A Swedish woman has left people in shock after revealing Scandinavian parents often leave their babies to nap outside, even in winter.
Cecilia Blomdahl, a popular TikTok creator who shares her life as a Swede living in the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard, creates videos highlighting cultural norms in Scandinavia that may seem strange to others. In one video, she explained that it’s common for children to take daily naps outside in their prams, regardless of the weather.
“In Scandinavian homes and even in kindergartens, the kids actually sleep outside for nap times, in almost all kinds of weather,” said Cecilia. “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 further explained that this tradition of letting children nap outdoors is deeply rooted in the culture and has 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 been done about the benefits of outdoor naps, including research from the Finnish National Centre for Biotechnology Information, which suggest children often take longer naps when sleeping outside in cooler temperatures than indoors.
However, these studies also highlight the need for parents to be well-informed about the practice before allowing their child to nap outdoors, such as understanding how to dress them appropriately. Experts stress the importance of layering, recommending thermal wear with an additional fleece or wool layer for extra cold days, followed by a windproof fleece overall and a snowsuit. A helmet hat, especially one that is windproof, should be worn to shield the baby’s head and ears, along with mittens and warm socks.
Parents are advised to monitor their baby’s temperature throughout the nap to ensure they are neither too hot nor too cold. Checking the baby’s neck for signs of being cold or sweaty, and watching for body language like crying, are recommended.
“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. Nevertheless, viewers remained sceptical about the safety of this method, questioning the risk of frostbite for babies left outside.
Responding to this concern, one individual argued: “No, they are sheltered from the wind and their faces are warm enough.” Another parent explained: “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 3 months old daughter also sleeps outside, in all kinds of weather,”
Another 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.” However, others quickly dismissed this fear, stating that kidnapping incidents are extremely rare.
They said: “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.”