I’ll never forget arriving in Copenhagen in my early 20’s and being so excited to learn about Danish culture during my time there. I planned to stay for 1 year and ended up becoming so deeply engrained into Danish culture that I stayed for 5 years. Upon touching down I decided to head straight to my living quarters and then, in an attempt to beat jet leg, immediately head out to explore my new city. It didn’t take me long to notice the abundance of strollers out in the city. It was late August, so the weather was beautiful, and it seemed like all the new Mamas were out for walk. Not only that – there were strollers parked outside cafes as those Mama’s met up with friends for some summer hygge. You can only imagine my shock when I quickly realized that there were babies in those strollers. Unattended. It wasn’t just one – they were everywhere.
I would soon learn that it is customary in Denmark to not only nap your kids outside in strollers, but also to leave them parked outside a cafe or even grocery store. It took me a few years to fully wrap my brain around this cultural difference and accept it as normal. I was won over by my Danish friends as they slowly convinced me of the benefits of napping your kids outside, even during the dead of winter. They boasted stronger immune systems and better sleep habits overall. Afterall, who of us doesn’t love a good outdoor nap every now and then? The fresh air is good for all of us, so why should an infant be quarantined to their little crib when there is a whole world for them to observe outdoors as they drift into la la land? Believe me, I wasn’t initially convinced either.
After 5 years I was fully sold and vowed when I had kids someday, I would nap them outside. Alex had the luck of the draw by being born in early November, which meant that by the time we started getting on a schedule (4-6 weeks old), Winter had arrived. The first time he napped outside it was the 2nd week of December, in Connecticut. If you’re not from around here, let me explain a little about our winters: They are dark, cold and damp. Temps can fluctuate throughout the winter but generally hover between 15-35 degrees both day and night in the months of December-early March. On occasion we are lucky enough to get a beautiful day where it is 50 and sunny, and for CT residents, it’s warmth enough to almost make us want to head to the beach for a swim. Suffice to say, it’s freezing cold. And I had a newborn that I was letting nap outside. You can imagine the looks I received when I told my friends and family about Alex’s nap routines. Thankfully DCF has never shown up at my door, but I was armed and ready with articles that talked about the benefits of napping my little baby outside all winter. He was out there during snowstorms, during daylight, and as the sun set for his afternoon naps. The coldest it’s ever been for his outdoor nap was this past winter when he was 2 years old and refused to fall asleep inside – it was 19 below zero with the wind chill factor, and he was snug as a bug in a rug out on our back porch. He slept GREAT outside – both during the day and at night, and I was so sad when we had to cease our outdoor naps this summer when he figured out how to unbuckle himself from the stroller. Not only that but in his first two years of life he had nothing more than a little sniffle a couple times. The kid was, and is, basically never sick. I am confident that his infant naps outside are, in part, responsible for his rock solid immune system (also essential oils, clean eating, and some other holistic choices we’ve made…but the ample fresh air certainly helps).
Interested in knowing how to nap your kid outside safely? I’m here to lead you through the process, because safety is key!
#1 – A stroller that leans all the way back.
When my kids are infants, I actually nap them in the bassinet attachment to our UppaBaby Vista. I switch to the regular seat when they begin to roll over, because it has the harness on it that can keep them strapped in. You want infants to be able to lay flat on their back, per the American Association of Pediatrics’ recommendation, so the bassinet attachment was a must for me. Thankfully, the stroller attachment lays pretty flat as well so it worked great when Alex started rolling over.
#2 – Proper winter gear.
The only season I don’t nap my kids outside is summer, as it gets far too hot and humid for them to be out there. Spring and Fall are definitely our favorite seasons because of the mild, amazing weather…but winter is also a season for outside naps. Shocker, I know. The key is to make sure your kids are dressed properly. And before you think I’m out of my mind, look up the tribes in Siberia who literally live in subzero temps year round. Their kids are fine. There’s no such thing as bad weather – only bad clothing. But I digress. Let’s get back to HOW to nap your kids outside, especially during winter. I start by lining the stroller with a wool or fleece base. For the bassinet I used an old wool sweater as the base layer (this would work as well), and then put a small fleece blanket folded tightly on top of the sweater. When they move to the seat attachment, I have a JJ Cole Bundle Me that works great, but UppaBaby also has a CozyGanoosh. After you have the base ready, I dress my kids depending on weather. Assuming it’s freezing cold outside I would do a base layer of their normal clothes, wool socks (I love the wool/cashmere ones from Lisa B.), a pair of those same wool socks on their hands, a fleece hat that doesn’t tie under the chin (safety risk if there are strings), and then their snowsuit. It’s important to keep the outside temp in mind. You don’t want your baby to overheat. I, then, lay my baby in the bassinet and swaddle their arms down to make sure they don’t pull any blankets up over their face. Lastly, I finish by making them into a little baby burrito with a blanket tucked tightly around them, paying attention to not having it too close to their face. When I started napping Alex outside I asked a friend how I would be able to tell if he was too warm or too cold, and she said the way they do it is by putting two fingers on the back of their neck while they are sleeping, because that is a good indicator if their body temp.
#3 – Extras
I always rub their cheeks with Young Living Lavender lip balm as a way to protect from windburn or chapped cheeks. It’s important to use something that doesn’t have any water content, or has really low water content. I also put a portable monitor (I use this one) right by the stroller so that I can hear if baby is stirring, even though I can see the stroller from my office, living room and kitchen. For me, an important element is that I can see them at all times from every area. This is certainly not the case for all of my friends in Denmark, but it was important for me.
#4 – Location
Napping your child outside may not work for you, depending on where you live. It’s important to put them somewhere that isn’t visible to the general public, for obvious reasons. We have a back porch that faces our 4 back neighbors who all know us well and know we nap our kids outside. We also keep Atlas outside most of the time as an extra safeguard, because he doesn’t let anyone even enter our driveway without going ballistic. Regardless of your setup, just make sure it’s 100% safe. An enclosed porch could work, a back deck, etc.
And that’s how you nap a kid outside! Assuming you have a safe place to put them outside in their stroller, the biggest thing is paying close attention to the weather and not over or underdressing them. Let me know in the comments what questions you have an I’ll try my best to answer them!
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