People just learning why Scandinavian parents leave babies outside – even when it's -25C
People are only just learning why Scandinavian parents often leave their babies outside in their prams for naptime, even during the winter months.
Cecilia Blomdahl is a well-known creator on TikTok, who rose to fame after sharing her life as a Swedish person living in Spitsbergen, the largest island in the northerly Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard. While her videos often show snippets of her everyday life, she often shares cultural differences that are normal in Scandinavia that might seem odd to the rest of the world.
One of her videos showed how babies across Scandinavia often have a daily nap in their prams outside – even in winter. "In Scandinavian homes and even in kindergartens, the kids actually sleep outside for nap times, in almost all kinds of weather," Cecelia said.
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"It is very common to have to supply your school with an extra outdoor sleeping pram for your child so they can take their daily nap outside in temperatures all the way down to -25 degrees." She went on to explain that the tradition of allowing children to nap outdoors is deeply rooted in culture, and even has some practical benefits.
"The practice is believed to have numerous benefits for children's health and well being," she explained. "The crisp fresh air of Nordic landscapes is thought to promote deeper and more restful sleep while exposure to natural light helps regular circadian rhythms, and enhancing overall sleep quality.
"This custom is also deeply rooted in the belief that fresh air and nature plays a crucial role in a child's development." There have been several studies done on the benefits of outdoor naps, with many finding that children took longer naps when left to sleep outside in cold temperatures, compared to indoors, according to the Finnish National Centre for Biotechnology Information.
But many studies also outline the importance of parents researching the practice before letting their child sleep outside, such as how to properly dress your child for an outdoor nap. They emphasised the importance of layers, saying babies should wear something thermal with an extra fleece or wool layer if it is extra chilly.
This should then be covered by a windproof fleece overall with a snowsuit before you lay your infant down in a sleep sack. A helmet hat, preferably a windproof one, should also be used to protect the baby's head and ears, as well as mittens and warm socks.
Parents are also advice to check the baby's temperature over the course of the nap to make sure they're not too hot or cold. An easy way to do this is to check their neck to make sure it's not cold or sweaty, and to read their body language, as crying can also indicate discomfort.
"So don't be shocked if you go to Scandinavia and see children just sleeping outside in their prams – it is perfectly normal to us," Cecilia said.
Despite the explanation, viewers weren't convinced that this was the best – or safest – practice for their babies, with many asking if frost bite was a risk. In response to this question, one person said: "No, they are sheltered from the wind and their faces are warm enough."
"The key word is wool and in multiple layers, and then I use a special outdoor sleep bag. And he [the baby] is nice and warm, me 3 months old daughter also sleep outside, in all kinds of weather," another parent said.
Another person asked: "How often do you hear of babies being kidnapped this way? Because in America that would be my one and only fear about leaving my child outside for any reason." But this person were quickly reassured, with many people saying that kidnapping is uncommon.
"Nordic countries are among the safest countries in the world there really isn't kidnappings, or if sometimes very rarely it's 99,8% sure it's a family member," another person said.
