7 Comments

Wow, how interesting. Any studies that actually measured core temperatures in babies left outside? We use head cooling in the NICU to lower brain and blood temperature which lessens the neurological injury caused by severe birth asphyxia in newborns.

Expand full comment

I'm an American in Sweden- we only ever did this if baby happened to fall asleep in the stroller during a walk and we only left the stroller in our yard or hallway. But in the Nordics strollers usually come with a hard shell cot for infants, basically a bassinet that clicks in, so that is an important factor. People aren't strapping infants into a somewhat upright position. Baby lays totally flat, no straps as a strangulation hazard.

In my area of Sweden I've never seen any unattended babies, it seems like parents take the baby for a long walk (sometime for the entire nap!) or roll them home. Which is more reasonable imo than leaving them outside a cafe...

Expand full comment

I was in Copenhagen last year and saw so many strollers outside with babies sleeping quietly while their parents were inside a cafe having a chat. First of all, their strollers are unlike ours. They are HARD CORE. They are pretty heavy duty and come with really high quality materials. We saw so many cute little faces peering out from their bassinets ruddy cheeked and cozy from all the warmth. What struck me the most was how safe parents felt. I wish more than anything *that* was the takeaway. That parents comfortably leave their kids outdoors without worry. It made me seriously consider moving to that region!

Expand full comment
author

Interesting!

Expand full comment

Unfortunately Denmark is extremely xenophobic. I'm an American in Sweden and we've considered moving to Copenhagen as it's so much more cosmopolitan than much of Sweden but the culture and laws around immigrants is just shockingly xenophobic unfortunately.

Expand full comment

As a person of color, I don’t think I’d actually move there. I felt like I stuck out enough just as a visitor! But I do love the family-friendly policies they have in place!

Expand full comment

Oh for sure, I'm very jealous of their playgrounds! the miniature roads to teach bicycle/road safety are genius. It's really a bummer about the political issues, otherwise my family would definitely be better off there than here in southern Sweden.

Expand full comment