People are just starting to learn why Scandinavian parents often leave their babies outside in prams for naps, even in the winter months.
Cecilia Blomdahl, a popular TikTok creator, has gained fame by sharing her life as a Swedish person living in Spitsbergen, the largest island in Norway’s Svalbard archipelago, SurreyLive reports.
While her videos showcase snippets of daily life, she also highlights cultural differences that are common in Scandinavia but may seem unusual to the rest of the world.
In one of her videos, Cecilia highlighted how babies across Scandinavia often take their daily naps in prams outside – even during the winter months.
“In Scandinavian homes and even in kindergartens, the kids actually sleep outside for nap times, in almost all kinds of weather,” Cecelia said.
“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 letting children nap outdoors is deeply ingrained in Scandinavian culture and even offers 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.”
Several studies have explored the benefits of outdoor naps, with many finding that children tend to nap longer when sleeping outside in cold temperatures, compared to indoors, according to the Finnish National Centre for Biotechnology Information.
Many studies also stress the importance of parents doing their research before letting their child sleep outside, particularly on how to dress them properly for an outdoor nap.
Experts recommend layering, with babies wearing thermal clothing and an extra fleece or wool layer if it’s especially cold.
A windproof fleece overall should be added, followed by a snowsuit, before placing the baby in a sleep sack. To protect the head and ears, a windproof helmet hat is advised, along with mittens and warm socks for added warmth.
Parents are advised to monitor their baby’s temperature throughout the nap to ensure they’re not too hot or cold. A simple way to do this is by checking the baby’s neck for any coldness or sweat.
Additionally, paying attention to their body language is key, crying may also signal 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, many viewers remained skeptical, questioning whether this was the safest choice for babies and raising concerns about the risk of frostbite.
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, my three 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 percent sure it’s a family member,” another person said.
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