In Denmark, Finland, or any other Nordic nation, seeing a newborn napping alone outside in icy weather isn’t usually reason for alarm. In these areas, parents frequently set their kids down for naps outside since exposure to fresh air may help babies sleep better.
When Danish musician Amalie Bruun shared a picture on Instagram of her and Otto, their 4-month-old baby, enjoying their garden, the internet started to discuss the subject. Otto appeared to be awake in the photo, but according to Bruun, her kid “sleeps outside most of the time.”
The lowest average temperature in Denmark is 37 degrees Fahrenheit in January, which is also the iciest month of the year. Parents will put their infants down for a sleep outside when the weather drops to -16 degrees Fahrenheit in Finland, where the practise is equally prevalent.
Following Bruun’s Instagram picture, several Nordic parents commented to say that they also let their children snooze outside and to explain why.
According to Katie Palmer, a sleep specialist based in London, babies who nap outside may sleep longer, experience better sleep quality, and come into contact with fewer pathogens than babies who nap indoors.
However, the practise is not without dangers. While spending the winter months outside sleeping, a newborn could experience hypothermia. There is a chance of acquiring a sunburn and being heat-exhausted throughout the summer. There are worries about kidnappings and exposure to air pollution in cities at any time of year.
Nordic parents frequently leave their sleeping infant outside while they visit a restaurant or perform errands.
Parents in the Nordic region tend to be more trusting than American parents and may not hesitate to leave a sleeping infant outside in a pram while they go have a drink or something to eat. Many parents believe that leaving a newborn alone outside is preferable to taking them somewhere noisy where they might be startled.
However, some sleep specialists contend that a newborn should never be allowed to sleep alone, whether inside or outside.
Dr. Jennifer Shu, an Atlanta-based paediatrician, told Insider that her main issue is oversight. She explained that if parents are not immediately nearby, they won’t be aware, for instance, if a newborn has stopped breathing.
Parents will wrap their infants in a sleeping bag or carry a thermometer in the pram out of precaution.
Many precautions are usually taken by parents who put their infants to sleep outside to ensure their safety.
According to Shu, some parents employ strollers with locking wheels and wedges to stop the carriage from moving. A Finnish mother who left a comment on Bruun’s Instagram post mentioned that she keeps a thermometer in her child’s pram so she can keep an eye on the weather.
According to Shu, some parents may even go as far as to install a video monitor to the pram so they can watch the child from a distance. According to Shu, parents may also use insulated strollers, wrap their infants in sleeping bags, and dress them in wool clothing.
In Denmark, nursery facilities frequently designate a specific outside space for naps.
Shu explained to Insider why parents in Nordic nations let their kids take naps outside: “It’s their custom.” “They appear to be ready.”
Children are encouraged to spend as much time outside as possible in Nordic culture.
The proverb “There’s no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing” is frequently used by parents in Nordic nations to emphasise the importance of maximising a child’s time spent outside, Shu observed.
That way of thinking says that kids and newborns can go outside at any time of year as long as they’re dressed appropriately. Educators in Sweden and Denmark also include that idea into their instruction. There, the forest school model—which encourages using nature as a classroom—is adopted by many of the schools.
The Nordic countries have very different sleep and play customs than the US. There is pressure on American parents to put their children to sleep on a hard, level surface at the same time every day and to follow the guidelines established by the American Academy of Paediatrics.
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Anette Srensen, a Danish mother, was detained in New York City for leaving her infant to snooze outside a restaurant, according to the Guardian, and that cultural conflict reached a boiling point in that well-known 1997 case. According to the New York Post, Srensen was charged with child endangerment and incarcerated for 36 hours.
Parents claim they want to see standards for sleep in the US relax. In a comment on Bruun’s post, an American mother lamented how parents in her country are “so uptight” about how their children sleep and expressed her wish that taking naps outside were more common.
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