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Where babies are left to nap outdoors in sub-zero temperatures

11.1.2024

Translation: Jessica Johnson-Ferguson

Would you put your little one outdoors for a nap in these current temperatures? For many Scandinavian parents, this is common practice – even in temperatures well below freezing. Find out why that’s a good thing. And where the limit is.

It’s cold out and not about to change anytime soon. Plus we’ve been experiencing the wind chill effect in Switzerland, which makes temperatures feel colder than they actually are.

«Oh, cry me a river» is probably what people in Nordic countries are thinking given our complaining about the cold. After all, parts of Sweden and Finland recently faced temperatures as low as minus 40 degrees Celsius. But in temperatures like the ones we’re currently experiencing, Scandinavians are known to leave their kids outdoors for a nap.

Fresh air promotes sleep

Pushchairs parked in front of cafés, shops or on balconies are a common sight in the cities of Northern Europe. And ever since an Australian tourist went viral with his Tiktok video on the practice over a year ago, it’s been the topic of regular discussion on social media. The reactions range from alarmed to astonished to approving – «This breaks my heart», «I can’t believe this», «These are the best naps».

Australian Olly Bowman can't believe all the parked pushchairs in Norway.

His Tiktok clip went viral in spring 2023. — Australian Olly Bowman can't believe all the parked pushchairs in Norway.

Parents from up north are certain that the fresh air has a positive effect on children’s sleep and immune systems. The practice was even scientifically examined back in 2011. Health scientist Marjo Tourula from the University of Oulu in Finland focused on Northern Finland, where the majority of parents who took part in the study stated multiple benefits for their children who sleep outside. For example, that they have stronger immune systems, fall asleep more quickly and sleep more peacefully and for longer periods of time. Furthermore, they reported that their kids’ indoor naps usually lasted between one and two hours and outdoor naps between one and a half and three hours.

One important factor in all of this was warm clothing. «Probably the restriction of movements by clothing could increase the length of sleep,» scientist Tourula was quoted on BBC.com. «And a cold environment makes swaddling possible without overheating.» Swaddling is a tried-and-tested wrapping technique in which the baby is wrapped tightly in a piece of cloth and the limited freedom of movement is reminiscent of being in the womb.

Ingenious and healthy, or risky and dangerous?

Nordic nap traditions hotly debated on social media. — Ingenious and healthy, or risky and dangerous?

How low can you go?

Marjo Tourula’s research also revealed that the ideal temperature for an outdoor nap is –5 degrees Celsius. If temperatures drop below that, parents usually either stop with the outdoor naps or cut them short. Having said that, the scientist also spoke to parents who leave their children outside even at minus 30 degrees.

The BBC reported on a preschool in greater Stockholm that lets children up to three sleep outdoors – even at temperatures of around minus 15 degrees. «When the temperature drops to –15C, we always cover the prams with blankets. It’s not only the temperature that matters, it’s also how cold it feels.» At minus 20 degrees – or temperatures that feel that cold – the pushchairs are brought inside.

However, Danish experts in the field and the Danish Health Authority advise (article in Danish) bringing sleeping children indoors when temperatures drop lower than 10 degrees. It’s also to park the pushchair in a spot that’s protected from the wind. In very low temperatures, it should also be additionally insulated with newspaper, for example.

A cultural question

Apart from the freezing temperatures, the fact that the children are left outdoors alone caused quite a stir on social media. The case of Anette Sørensen from 1997 displays just how greatly local customs can differ. The Danish actress, who was 30 years old at the time, was jailed in New York, where she was living, for leaving her one-year-old daughter asleep outside a restaurant. She testified that she had been sitting at the window and was keeping an eye on her daughter. However, guests at the restaurant reported that the child was crying and the mother had turned down a waiter’s suggestions to bring the baby inside.

20 years later, Sørensen reflected on those events in a book, in which she highlights the cultural differences. One of them being that deep basic trust is an essential part of the Danish parenting style. Which is unlike the USA, where fear for your children is the dominant feeling.

In her dissertation on the Northern European nap tradition, health scientist Marjo Tourula also examined this safety aspect. And came to the following relief-inducing conclusion: the children in question are usually under continuous surveillance – either through a window or via baby monitors.

In a Tiktok video viewed millions of times, an American mother of four based in Denmark also points out the importance of keeping a watchful eye on your stroller or installing a baby monitor in it. She adds that there’s simply no fear of kidnapping in Denmark.

Perfect weather for a test run

But back to the initial question. Would you leave your child outside for a nap in the current temperatures? You might do now, right? If you want to try it out, the weather over the next few days will be perfect for outdoor napping: temperatures around zero, sunshine and hardly any wind.

Would you leave your baby outdoors in the freezing cold for a nap?

Absolutely!
39%
Only with a baby monitor in the pushchair.
16%
Only if I were also outdoors and close-by.
35%
Absolutely not.
10%

The competition has ended.

Header image: Shutterstock/Popova Valeriya

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Katja Fischer

Senior Editor

Katja.Fischer@digitecgalaxus.ch

Mom of Anna and Elsa, aperitif expert, group fitness fanatic, aspiring dancer and gossip lover. Often a multitasker and a person who wants it all, sometimes a chocolate chef and queen of the couch.

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