A common practice in the Nordic countries is to place sleeping babies, while in their prams, to nap outside - even in spite of the weather. The prams here (they are like the British prams, not like the strollers we have back home) are well insulated and come with protective coverings for snow or rain. The first time I saw this was at church when I saw a pram outside the chapel in the rain with a sleeping child inside. It is reported that children sleep longer because of the fresh air and are healthier having not been cooped up in a room with other children who may have a runny nose or some other disease of the week. Some say that it helps the child to be less likely affected by the cold weather later in life. Prams are usually under the watchful eye of a parent in case the child should awake and need attention. Americans might feel a little uneasy about this, but here, the issue of safety is relatively nil. I feel safer here than I do back home, anytime of day or night. It is an interesting cultural practice that works very well here, in spite of the wet, cold and sometimes freezing weather. If we tried this in Arizona, our prams would have to be equipped with AC units and water dispensers to handle the heat. Weatherizing the babies is one of the many wonderful things about Estonia that make it so fascinating.
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| Rain Baby |
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| Snow Baby |
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| This is how it's done |
