Would YOU put your baby outside in the cold to sleep?

A nursery is putting its babies out in the cold as part of a Scandinavian trend in childcare that was popular in the 1950s.

The method, which has come to an £8-an-hour Sussex nursery, sees children sleeping outside among piles of logs.

Parents insist it stops their children from getting ill – while some even say it helps their offspring to sleep for longer.

The method, which has come to an £8-an-hour Sussex nursery, sees children sleeping outside among piles of logs

Experts say that the critical thing is to make sure the baby is wrapped up warm in the cold weather.

Childminder Hannah Rosalie has revived the Scandi trend with eight parents paying her to immerse their children in the full forest experience.

Miss Rosalie, owner and manager of the Paddock Wood nursery, near Angmering, said it was the ‘natural next step’ and that locals had been very supportive.

Childminder Hannah Rosalie has revived the Scandi trend with eight parents paying her to immerse their children in the full forest experience

Miss Rosalie, owner and manager of the Paddock Wood nursery, near Angmering, said it was the ‘natural next step’ and that locals had been very supportive

Why are Scandi mothers putting their babies out in the cold at nap-time?

In the Nordics, putting a baby outside during their afternoon nap is not at all unusual – despite temperatures frequently dropping well below zero.

Parents there insist that the fresh air makes their children healthier, with statistics revealing that tots sleeping outside take fewer days off.

Others believe that their offspring sleep for longer when outside in the cold.

Mother-of-three Lisa Mardon, from Stockholm, told BBC: ‘I think it’s good for them to be in the fresh air as soon as possible.

‘Especially in the winter when there’s lots of diseases going around, the kids seem healthier.’

In fact, it is not uncommon to walk through snow-covered cities across Scandinavia and see buggies and prams lined up outside cafes with sleeping infants inside.

Experts say that the critical thing is to make sure the baby is wrapped up warm in the cold weather.

Many parents tend to cover their prams with blankets if the temperature drops below -15C.

She said: ‘I’ve always loved the outdoors and so have my own children, who always napped outside.

‘They always slept well and were very healthy. I’m a forest school practitioner and we follow a lot of these principles through our play and discovery.

‘It seemed a natural next step for the babies to sleep outdoors too. I invested in some very good quality pushchairs which lay totally flat, some high quality sleeping bags and lots of thermal blankets.

‘Family members in New Zealand were very supportive. My aunt, who had three children including twins, was a great believer in al fresco naps, as were a lot of local neighbours in the village who remembered it from when they were raising their own babies.

‘It seems we are sadly losing this lovely method of daytime rest for babies.’

Miss Rosalie claims there are huge benefits to sleeping outdoors.

She said: ‘Followers of the Gina Ford method will be all too aware of the need for blackout blinds and silence but really it’s so much more natural for babies to be rocked to sleep under the trees and wake to the sound of birdsong.

‘We often walk to the river. Along the riverbank there is so much to see. Children love to play on the huge fallen willow tree or we collect natural treasures, read a story or have a picnic.’

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