This was what I said to my sister before my second child was born.
Back in 2019, when my eldest daughter was about one and we went to the beach, she would wear those +50 suits or t-shirts and I was pretty happy about it as I thought that I was doing the best choice for her. After all, children should be exposed to a variety of sensations, right?
Obviously, she wouldn’t be in the water for long before she started chattering her teeth and water play would be over.
When my youngest daughter was born, I stayed true to my principles: “No, I’m not going to put her in a thermal suit, she needs to experience things.”
When we went back to the beach, ten minutes after getting into the water, the youngest started to get purple lips and shiver. Obviously, it was completely impossible to get the older one out of the water, and to be honest, it didn’t feel very fair either. Then, of course, the youngest wanted to do what her sister was doing.
I had to take her in and out of the water all afternoon, trying to keep her from freezing!
The next day, surprise, surprise… I went straight to a sports store and bought the thermal jumpsuit!
Best decision ever.
Because cold is part of how we come to understand the world. Feeling, exploring, discovering… all of it matters.
This happens often in everyday life. We hold on to an idea because it makes sense in theory:
And all of that can be valid. But here is the point that makes the difference:
When we value the intentionality behind what we offer, we understand that exposing children to everything, all at once, can be counterproductive. In this situation, prolonged exposure to the cold was preventing my daughter from experiencing the joy of being in the water. And when there is prolonged discomfort, there is little availability to explore. Research shows that without well-being, learning is unlikely to happen.
Without adjusting to the child’s moment, even good intentions lose their impact.
I still believe that a variety of experiences is important, and feeling and discovering the cold is part of that, but at the right time.
Tomorrow I’ll get a bucket of ice and let her play with it!
If you’d like to deepen this perspective and apply it to your daily life with more clarity and confidence, you can find more information here:
And over there? How do you dress your children for the beach?
