Some cultural differences...

[Toddy]

My sons slept outside in their prams; it's still done here. Grannies who watch the children while parents work, routinely put the baby outside for a nap in the fresh air. Two of the young mums in the street did it when their toddlers were babies too. Come to think on it, one of the grannies four doors down had her granddaughter outside sleeping in this afternoon. Beautiful sunshine, but a bitter cold calm day. The baby was well wrapped up and snug in the pram though.

It was commonplace to see prams parked outside shops in the village; the baby saw the people in his world, recognised familiar faces, they saw him, they saw him grow up, they knew who he belonged to, they knew his grandparents and his aunts and uncles. It's called community and everyone knew when a child wandered off, and they weren't afraid to take the child back to it's mum or dad.......but then we didn't know what dreadful parents we were (insert scathing Scot's sarcasm) letting a child wander down the glebe, or the burn, or go climbing the cherry trees (the mess was unbelievable; my neighbour's wee seven year old went missing; half the village was out looking for that bairn and she was happily up a tree guzzling ripe cherries Stickiness incarnate )
Children didn't get ferried to school, they walked, mostly they still walk around here, it's considered healthier than traffic jams They don't all though, the local locals do, the incomers not so much.

Now some folks (insert screaming banner headlines of the tabloids and hysterical idiots) consider child abuse to leave a child outside

Would I do it now if I were a parent/ grandparent ?
In my own garden; yes. Outside the shops ? in a high pram, maybe. Too many incomers ready to scream child abuse

cheers,
Toddy

 

[Bumbler]

Good Grief! 5-7 year olds that have to be asked what saw and hammer are? :yikes: On the plus side they seem to know what's in their lasagne.

They are 3-5 year olds

 

[TurboGirl]

TBH I don't think I would leave a babby in a pram near us- too many big hungry foxes about now they're urbanising. And I'd certainly feel very paranoid about it in a town but as a village lass, I'm scared of everything there

 

[Deaner666]

Our bab often sleeps outside if she falls asleep in the pram. Only ever in our own yard where we can see her through the window. Tisn't the cold that's an issue, 'tis the keepin' her in sight.

 

[Paul_B]

After the recent fox attack an expert claimed that they eat by dragging it or tugging the. He reckoned the kid had the smell of food on his hands and the confused fox thought it had food on it and was trying to eat it... Hmmm! Think I'd rather all foxes near my kid got exterminated. Thinking I'd be worried if I lived in a city or large town. Doors shut, kid indoors. I know there's not the fox problem redtops claim but still, no chances right?!

 

[Dave-the-rave]

I can remember when cats were considered the bad guys. Prams had nets over them to prevent cats from allegedly deliberately smothering sleeping babies.

 

[xylaria]

I was left outside to sleep as baby, but I didnt do with my own. I used what is known now as the attached parenting model where as my own mother did old fashioned clock mothering. APM is when the baby stays in close contact for a the first few weeks then isnt out of sight for the first year. It wouldn't feel very natural to leave a baby outside to sleep to me personally. However I did go for walks nearly every afternoon when they were babies, and they slept quite bit then. I certainly never did what is done in most nurseries which is clock mothering, eg it is 2pm so it is nap time, it 3pm it is biscuit and milk, 4pm sand pit.

I think children and babies should spend as much as possible outside, playing dirt listening to nature, and doing stuff like look a bugs and flowers, or even just sleeping. I just dont think leaving them outside on their own is a very natural thing, it is only possible because we reduced possible preditors down to a small pool of disfunctional humans.

 

[Toddy]

Our babies sleep in their prams literally outside the front window (or back in my case) they aren't unattended. It's perfectly normal, many societies have babies strapped into cradle boards, or bound into wee mummy type things and the baby is placed where it can watch the world while Mum works. That's all ours are doing. Sleeping is just part of it. It's good fresh air. It's amazing watching the calm on a baby who is lying looking up at the trees moving in a breeze. They find the leaves fascinating

I began with my babies tied onto me in a baby sling, but finding myself on my hands and knees scrubbing the inner glass door on the oven (mind them, wasn't yesterday ) and I saw my reflection, I thought to hang with this, and popped him into his pram. He could still see me and I knew he was safe and I could work without 12lbs of wriggling infant on my back

I too used cat nets Dave-the-Rave, it wasn't considered safe to leave the baby without them, besides it kept midgies and clegs off too.

cheers,
M

 

[Paul_B]

There's a lot of conflicting views on parenting and as many self help books too. My partner has read a few and done the old online reading up on things but at the end of the day we just did what we felt was right. We tried one thing, if it worked it stayed if not we moved on.

For example we read something about putting them to bed before they were tired and earlier in the night. Guess what?! he wouldn't sleep then ended up waking up earlier in the night and more often because he wasn't tired. Change back to later nights.

Attached parenting doesn't work for us but it works for Xylaria. Leaving baby out works for some not others. It's not a one rule for all deal here.

BTW the full ATM also involves not using nappies but reading the signs of when baby needs the loo. For me that appeals less than dirty nappies.

I do think since being outdoors is healthy for adults then it is healthy for babies. It is just a matter as to how you get them outdoors. Is it a nice walk in a pram or papoose or being left out in the pram to sleep? There are many ways to get the similar sort of benefits.

 

[British Red]

I do prefer the logic of children - and babies - not being watched every moment of the time. I don't think the over cosseted apron string approach to child rearing makes children healthy - or happy - in the long term. I wonder if leaving the pram out is as good for the parent as it is for the child? Perhaps a way of adjusting to not being "in control" every second.

Now I don't claim to be a perfect parent - I suspect of I was over protective - and still am . That said I know some kids of a friend who got up to hair raising things as kids - the two boys and a girl of a friend spring to mind. Did some stuff that doesn't bear putting out on the internet (nothing malicious but certainly hair raising). They are now charming adults - an international engineer, a navy pilot and a brilliant photographer. Happy, well adjusted, polite, independent and a joy to be around. Nature or nurture?

 

[Bumbler]

Toss em out into the woods....with a knife.

 

[Tadpole]

I didn't realise that putting baby out for a nap was no longer done, my daughter (now 14) was put in her pram in the garden everyday for a nap, summer or winter. Unless it was pouring down with rain, then she was put under the water proof cover on her pram and left in the lea of the house. Surely it's the only time you can do the noisy jobs like hoovering or beating the rugs, without covering the babe in dust.

 

[Paul_B]

Noisy jobs? The current advice is to do them around them from birth so they get used to it. Babies aren't too bothered after a while. Mine tends to eventually sleep so deeply it wouldn't hear or feel anything. it's how we can transfer it to other rooms in the house without waking it. We have vacuumed around him from practically day one (well day 10 at least because we didn't have time to do housework the first 10 days).

 

[rik_uk3]

The older I get the more jealous I am of nap time

An afternoon nap is wonderful, Cup of tea, biscuits, laptop, bed, kip

 

[Graham_S]

I miss my afternoon nap.
I used to get one when I worked in Cyprus, many years ago.
It was great, just a couple of hours made a huge difference.

 

[mrcharly]

Didn't have a car when mine were little. So they were dragged around in a bicycle trailer. Often asleep when we got home, so they'd stay outside in the trailer.
I think some of the reason why we don't put kids outside to nap these days is that they are transported everywhere by car.

 

[Man of Tanith]

An afternoon nap is wonderful, Cup of tea, biscuits, laptop, bed, kip

There speaks a grandad and retired individual I suspect.
Swine

 

[rik_uk3]

There speaks a grandad and retired individual I suspect.
Swine

Too true mate

My children and my grandson took naps out in the back garden in warmer weather (a tad wet here in winter) and I've no doubt baby grand daughter Sophia will this year, her first summer. I'd just assumed its normal but looking at posts here apparently its not

Urban foxes ? To be honest thats a bit of an over worry IMHO; just leave the child in pram etc where you can keep an eye out for goodness sake. I've wonderful memories of my two children in their little 'rocker', me reading a book, bit of music on in the background and using my foot to rock them off to sleep then going indoors for a brew and no doubt I'll be doing the same this summer

Wonderful videos reflecting a healthy attitude.

 

[John Fenna]

The older I get the more jealous I am of nap time

The older I get the more I appreciate nap time!
Nothing like it after a good lunch!

 

[rik_uk3]

The best afternoon nap is when you don't actually need one, you just choose to do it... very indulgent