Leaving babies outside to sleep …..Scandi craze.

My mum and dad did this all the time. In fact they left me out until 10pm once; they’d completely forgotten! True story. Yes, middle child…

I was born in February in Nova Scotia and was put outside to sleep from birth with a well wrapped hot water bottle. I’m in the UK now, and put both my DD outside to sleep in their Silver Cross pram. Neither of them would have dreamed of putting their own babies outside to sleep, but they both had the Bugaboo type prams that wouldn’t really have been suitable. I’m sure they wouldn’t have done anyway, times change.

Both my sons went out. Rain,hail or snow. Born October & we lived in Scotland. Loved bringing them in from that morning sleep,smelling of fresh air & both had healthy lungs & still have over 50 years later.

My 2 were always outside in pram with cat net over it..Both in 30's now and both very healthy. I'm all for having kids outside. Playgroup I take my 2yrold grandaughter to thinks same and as long as it's not icy they are wrapped up and out in outdoor play area.

When my son was born in early March, my midwife said he was born at the perfect time of year as within a few weeks I would be able to put him outside in the garden to sleep in his pram in the Spring sunshine. I did so; his pram was a combination with a carry cot type body so he could sleep flat as a small baby, lovely and snug in the sunshine.

Why do my posts not stay? I write them,preview then post. Did this ten minutes ago & post has disappeared.

I had my first baby in a school for girls who were pregnant and in care. After the morning feed we were instructed to wrap the babies up and all the prams were wheeled outside into a large patio area. I was worried about it at the time because my baby was born in winter and went out for the first time at ten days old. I’m still not convinced it’s the right thing to do. The babies are wrapped up well but they still have to breathe in freezing air.

I was born in Singapore and weather was too hot to do this except in early morning or late afternoon. All of my baby photos up to 1 year show me wearing nothing but a thick Terry nappy!

I didn’t do this with my son, born in mid 80’s as we lived in a flat. For the others born late 90’s and early 00 I worked full time and they didn’t have big lovely orans as we didn’t have the room.

HousePlantQueen I had the same type of pram and both my babies (1981 & 1984) slept outside, it was the normal thing where I lived. When my grandchildren came along I used to put their moses baskets outside on nice days and one DGS particularly loved watching the leaves on the trees.

I did this with all three of mine when they were babies. If the weather was bad I used to wrap them up well and set off and walk miles while they were in the pram. Mind you it was a massive coach built silver cross pram which I loved.

What I can recall from my own childhood is the concept that a baby should not be allowed to dominate the household. Babies were washed, fed, burped and changed and then put down at prescribed intervals. Old fashioned nanny style.

If they woke and cried they were left to cry as it "exercised their lungs". None of this pseudo psychological nonsense of it causes "low self esteem". Good old fashioned rules and expecting kids to "tough it out" in houses with no central heating. Far more character building than all this modern helecopter parenting.

I used to but I wouldn't now. Too many foxes around and they can get into anything - a cat net wouldn't stop them.

When my daughter was born in the mid 80's, I walked her 100 yards up the road to do a bit of shopping. When I got home, the midwife was waiting for me and tore me off a strip for taking a young baby outside. My Mum was with me and she tore the midwife off a strip because she said I was just doing the same as generations before me. All of this was done outside the front door with them blocking the door so I couldn't get in with said baby.
I would never have left my babies unattended outdoors but would happily take them out as long as they weren't going to get wet or cold or over baked.

There is a Swedish saying :
there is no such thing as bad weather, only bad (wrong) clothes. I went outside with my babies (born 1985 and 1987) in whatever weather. Appropriately dressed and covered of course.. We lived in a small appartment so letting them sleep outside was impossible, but they were in the open air for at least an hour everyday. Our paediatrician agreed fully!
Nowadays our daycares have safe outdoors-sleeping arrangements but parents can opt out if they really don't want their babies to nap in the open air.
My grandmother put her son, my dad, outside in his pram in the snow! He was born 15 november so really a tiny tot that first winter. He was healthy his whole life, died at 92.
I'm in Belgium.

I was born in 65 and I know I was put outside I’ve seen the photos lol but when my sons were born in the 80s they also were put in the garden in their prams and sleep nests wrapped up. I don’t think prams are made to last nowadays I remember when my youngest granddaughter was born her parents paid over a grand on this super buggy that was pram Car seat multi positions etc it didn’t feel that strong to me. The only thing I don’t like is babies with nothing on their little heads saw a baby yesterday look new born no hat no gloves I was talking to him and his hands were cold his mum said he won’t keep them on I said my granddaughter had a snowsuit with gloves attached. Mum just looked and walked away.

Back when I was a baby, homes were polluted by coal fires etc and far more dangerous for little lungs, so probably much better for babies to be outside in many places, but probably not big cities and crowded towns where there were high levels of pollution. My mother's biggest worry was that an animal, like a cat, would climb into the pram and sleep on the baby blocking it's airway - she said she knew of this happening to someone. I couldn't leave a baby out of earshot personally, and kept mine close by.

My two were born in ‘77 and ‘80 ….out all day in pram in garden ….our local shops didn’t let prams in so always parked outside !

I loved the morning routine when our two children were babies - born 1968 and 1972. Always seemed to fall into the same routine it seemed ….nappy change when they woke up, breakfast in their high chairs in the kitchen, then washed and dressed, playtime with their toys (and me). Then around 10.30 on went the outdoor sleeping suit and into the (Marmet) coach built pram, tucked up in cosy blankets with the pram apron on too and out into the garden under the kitchen window so I could see them. Then making the beds, out would come the Hoover and tidying up, or I would pull out the twin tub washing machine and boil a load of nappies - what ever the ‘job of the day’ was! Winter or summer it would be the same routine …..but in the summertime I would put the pram under the willow tree and he (or she) would lay in the pram fascinated watching the light and shade from the branches sway in the breeze before drifting off to sleep. Who-ever started this thread - thank you - it’s brought back some really warm happy memories of days gone by - when life was simple and our children were babies.

It's also the healthy option to sleep in a warm bed in a cold bedroom. I never have the heater on in the bedroom and love to have the window open, even in today's weather.

I always put my first born at the bottom of the garden under the apple tree with a cat net attached to the upped hood to the base of the pram for safety. I was horrified to find a cat laying on the net next to her face.
With second and third babies we lived in a flat and thinking about it, we never put them on the balcony to sleep but in their cot next to an open window with mosquito nets.

Being a 1940s baby myself, I was brought up with the idea that babies were put outside in the pram to sleep in all weathers.
So I did the same with mine, 1979 and 1983. Didn't have a big coach-built pram, but a nice well built flat and sturdy one from Mothercare. Gave me peace to get on with a few jobs, or have some me time; I could see the pram easily from the glass doors at the back of the house.
As a PP said most mums on Mumsnet are too scared to be out of sight of their babies now, and leaving them even in another room is very much frowned on.

Yes it was the done thing back in 50's & 60's- my mum put all 3 of us out in pram back in the day- and in early 70's i have quite a photos of my now 50year old nephew asleep or awake in his 'carrycot' type pram when he was a baby and i had a few of me in my silver cross pram as a baby too- and i used to put my own older kids as babies out in back garden in the pram though not in all weathers- but i think its a trend that fazed out really in 90's onwards.When my 2 youngest were born in 98 and 2003 it was mainly in good sunny weather and only while i was in back garden as well for an hour etc.I think by then it was more of a safety issue really not to leave them outside alone.

I was doing a clear out yesterday and found an old Household Encyclopaedia that my Mum consulted regularly, it recommended baby was put outside in a pram every day for fresh air unless there fog was forecast. I was born in November and was wrapped up and put outside winter and summer with no ill effects. That said I wouldn't have put my kids or grandkids outside in the winter!

It's nothing new. There was a big craze in Britain in the 1930s for fresh air even to the extent that cages for babies were made to hang outside tenement windows like the washing.🥺

My gt nephew lives in Finland where it can be minus 40°C. He slept on their balcony throughout the winter and survived. I knitted him some thick socks.