How many times have you worried about your baby being wrapped up warm enough before a trip outside? And how many times have you denied your child some fresh air because you felt it was too cold?
Well in Scandinavia, cold air is considered good for children. So much so, that mothers leave their children outside to nap!
It is such a common practice that you will regularly see babies fast asleep in their strollers outside in freezing conditions. In the US and many other countries such a practice is considered dangerous, but in Sweden for example, even in major city centers like Stockholm, moms and dads take their babies out for walks in temperatures as low as 23 degrees Fahrenheit.
During nap time out and about, babies do not need to be taken into a dark quiet room – they are just left outside in the garden or on the balcony wrapped up warm in their strollers. In fact, Swedish mothers swear by the cold air as the best method for getting their babies to sleep, and to sleep for long.
Sixty-year-old grandmother Gunilla used the method on her own child who now uses it on her grandchild. She says, “It was important for her to get fresh air and stay healthy.” Gunilla also mentions that her husband’s mother did the same thing when raising her children.
Swedish daycare facilities also embrace this method and babies are put outside for their daily nap – until the child reaches around three years old.
In fact, if you are sending your children to a daycare in Stockholm you should know that your child will most likely be put outside to nap in their stroller. That’s how common this practice is. It usually continues until the child is about three.
Brittmarie Carlzon the head of a Stockholm daycare center says, “When the temperature drops to 5 ºF we always cover the prams with blankets. It’s not only the temperature that matters; it’s also how cold it feels.”
How would you feel about putting your baby to sleep in such cold temperatures? Would you try this yourselves?