Social and cultural factors shape babies' and toddlers' interactions with outdoor spacesAlthough children’s access to nature is widely recognized as a critical social equity concern, the very youngest children are largely excluded from such considerations. This systematic literature review aimed to deepen understanding of this under-researched issue by examining the marginalization of babies and toddlers from outdoor spaces and nature. Specifically, the review explored a range of socio-cultural factors that can influence both access to, and interactions within, outdoor spaces for babies and toddlers. The review not only considered physical access, but also how social, cultural and political norms can foster a sense of belonging or disconnection from outdoor and natural environments.
A search of several academic databases was conducted to identify published studies that investigated the experiences of babies and toddlers (birth to two years) in the outdoors and/or natural environments. Only studies published between 2002 and 2022 were considered for inclusion in the review. Based on these criteria, 41 studies were selected for analysis. The majority of studies were determined to be of medium or medium/high quality. The studies utilized a variety of methodological approaches and were conducted in 15 countries, mainly in the Global North. The studies were published between 2007 and 2022. Approximately half of the studies were focused on Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) settings. Findings across studies were thematically analyzed to explore the factors that mediate the outdoor experiences of babies and toddlers. Findings were considered through a “spatialities lens” that acknowledged the interdependencies between very young children, adults, and outdoor spaces. This analytical perspective provided “a powerful lens for revealing and resisting underlying social, cultural and political norms about the place of babies and toddlers in outdoor spaces within the published literature.”
Three types of outdoor spaces were identified as important for babies and toddlers: the home environment, community spaces (such as parks and playgrounds), and ECEC settings. Together, the studies indicate that outdoor features such as greenness, natural environments, and enclosed outdoor spaces support babies’ and toddlers’ holistic development, even before birth. Babies’ and toddlers’ outdoor experiences depend heavily on adults, who might include a parent, a family or community member, or an ECEC practitioner. For very young children, familiarity with outdoor spaces must be carefully supported through everyday practices such as getting dressed to go outside or participating in family and community life. The review indicates that “both who the adult is (social characteristics) and what they do (cultural values and practices)” act as key mediating factors in the outdoor experiences of very young children. Family social characteristics, including socio-economic status, class, ethnicity, and disability, influence access to outdoor spaces that are beneficial for babies’ and toddlers’ development. For instance, disadvantaged families generally have reduced access to high-quality parks and playgrounds. Social participation barriers can also influence outdoor experiences in community spaces, particularly for families with a very young child with a disability.
The body of research also “positions the outdoors as a space in which adults (both parents and practitioners) pass on values through their everyday care-giving practices that either support or limit social, cultural and environmental connections from birth.” Everyday care routines, such as an adult helping a child dress to go outside, can transmit cultural values about the outdoors. Cultural practices, such as outdoor sleeping or mothers carrying infants on their backs while doing chores, reveal values that perceive “humans as fundamentally interdependent with each other and the natural world.” On the other hand, research from the Global North has shown that adults sometimes perceive natural elements as unsafe for babies and toddlers. Such research “suggests that adults can play a critical role in limiting the experiences of babies and toddlers outdoors both directly through their behaviors (removing access) and indirectly (transmitting values and beliefs).” It is therefore important that adults role-model safe engagement with nature. Additionally, studies also raise concerns about parents’ increasing phone use and how screen-focused behaviors may impede their ability to facilitate very young children’s engagement with nature.
The review deepens understanding of the social and cultural factors that influence babies' and toddlers' access to and interactions with outdoor spaces. These factors can foster or inhibit young children's sense of belonging in the outdoors and in nature. Viewed through a spatialities lens, the outdoors is a “socially stratified space in which socio-economic status, class, ethnicity, and (dis)ability intersect in ways that can either include or marginalize even from before birth.” As such, outdoor spaces commonly reinforce social and environmental injustices. However, the researchers contend that ECEC settings can be sites of resistance “where dominant discourses of power about who belongs outdoors can be challenged.” By adopting inclusive outdoor practices for babies, toddlers, and their families, ECEC settings can disrupt the power relations that marginalize the youngest children from the outdoors.
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