Video of Norwegian babies sleeping ALONE outside in freezing weather stuns Americans

An Australian who is living in Norway has gone viral after sharing a video of roughly a dozen babies sleeping outside in their strollers in freezing temperatures. 

Olly Bowman, 22, from Sydney, has more than 200,000 followers on TikTok, where he documents his life abroad using the handle @mrmelk_. 

The expat stunned viewers — particularly Americans — when he posted footage of himself walking by the unaccompanied infants who were peacefully napping outside in the middle of February. 

‘Another day in Norway, another group of babies left out alone in the cold. Look at how many there are,’ he said as he panned the camera to show all of the carriages lined up. 

‘Another day in Norway, another group of babies left out alone in the cold. Look at how many there are,’ he said as he panned the camera to show all of the carriages

‘It helps with their breathing and makes them more independent,’ he added of the supposed benefits. ‘It’s actually why so many people leave home earlier in Norway than other countries.’ 

Letting babies nap outside in the winter is a common practice in Nordic countries that dates back nearly 100 years — after a tuberculosis epidemic that swept through Iceland in the early 20th century was exacerbated by poorly ventilated housing. 

In 1926, Icelandic doctor David Thorsteinsson published a pedagogy book that argued parents should let their children sleep outside in their strollers to get fresh air, even in cold weather, to strengthen their immune systems. 

The tradition has been passed down from generation to generation, and it is common to see strollers with sleeping babies parked outside houses, apartments, and even local businesses in countries such as Norway, Denmark, and Iceland. 

A 2008 Finnish study found that children ‘took longer naps outdoors compared with naps taken indoors.’ However, there is a risk of hypothermia in the cold weather, and experts say it’s critical that children are bundled up properly when outside. 

‘A baby’s temperature can drop four times faster than adults, and they can become hypothermic,’ Dr. Jennifer Shu, a pediatrician in Atlanta, Georgia, told Insider in 2020.

TikTok users who are familiar with the practice took to the comments section of Bowman’s video to tout the benefits of letting babies sleep outside. 

‘My Norwegian neighbor convinced me to do this and my youngest [does] not get sick as often as my oldest,’ one mom shared. 

A 2008 Finnish study found that children ‘took longer naps outdoors compared with naps taken indoors.’ However, there is a risk of abduction and hypothermia in cold weather

Letting babies nap outside in the winter is a common practice in Nordic countries such as Norway and Iceland (pictured) that dates back nearly 100 years

Many Americans who watched Bowman’s video insisted they would never feel safe enough to let their children out of their sight for a minute

‘Growing up in Minnesota, my mom used to put me on the back porch where she could still see me from the living room/kitchen and I would nap for hours,’ another recalled. 

‘As a Scandi baby, it adapts us to the cold too!’ someone else insisted. 

Temperature aside, there is also a heightened risk of abduction, but there is a different level of trust in many Nordic countries, which are considered some of the safest in the world. 

The rate of kidnapping in Norway is 0.02 per 1,000 residents during a standard year, according to CrimeGrade.org.

In comparison, a child goes missing or is abducted every 40 seconds in the U.S. Approximately 840,000 American children are reported missing each year. 

The cultural differences led to aspiring Danish actress Anette Sørensen being jailed by New York police in 1997 for leaving her baby in a stroller outside of a restaurant where she was dining.

‘I had lived in New York [during school], so, of course, I knew that I didn’t see prams all over the city,’ Sørensen told the New York Post in 2017. ‘But… I had been living in Copenhagen, I had given birth to my daughter in Copenhagen, I was raised, myself, in Denmark… That’s just how you do it in Denmark.’

Many Americans who watched Bowman’s video insisted they would never feel safe enough to let their children out of their sight for a minute, let alone let them sleep outside a café.

‘Babies [are] being left outside for mums to shop and in America we are scared to send any age to school,’ one person wrote. 

Bowman’s video has been viewed more than 13.8 million times, and he later filmed a follow-up in which he asked parents in Norway if they felt comfortable letting their children sleep outside

One father explained that ‘it depends on where you are,’ adding that he didn’t think anyone would take his babies in Oslo

Another mom explained that she knew a lot of strollers have been stolen, and even though people don’t steal them when babies are inside, she didn’t want to risk it 

‘ARE THERE NO BAD GUYS[?]’ another asked. ‘I DON’T UNDERSTAND!’

‘It’s always great… until it isn’t. I don’t care how safe they claim to be, evil is everywhere,’ someone else insisted. 

A number of people, mostly Americans, were also admittedly jealous and questioned how they could move to Norway. 

‘I envy the ability to do this without fear, one TikTok user shared, while another added, ‘I have never felt this safe over here in the “land of freedom.”‘

‘As an American, I could never imagine such a safe world. Can I come over??’ someone else asked.

Bowman’s video has been viewed more than 13.8 million times and has received nearly 17,000 comments since it was posted last week. 

He later filmed a follow-up in which he asked parents in Norway if they felt comfortable letting their children sleep outside by themselves. 

One father explained that ‘it depends on where you are,’ adding that he didn’t think anyone would take his babies in Oslo.  

‘I know people do that, but we haven’t done it. Not in the city center. I know a lot of prams have been stolen, as well,’ a mom shared. ‘People don’t steal the prams when there are babies inside of them, but we still don’t want to risk it.’

Another mom with a newborn said that she will leave her daughter for a minute or two while she runs inside a café to grab a coffee but not any longer than that. 

‘I’m from Germany, actually,’ someone else noted. ‘I think it’s safe. Maybe I would. This is my first [child], so I’m a bit scared, but I have many friends and people I know that go to a café and leave their babies outside. 

‘It’s very common,’ she added. ‘There’s a saying, “There’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes.” So they just wrap the baby.’