Leaving babies outside to sleep …..Scandi craze.

It had to be very bad weather not to out my babies out in their coach built prams, all mothers did this, we also walked to the shops, no car, the pram held all the shopping in the bag on the pram and also a wire tray underneath. If you needed more
space there was a generous compartment underneath the mattress. It bothers me the shallow flimsy prams and pushchairs they use now and the baby carriers, so heavy and uncomfortable.

There are photos of me, sitting in my pram in the garden, in the deep snow in 1947.

All my children were put outside
In the pram even the 4th one and she was born in 1990. My 2 dogs would always be close by to the pram.

I put my children outside, too,unless it was very hot as it can be here. I fostered a couple of babies and put them out,too and the nurse who came round said she could tell I was British because no one in Australia did it!

Neither of my children were put outside to sleep, nor did any midwife, health visitor or doctor suggest it. Nor, as I recall, were any of my friends' babies. (late 70s, early 80s)

They all seem to have grown up to be pretty healthy.

Outside in all weathers for naps was something our mothers did.

Mine too all slept outside in their large comfortable pram which did for all of them over the years.

They were all spring and summer babies but although I didn’t have cold weather to contend with, my biggest problem initially was keeping our neighbour’s cat off the pram.
Even though I used a cat net, I did spot the blasted thing just making itself comfy, with of course the risk of suffocating the baby.

Lets just say it never did it again.

One of my DC spent more time indoors because it was the summer of 1976 and far too hot in our sheltered back garden so he slept indoors in a north-facing sitting room.

Farmor, my Norwegian granddaughters slept outside in all weathers and in daycare/ nursery toddlers are outside most of the time throughout the year. If I'd tried that with my early years classes I fear that I would have faced a parental lynch mob.

It was all part of the daily routine.in all weathers. 1973, 75 and 78.

My son was premature born in October 87 he was well wrapped up in the pram in the garden. I had a net over the pram to protect him and got on with my cooking etc while I watched him.
I did the same with my daughter I probably over wrapped them but they thrived. I moved back nearer to my parents and walked two miles nearly every day to see them. The walk and fresh air was very good for me and my children.

Whilst coal fires were the main source of heating it would have been far better for babies to be outside the house.

I don't think this is just a Scandi thing. I've put all my kids outside. Remember I used to live on the coast in Moray in Scotland when my first was born. She was put outside with fresh sea air and wild deer even in the heart of winter. I thought it was healthy and she was always wrapped up warm!

biglouis

I can remember this from the 1960s whe my sister had her first child. He was routinely left outside in his pram in all weathers. He was also left while she got on with jobs like washing, ironing and so on. However being a small house he was always in earshot. I see these threads on Mumsnet about women not being able to take a shower or wash their hair. Crazy.

Yes, it's absolutely dreadful, l had one of them. Either suckled or screamed for weeks on end. He's vegan now which may explain a lot

Mine happily slept outside in their Silver Cross pram in the late 70’s early 80’s. They were always within earshot of our tiny rural cottage.

Grandma70s

I didn’t put my babies (1971 and 1974) out in their prams unless I was with them. My mother was appalled. She thought babies HAD to be outdoors, but I liked to be able to see and hear them. I did take them for lots of walks in the pram.

Me too. The idea of leaving my little ones alone outside

... but we did walk every day, rain or shine.

I had a more modern pram with a detachable top, babies spent a lot of time in it, inside and outside in reasonable weather.

I was born in the cold winter of 1947. My mother put me outside in the pram. The 'guru' at that time was Dr Truby King, whose book was the rule then. My kids were brought up more humanely as per Dr Spock :-)

I think it's fair to say that Scandinavians spend a lot of time outdoors even it very cold weather. I would not call it a Scandi craze. This does not only apply to babies in prams.

We have a young family living near us. 3 babies all just a year apart ….. so far. They are a bit hippyish and carry them around in slings all the time, even when cooking. The other day it was really cold but there was a tiny bit of sun and the Daddy was standing outside with the youngest in a sling, about 6 months old. He says he stands out every day for about an hour as his daughter loves the fresh air. I thought that was a great idea but then realised both he and the baby had hardly any clothes on, just T shirt for him and the baby a little babygro with no socks!

Neither of ours could sleep outside though MIL tried to insist on it.
Both unfortunately had to sleep on their tummies in prams and cots because they had Aberdeen splints on their hips and could not roll over. I could not put them in the quilted bags that were fashionable at the time unless they were awake and with me.
DD1 was born at the start of a very hot summer and she used to sleep just under a sheet . I would have loved to put her out in the shade under a tree but had to be on constant servalance.DD2 was born during a very cold snowy winter and had to be zipped into a woolly suit.
I used to lie them on a large quilted blanket when I took a shower and had them with me at all times. Difficult with only 18 months between them.
It was such a relief when the splints were taken off and they could wriggle around.

Where would you put a large Silver Cross-type pram in a modern house? Most have very small hallways and many none at all, and the wheels collect dirt from outside.

One problem with putting babies outside unsupervised is that they could get into trouble, like the poster who got entangled in a harness as a baby and had to be cut out. I have also heard of a child who was fatally injured by a brick thrown from a back alley (Victorian terraced houses) while sleeping in his pram - although that's probably a rare occurrence. And leaving babies unattended in a pram outside a shop would be a big no-no for me.

I didn’t have a large sprung silver cross type pram but like most people had a small ordinary one from mother care. We lived in a two up two down Victorian terrace with a narrow hall and managed ok.
No I would never have left the Pram unattended outside a shop.

Unless you live in a rural area there is a real danger of air pollution now. Most towns and cities have high levels of toxins and the only way to check this is to use an air quality app. In some areas it's probably safer for babies to sleep inside with an air purifier in the room and obviously no heating on.

I can't see the benefit of leaving a young baby outside in sub zero temperatures. Their little noses have to warm the air before it passes down to their lungs. In some countries it's so cold the school children are not allowed outside for more than a few minutes because their lungs will literally freeze up.

The old saying "What goes around, comes around" comes to mind! My 60s and early 70s babies all slept outside in their prams, in all weathers. The exception was the eldest who was born in Singapore - he was better off indoors in the kitchen-diner with the fan going! Fresh air never harmed the others. But then again, not getting fresh air hasn't harmed later generations! I don't think nowadays putting a baby outside to sleep in towns, where the air is so polluted, would be a good idea however. But in a quiet country garden? Almost criminal not to!

My DGC attended a nursery where the babies were put outside for their naps. A line of big old fashioned prams under a cover but open otherwise. They were easily seen through the window but there was usually a group of children playing outside anyway, so always staff around. The children went out in all weathers and also did a Forest school where they were taken out for the day and played in woods, watching a camp fire and making hot chocolate. It isn't just sleep outside children need, it's experiences like that.