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Do you know that babies sleep outside during minus degrees in Finland? It may sound unbelievable but it actually is common here.

When I was new in Finland, I was a student then, I drive my bike every day to school. I always see mothers or parents pushing their baby’s pram while walking in the cold winter days. Wonder, don´t baby feel cold?

I felt cold and shivering when I first experience +11 degrees Celcius temperature. If you’ve been here for long, this I know will make you laugh. It is true, I couldn’t drive my bicycle to school when I first experienced that cold, I am from a tropical country after all. Of course, I get used to it and no other choice I prefer riding the bike than waiting for the bus or walking.

In Finland, it is a common scene to see outside the house or outside coffee shop a pram with a sleeping baby in it. Children in day care or in school are playing outside even it is very cold winter days.

When I become a mom, I was very careful on what kind of it is being parent in Finland. I realize how important it is to be active everyday even it is winter time, especially with children in the family.

Soon again it is winter, as the cold is slowly coming. You might like to read simple Outdoor activities with small kids during winter.

Why Finnish babies sleep outside?

All children sleep better after having fresh air. If you are a parent in these Nordic countries, you probably notice that after an outdoor, it is good to sleep right? It is also said to be good for children to spend outside in fresh air than inside to avoid coughs and colds which I can say works well with our family.

I like putting my children specially when they are from new born to about three years old to sleep outside. While the youngest is sleeping, I an play with the other child and have a focus time.

What I notice is, if I put them outside to sleep, they sleep longer than when they are inside. They can spend one to three hours sleep in the pram.

How old the babies before you can take them outside?

During wintertime, which by the way I have one child born in January. I was advised to keep the baby inside for at least about two weeks before bringing the baby outside.

Summer time, baby can be outside already a week old. Winter time, if you are planning to walk the baby outside with the pram, start with a 15 minutes walk. Then slowly add more minutes the next time you go outside. So that baby will slowly got used to the weather change.

Remember, new born have been so used to the warm place inside the moms tummy 🙂 We do not want them to get cold.

What is the temperature that babies can sleep outside?

Temperature is very important to know before going outside. The advisable temperature limit for putting your babies to sleep outside during minus degrees is -5C to -10C. Be very aware that the temperature may feel very cold if it is windy even it says only -10C, it can feel -15C to about -20C.

Toddlers can be outside until minus 15 degrees, that is the limit I keep because they can easily got hyphothermia. Toddler age can not really know how to say that they are cold.

How much clothes do you have to put to babies?

It depends to the temperature. When it drops between -5C to -10C outside, I put this much of clothes to my baby who sleep in the pram.

The first layer is the indoor clothes of the baby what he or she uses inside before you bring to sleep outside.

I learned to never put no-slip socks to kids when going out in cold winter! The rubber on it will get cold so fast that the kids feet will then get cold easily.

How to know if baby feels hot or cold?

As parents, we must know and check if baby feels hot or cold inside the pram. Check their hands, or the back of their neck.

Usually, they get sweaty if we put more clothes or cold hands. Make sure that the baby doesn’t feel cold. I put an extra blanket around the pram if I feel that it seems colder or I remove the blue blanket if it’s hot.

I hope this information helps you mommies and encourage you to be more active outdoor even in winter time. Its great time to have a walk while our little one is sleeping in the pram. You can even do some other work after arriving home and the pram can stay outside.

Make sure though that you leave the monitor on so you can easily hear when little one is calling to be inside already 🙂

Have you tried this Finnish practice? Comment below what you think if you did or if you haven’t yet.

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