Big chill: Swedish parents leave kids outdoors for naptime

Naptime is a chilly proposition in Sweden. Downright Arctic, you could say. Swedish parents embrace a fresh-air approach for their kids’ midday snooze— leaving them outside. No matter how far the mercury drops, parents in Sweden and other Nordic countries leave their kids outdoors in strollers for their naps. The parents say the fresh air is good for the children, and that they seem to sleep more than they do indoors. The practice is so widespread that even daycare centers embrace it. The thinking behind the approach is that exposing kids to fresh air — no matter the weather — makes them less likely to catch colds or coughs. "Especially in the winter when there's lots of diseases going around ... the kids seem healthier," one mom told the BBC. Yes, but do they also seem more frozen? [Source]

Click to see more on msnNOW.com, updated 24 hours a day.