A couple of years ago, I read an article about how Nordic parents have their children nap outside {in their strollers} in the dead of winter. It has stuck with me this entire time, so I thought it was high time that I go ahead and share it with all of you :).
The article explained how parents in Sweden line their “prams,” fully loaded with a sleeping baby, outside of a coffee shop and head inside to have a cup. They believe they are doing the baby a service by providing exposure to fresh air. If you were to walk by a daycare in Stockholm in the dead of winter during nap time, you would see a line of strollers outside full of sleeping children. They believe that exposing them to the elements, and keeping them aired out {rather than several children sleeping in one room} actually makes them healthier. {I should probably also mention that the kids are bundled up substantially. The weather is cold–they are not.}
This is nothing new–the Nordic people have been doing this for generations. It was even quite fashionable in London in the 1930’s as well. Remember the baby cages post from last year? I think there is probably something to children being healthier when they have regular outdoor time, instead of being cooped up in the house all winter with germs and poor circulation. I mean, at the very least, we have to activate that brown fat, right?
The article made me think about how differently things are handled here in the U.S. If a parent left their child out in a stroller and headed into a coffee shop, someone would call the police. People would shout “neglect!” It would be a debacle for sure, and probably make the evening news. Societal norms really are all about perspective, eh?
What do you think, should we be finding ways to expose our babies to the elements a little more frequently?
~Mavis
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Word of the Day: Stentorian Definition: Extremely loud Used in a sentence: The sergeant’s stentorian command was readily heard by all.
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Sugar in the raw.
If only I cared about my nails.
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