developing immune system. Premature babies or those with compromised immunity might have to stay indoors longer.

Consult your pediatrician for personalized advice. Quiet, open areas in parks or gardens would be a good starting point for your baby's first visits outside. Using a stroller or baby carrier can make it comfortable for you both. And remember to wash your hands frequently, as well as those handling your baby, and be super cautious if there is a high incidence of respiratory infections like COVID-19, flu, or RSV in your community. This could include limiting the exposure of your baby to people and asking visitors to wear masks when necessary.

How To Protect Your Baby In Different Seasons?

Season and weather both play important roles in determining the right time and place to take your newborn outside. Here's how to approach different seasons with your baby:

Winter

For a baby, cool air is a true breath of fresh air for areas with mild winters. Dress your baby in many layers: a long-sleeved shirt, pants, sweater, and a hat. Try to stay indoors during extremely cold weather for newborns as they are susceptible to hypothermia. If it freezes outside, you should keep the visits short and aim at the 'cozy' list.

Spring

Newborn outings are very well suitable for spring since the season broadly enjoys a warm temperature. Even so, spring weather can be unpredictable and hots up during the day but drops by chilly winds at night. Weather conditions should always be checked beforehand. For instance, a light jacket and a blanket may make your baby cozy while temperatures surge.

Also Read: Is There A Right Way To Bottle Feed Your Baby?

Summer

Hot summer days require special precautions. Avoid venturing out during peak heat hours and opt for early morning or late evening outings when the temperature is cooler. Keep your baby shaded from the sun using a wide-brimmed hat or a stroller canopy. Sunscreen is not recommended for babies under six months, so protective clothing and shade are crucial. Consider consulting a dermatologist for baby-safe sun protection products.

Fall

Fall allows babies to go outside during a colorful and cool atmosphere of weather as summer is transitioning into winter. Baby clothes should be layered as they might feel the fluctuation in temperature; carry a blanket to snuggle up your little ones. The gentle falls can be perfect for your time outdoors with your family.

Why Take Your Newborn Outside?

Stepping outside is not just good for you; it is a boon for the physical and sensory development of your baby. Sunlight helps regulate his sleep-wake cycle, and fresh air helps break down stress, which leads to mood swings and lack of energy. Outdoor time also brings out the senses in your baby-squeaky noises of leaves, warm sunbeams on the skin, and many more. For parents, it is a chance to wind down, stretch out a bit, and connect with nature, spending some quality time bonding with the little tiny baby.

Protecting Your Baby from Seasonal and Environmental Hazards

While outdoor activities are great fun, safety should always come first. Here are some essential tips to reduce risks:

Temperature Control: Babies cannot control their body temperature as well as adults. Monitor for signs of overheating, such as flushed skin or irritability, and signs of being too cold, such as shivering or pale hands and feet. Dress in layers.

Sun Protection: Keep your baby out of direct sunlight. Babies older than six months can use sunscreen, but younger infants should rely on protective clothing and shade.

Insect Avoidance: Avoid insect-prone areas and consult your pediatrician about safe repellents for babies two months or older.

Germ Control: While going out in public, keep your baby away from crowds and prevent strangers from touching your baby. Ask the visitors to wash their hands before they touch your baby.

How to Prepare for Your Baby's First Outing

Preparation is key to ensuring a smooth and enjoyable outing with your newborn. Pack a diaper bag with essentials such as diapers, wipes, feeding supplies, an extra outfit, and weather-appropriate accessories. If you’re planning to breastfeed or bottle-feed outdoors, scout locations with comfortable seating and privacy.

The right location becomes important too. Start with quiet, low-traffic areas in order not to overstimulate your baby. Gradually introduce him or her to busier environments as they grow older and become accustomed to the world around them.

The time your baby spends outdoors needs to be as consistent as possible. Little excursions regularly help your baby to get used to different surroundings and schedule a routine for him or her. Gradually, these little outings can become doorways to further longer adventures and fun family excursions.

Getting your newborn out into the outdoors is a pleasure that brings a great deal of satisfaction to the parent and the baby.

Bring your baby outside at the right time, the right place, and with the right precautions. Consult your pediatrician for a more personalized approach to the whole process. Trust your instincts as you begin this incredible journey with your baby. You never know when that park stroll or a quick visit to a nearby garden will turn out to be a timeless experience as you create an emotional bond with your little angel.

Disclaimer: This article is for information purpose only, do not substitute for medical advise. Consult a healthcare professional for personalised health advice.

Labor Analgesia as a Predictor for Reduced Postpartum Depression Scores: A Retrospective Observational Study. Anesth Analg. 2018

Human labour pain is influenced by the voltage-gated potassium channel Kv6.4 subunit. Cell Reports. 2020

As summers are here and so are the pool sessions, an Instagram post is making rounds on the social media platform by Ilia Ototiuk, who calls himself an ambassador of discipline, mental and physical wellbeing. The post lists down the reason why kids get sick after a swimming session. The post mentions that the reason is not water, but something else. Health And Me decided to fact check each claim made on the post, and here is what we found.

Claim #1: “The problem isn’t cold water or swallowing pool water.”

Fact Check

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), swallowing or inhaling contaminated pool water can absolutely cause illness. particularly gastrointestinal infections like diarrhea. Germs such as Cryptosporidium can survive for over a week in properly treated pools. While temperature itself doesn’t directly cause colds, swallowing pool water can spread pathogens.

Also Read: India Sees Rising Death Risk From Chronic Diseases While Other Countries Report Decline, Finds Lancet Study

Verdict: Cold water alone won’t give a child a cold, but contaminated water can cause infections.

Claim #2: “The real immune crash happens right after getting out. The body is warm, skin is wet...”

Fact Check

The claim that wet skin and drafts cause an “immune system shutdown” isn’t supported by medical evidence. What actually happens is explained by US Masters Swimming: sudden exposure to cold water can trigger cold water shock, affecting heart rate, breathing, and circulation. Extended exposure can lead to hypothermia or afterdrop (continued cooling even after leaving the water).

Verdict: The body does not “shut down immunity.” Instead, risks are linked to cold-water shock and hypothermia, especially if kids don’t warm up quickly after swimming.

Claim #3: “Sitting around in wet swimsuits for 5–10 minutes makes the body vulnerable.”

Fact Check

As per Texas A&M Health and the Mayo Clinic, sitting in wet swimsuits doesn’t cause colds, but it can cause fungal infections (like yeast infections or jock itch) and skin irritation from chafing. Prolonged dampness makes an ideal environment for fungi and bacteria.

Verdict: The real risk is fungal or bacterial skin infections, not colds. Parents should change kids into dry clothes quickly after swimming.

Claim #4: “Not drying hair causes sinus overload and colds.”

Fact Check

The Cleveland Clinic explains that wet hair itself does not cause colds. Viruses such as rhinovirus are the culprits, not damp scalps. While cold environments may help viruses spread more easily, wet hair is not a direct cause of runny noses, sore throats, or fevers.

Verdict: Leaving hair wet or letting it "air dry" won’t cause colds. However, drying kids’ hair after swimming can help them stay comfortable and prevent feeling chilled.

Claim #5: “Skipping post-swim snacks weakens immunity.”

Fact Check

According to the BBC 2023 report, post-exercise nutrition is important, especially within 30–60 minutes after swimming. The body needs carbohydrates to replenish glycogen and protein to repair muscles. Skipping food doesn’t directly cause infections, but poor recovery can increase fatigue and stress, making the body less resilient.

Verdict: It’s true that kids should eat a balanced snack after swimming, ideally carbs + protein, but saying “immunity weakens” without food is an exaggeration.

"I may or may not burst some bubbles with this comment, but what if I told you that your pelvis was in fact not too small and or that your baby's head was in fact not too big?" says Amber Grimmett, a US-based Pregnancy and

Postpartum Coach. In her post, she also writes that the position most women give birth in, also called the lithotomy position or lying on your back is "against your body's natural birth mechanics". In a video she posted on her Instagram @fierce.not.fragile, she talks about pelvis and baby's head size, explaining how the birthing position that has been made standard may not be right.

She says that when the mother lies flat on her back with knees wide, her tailbone cannot move freely and the pelvic outlet, the space baby needs to exit, "literally closes off".

This, she says, creates a domino effect. Then comes longer labors, more interventions, and higher risk of pelvic floor dysfunction. "Your body was designed to birth, but not in positions that fight against its natural design," she writes.

What Does Science say?

We did a fact check on her claim and here's what we found.

For most women in the United States today, giving birth means lying on a bed, feet in stirrups, and being told when and how to push. But mounting research, including a 2014 study published in The Journal of Perinatal Education, titled, 'Healthy Birth Practice #5: Avoid Giving Birth on Your Back and Follow Your Body’s Urge to Push' suggests this common practice, known as the supine or lithotomy position—might not actually be the safest or most effective way to bring a baby into the world.

How Birth Ended Up on Its Back

For centuries, women birthed in positions that worked with gravity, standing, squatting, sitting, or even using stools or ropes for leverage. These upright positions made physiological sense: gravity helped the baby descend, shortened labor, and reduced maternal fatigue.

Then came King Louis XIV of France. Fascinated by childbirth, he reportedly preferred to watch his mistresses deliver, and lying flat gave him the best view. The practice caught on among European aristocracy and eventually spread widely.

By the early 1900s, births had largely moved from homes to hospitals. Doctors saw childbirth less as a natural process and more as a medical procedure. Putting women on their backs gave physicians easier access for interventions such as forceps delivery, anesthesia, and continuous fetal monitoring. Convenience for the doctor—not necessarily benefit for the mother or baby, became the standard.

The Problem with the Supine Position

Research over the past three decades has consistently shown that giving birth lying flat has no clear benefits for either mother or baby. In fact, there are multiple disadvantages:

• Longer Labor: When women lie flat, the baby must work against gravity, which can slow descent.
• Narrower Pelvis: The supine position can actually reduce pelvic diameter, making delivery more difficult.
• Increased Risk of Interventions: Supine births are linked with more use of forceps, vacuum deliveries, and episiotomies.
• Reduced Blood Flow: Lying on the back can compress major blood vessels behind the uterus, reducing blood flow to the baby.
• More Perineal Trauma: Directed, forceful pushing while on the back is associated with more tears and a weakened pelvic floor, raising the risk of urinary incontinence later.

Despite this, U.S. survey data shows that nearly 70% of births still happen in supine or lithotomy positions, with fewer than 10% of women using traditional squatting, standing, or side-lying positions.

The Case for Upright and Spontaneous Pushing

Standing, kneeling, and squatting use gravity to help the baby descend and can even widen the pelvic outlet, giving more room for delivery. Even side-lying, which is gravity-neutral, has been shown to reduce perineal tearing.

Equally important is how women push. Many hospitals still direct women to push forcefully for long periods, holding their breath. But evidence shows that spontaneous, self-directed pushing—where the woman follows her own urge, improves oxygenation, reduces maternal stress, and lowers the risk of fetal distress.

In fact, research has found that directed pushing only shortens labor by about 13 minutes on average, a difference not considered clinically significant but one that may come at the cost of pelvic floor damage.

Rethinking Hospital Policies

Some hospitals have strict time limits on how long the second stage of labor (pushing phase) can last before recommending interventions such as a C-section, even if there are no signs of danger for mother or baby. Recent guidelines from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) now acknowledge that the second stage can safely last much longer, up to five hours for first-time mothers with an epidural.

However, there is little emphasis on letting women move freely, change positions, or delay pushing until their natural urge returns. This gap between research and practice persists, though midwives and doulas are often more supportive of these evidence-based approaches.

Getting children to be active and socialize is a big part of parenting. Even kids, no matter how energetic they are, like lazing around and relaxing. However, this habit can catch on quick, but they are not entirely at fault for it.

A new study has found a strong connection between what parents do and how active their kids are. It turns out that children are more likely to be "couch potatoes" or full of energy based on what they see their moms and dads doing every day.

In a study published in the journal Sports Medicine and Health Science. Researchers showed that when parents have an active routine, their children are less likely to sit still for long periods. The study followed 182 kids and their parents for a week and found that children of inactive parents were more sedentary, while those with active parents were more active themselves.

Do Mothers Influence Their Kids More Than Fathers?

Interestingly, the study discovered that mothers have more than twice the influence of fathers on their children's physical activity. This finding held true even when the researchers considered other things like the family’s income or the child’s age. The experts believe that active parents not only know how important exercise is but also actively encourage their kids. They might be more likely to limit screen time and support activity by taking their children to the park, buying sports equipment, or setting up games in the backyard.

How Can We Encourage Kids to Be More Active?

While a lack of time or safe places to play can make it hard for kids to be active, this study highlights how important a parent's example is. The results suggest that by promoting active habits within families, we can improve the health of the next generation. The researchers believe these findings can be used to create public campaigns and policies that encourage families to live a more active lifestyle together.

How Can Lack Of Activity in Children Affect Their Health?

According to the American Heart Association, physical activity is vital for everyone, but it’s especially important for helping children grow into healthy adults. They suggests that kids and teens (ages 6–17) should get at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity every day. In a world full of digital distractions, it can be a challenge to get kids moving, but teaching them healthy habits now can set them up for a lifetime of well-being.

Kids are naturally active, but they often become less so as they get older, especially girls. If your child's interests change, that's okay—the key is to help them find a new activity they enjoy.

• Be active yourself and find ways to get the whole family moving together.
• Encourage your kids to choose activities they genuinely like. Don't use physical activity as a form of punishment.
• Reduce the amount of time they spend on devices, watching TV, or playing video games.
• Give them toys and equipment like bikes, skateboards, and balls.
• Encourage them to join sports or other activities like dance or swimming. Explore local parks, pools, and bike paths.
• If your child is currently inactive, begin with small, gradual steps to avoid injury or discouragement.
• Reward and encourage your kids for their efforts to help them stay motivated.