Mainers could practice something that's a cultural norm in other parts of the world that has cold weather: putting baby outside to take a nap- all year round.

The Nordic Practice of Baby Sleeping Outside

Time Magazine featured an article in 2017 about parenting like a Scandinavian. One thing that Scandinavian parents are pretty focused on is getting their young kids out in the fresh air.  One way that they do that is by putting their little vulnerable humans outside to take naps. This is a practice done even in the coldest months of the year. They will bundle up their infants and toddlers and put them outside in a stroller to get fresh air while still being kept warm with their warm clothing and blankets.

The Practice For A Child's Health

You can see that having a child outside in the fresh air will avoid exposure to viruses and infections from others but that doesn't mean Scandinavians are germaphobes. In fact, according to the same Time article, Nordic culture encourages children to get outside and get dirty, which helps with bolstering the immune system and resilience against allergies and asthma.

This is a practice used throughout the cold Scandinavian countries that is a regular practice. In a BBC article from 2013, this is a common sight in the city and even as a part of daycare- children being outside in subzero temperatures, bundled up and napping for an hour or more.

Mainer's Could Adopt This Tradition Because of Our Cold Weather

Mainers experience cold winter temperatures like those in Sweden, Norway and Finland. Some benefits include deeper and longer naps for children, according to a survey of Nordic parents, and could even bolster the immune system, but the science isn't conclusive on this. Maybe this could be a tradition we could carefully carry into New England.

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One perspective from the BBC article to take into consideration when it comes to the commonality of living in the cold weather of Scandinavia and in Maine is the Swedish saying 'There is no bad weather, just bad clothing'. This is something we should think about as we raise our kids here, inside and outside.

https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-21537988

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