Nordic napping

[suedehead]

So, I spotted this one this morning:
www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-21537988

Whilst at first you may think 'blimey', I can actually see the logic! Anyone tried this? Do you reckon it leads to healthier children?

Are we all just paranoid about someone nicking our babies...!?

[Thumbwitch]

I wouldn't leave him outside a coffee shop, no - but I would leave him outside to nap in a back garden. My mum used to put me outside in the back garden for naps in my pram, all cosied up with a pram quilt.

Admittedly, I don't leave DS2 outside to nap here but that's because I don't have adequate mosquito protection for him and he'd be bitten to bits if I tried it (and it's not cold because it's Australia and this is summer). I really should get him a mosquito net tent, and then I could put him in that. When it gets cooler, that is (bastards never seem to die off! They're all year round where we live.)

[honeytea]

I have found that in Sweden you can buy really cheap outdoor clothing from 2nd hand shops, I started the winter with nice posh polarn och pyret winter clothes for DS but because he has grown so fast is a hulking viking baby he has grown out of his nice winter clothes already. I went to the 2nd hand shop and bought 2 snow suits for a pound each, they are size 6-9 months but look unused as I guess the previous owner just lay in their pram wearing them.

[StillStuck]

I did this, I guess. I thought it was pretty normal tbh until MIL came round and was shocked by it. DS would only settle to sleep in his pram, even when tiny, and I figured when he was all bundled up warm for me to walk him to sleep it actually made more sense to leave him outside if he was still asleep when we got back rather than bring him in and try and remove blankets / coats/ hats without waking him. we have very private and enclosed back garden and I would always be working / sorting things /mumsnettting/ by the big windows that looked out on him.

have always wondered why he doesn't get many illnesses, but doubt this is the reason really...

[babyboomersrock]

"mine always sleep on me-or dh or someone-til they are about 2,i wouldnt put them down to nap on their own inside"

I guess your babies don't have two-hour naps then? Or you'd get nothing else done?

Of course when mine were very new, they'd nod off after - or during - breastfeeding, and I'd often lie there cudding them until they woke. But lying down for hours isn't an option when you have several children - I did have mine in slings around the house as well, but they slept much better outside once they were past the newborn stage.

I was lucky that mine were all summer babies, so quite robust by the time winter arrived.

[shechameleon]

I left my two in the garden to sleep, never really thought twice about it, its what everyone round about here (Scottish) does. One a November baby and one September - they always slept for longer outside ;)
Also they were in a big silver cross pram so when they woke up you could see the pram move and go and get them, usually before they had even made a sound.

[Meglet]

Both of my Polish neighbours do this. I heard the odd grizzle when one of the babies was small and wondered where it was coming from before I realised they were napping outside.

[cory]

like honeytea said, second hand shops are a boon

that used to be the first thing I did every time I went home for Christmas, head straight down to the Salvation Army store for some proper winter gear

[smellysocksandchickenpox]

I would do this if I had the right outside space. I have english family who do. Not outside coffee shops in the UK though, too many dangerous breed/ non worked working breed dogs in towns here IMO (dogs in areas where they are actually worked dont tend to bother me)

[JenaiMorris]

Not so much the sub-zero temps bit but the leaving outside; everyone left their babies outside shops until the early 90s. A few high-profile baby snatchings put paid to that.

That photo pf the prams outside the care would have been commonplace here (had we had decent caffs in 1989 )

[AmberSocks]

babyboomer yes they do,i dont mind sitting there for a couple of hours though,in fact it gives me a good excuse to have a rest!i have 4 under 5 by the way!

I only disturb them if i have to go out ad get the older ones from somewhere,older kids also happy to play in the garde,watch tv,be read a story or play between themselves,so its no bother really.

[TheCatInTheHairnet]

Amber, you have 4 under 5 and you have time to sit down for two hours straight?!!! Wow! Mine would have murdered each other if I'd sat for two hours when DC4 was born!!

I let mine sleep outside too. DH is Scandinavian, so his mum would bring me a whole pile of winter clothes to keep them wrapped up.

[babyboomersrock]

Amber, so you'd leave the older ones to play unsupervised in the garden? I'd find that more worrying (for me) than leaving a baby safely in a pram, in full view. I'm also not keen on television for little ones so that wouldn't have worked for mine.

I don't see how anyone can just sit for two hours with other young children around - and mine were also happy to play together for reasonable periods. What if one of the others needs the potty/loo/feeding? Two hours is a long time to wait.

We're all different though. I liked to get on with the boring stuff (cleaning/washing/cooking/baking) while the baby slept outside (safely, in view). I am not claiming that I never took my eyes off the baby's face - I also had to put toddlers on potties - but I would be watchful and aware.

When he/she woke up, we were free to go out walking or go to the park or whatever.

[AmberSocks]

no we have big patio doors in our lounge looking on to the garden,i can see them at all times.

I dunno,i did say i wasnt saying anyone else should do it,its just what works for me,if my kids want me they come and see me,they all go to the toilet themselves without any trouble,and they rarely argue,so its fine.

Im not mad o housework as you probably guessed,i just do the important stuff like laundry,loading unloadig dishwasher,run the hoover round every day,i just keep the house running during the week if theres anything mega that needs doing dh or i do it at the weekend we we are both there.

[smellysocksandchickenpox]

DS is napping on me, doesn't mean that DD is "unsupervised"

[Missgiraffe1]

Yep, another Scottish one here & 9month old DS is currently napping in his pram in the back garden. I like to be able to see & hear him, so I sit in the kitchen & he is visible outside on the patio.
This is also the only time I ever get to sit down &relax with a cup of coffee, so everyone's a winner

[Kiwiinkits]

Can someone enlighten me about WTF a cat would do to a baby left sleeping outside!? A fox I can understand, but a CAT!? Paranoid much....?

[Kiwiinkits]

As for having a baby sleep on you for a two hour stretch...... baaah haaaa haaaa haaaa hhaa haaa haa My toddler would never in a million years let that happen! (and doesn't the baby get terrible quality, disturbed sleep?)

[stargirl1701]

I got flamed on MN when I asked about buying the Winter Kit for my pram so I could do this.

[Want2bSupermum]

DH is Danish and my MIL is dead set against DD being outdoors and she is 18 months. Here in the US it is cold but the air is dry so, as long as it isn't windy, it doesn't feel as cold as it is. I will have a baby in my arms by Monday pm and he will be wrapped up outside for fresh air once I have recovered from the birth. The outdoor thermometer is telling me it is 28F right now which is -2C (it is midday here).

[AmberSocks]

kiwi no,in fact because they get used to not being in a darkened room in total silence,they can sleep soundly anywhere which is very handy :-)

[AmberSocks]

some people say cats are attracted to the milky smell of babies and can suffocate them,im not sure i believe it though.

[babyboomersrock]

Our garden wasn't all visible from the house, so that makes a difference. Not boasting - the actual house was an ancient wreck, but all the village gardens were big. Toddlers would have disappeared behind hedges and trees!

I don't know if your comment was aimed at me, smellysocks, but of course you can supervise another child while you feed or hold one. I just couldn't see how a parent could leave several under-fives alone in the garden for an hour or two while the parent was sitting indoors with the baby.

I guess the other thing is that actual housework has changed. We had twin tub machines which needed constant attention, terry nappies, no dryers. Oh, and no dishwashers. Housework took a lot longer back then!

[AmberSocks]

Lol if our garden had any way of escaping,trust me,my older 3 would of found it and be half way to the beach by now!

i use reusable nappies and wipes but i just chuck them in to wash before bed and hang them up in the morning,i have 5 to wear,5 in the wash and 5 drying!

dh wanted to buy a twin tub on ebay,he thought it looked charming, obviously didn't let him buy it!

[pollypandemonium]

A bit of a sweeping generalisation to say that it's better for them to sleep outside, there must be grey areas. Not the most educational article I've read.

They sleep longer outside - that's probably because it's cold and their body is doing the sensible thing, staying safe and still.

They catch fewer colds - well they would because they are less exposed to other children. Cold immunity is built up by exposure to each cold virus and if they don't catch it now, they will catch it later.

Better to spend more time outside - risks of sun exposure should be considered.

All day outdoor nurseries - great if all your children need to do is bound around using their gross motor skills, but if they won't be able to grasp beads and pegs or pencils and develop their fine motor skills.

Nurseries are about learning and development through play but all days in a cold space will limit this. If children spend the rest of the evening having playing indoors that would be OK as there would be a balance.

[smellysocksandchickenpox]

babyboom my washable nappies are all washed and drying already, I don't wash them every day, I do them every other day! Most kitchen/living areas open out to the garden - if it was a strange layout where the garden was quite removed from where you were being napped on then maybe....