When I lived in Denmark, one of my favorite things was seeing the prams out in the yard for nap time year round. At first I thought, wouldn’t someone try to steal the baby?! Later it seemed so normal and I would totally do that with my own, given private space. In DK, our landlords always encouraged us to open our windows for 5 minutes every morning year round for fresh air too. One thing I admired about Scandinavians is that they know how to dress for the weather and have everything necessary to peacefully survive any kind of weather.

And yes, I agree Stockholm is stunning. You can’t possibly take enough photos.

I love those bicycle rain boots! So stinkin cute… I wish they had them in adult sizes.

I love this post!! One, because kids and kids’ clothing are so adorable, two, because I love hearing about Scandinavia, and three, because it makes me even more excited that I’m moving to Norway this fall!

I spent a semester abroad of college in Trondheim, Norway, where they too leave their babies outside for nap times and, well, really, any time they can. I would walk around the family housing at the school and see strollers parked beneath apartment windows (with multiple inches! of snow on the ground) and parked outside of the stores downtown (there’s absolutely no fear of people stealing or harassing babies in Scandinavia, and why take a giant stroller through a small & crowded store if you don’t absolutely have to??)

And, like you said, it’s not just the babies! As I would drudge through the rain on my way to class, I would walk by the barnehage (kindergarden) and see little kids dressed in their rain jackets, pants & boots, running around and swinging on swings.

“There is no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing.”
So true! If the Scandinavians always stayed indoors due to inclement weather, they’d never go outside (What with all the rain & snow)!! They’ve learned to live life regardless of the forecast.

I can’t wait to move to Stavanger, Norway!! I’ll be on the lookout for POP when I get there!

I don’t know much about babies/kids yet, but I do know that Stockholm is incredible. It is truly beautiful, and, I think, far superior to other large Scandinavian cities. I lived there for a summer in 2001 and still consider it one of the greatest things I’ve ever done.

i love POP! and this winter when i plan my daughter’s 3rd birthday party in the park (we do live in LA so it shouldn’t be too bad!) i’m going to do it in a park. i’ll keep repeating this in my mind ‘There is no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing.”

My mother got me to put my babies outside to sleep. I had a nice carriage with a good size bed for a new born. He would fall asleep and then when it was time to go out in the neighborhood for errands I could just wheel him through the garage and out to the sidewalk, still sleeping.

She also had a ‘kiddie coop’ which is a crib with screen material and a top with a screen. I could leave my kids in it without fear of insects. That was a great place for a nap, under a tree.

Once when my baby was very young he fell asleep on his back and I had taken his diaper off, to air him out. The downside was that he got a sunburn on his pelvic area, even though it was only March but the weather can be nice in SF in March!

It was harder with my no. 2 son. He was born at the start of the rainy season!

So funny, I have a friend who is German and she told me she puts her daughter in her stroller and just lets her nap on the front porch. I was kinda horrified at first, but apparently, it isn’t that strange-ha! Guess we’re just behind on some things!

I just adore POP! We just had our first baby, a boy, and pretty much his whole wardrobe is POP! Love their stripes, the sizing, and certainly the quality. Hopefully we’ll have a second baby who will get to wear them too!

When I moved to Wisconsin from the south, I was surprised to see kids outside playing on the snow drifts when it was less than zero out. Heck, I was surprised they had to go to school!
When we considered sending my daughter to a Waldorf school, one of the things that appealed to me was that the kids play outside every day, even if it’s raining or snowing. I loved that idea of just dealing with nature instead of holing up inside. Obviously, the outdoor napping is working for the Swedes, so there must be something to it!

My husband is Swedish and we were just visiting his siblings in Sweden but now we’re back home in the States. I was ready to completely outfit our 18 month old boy in POP before coming home, too bad the exchange rate is so poor! We got some must-haves though, like the striped knit hats with the ‘P’ It just felt wrong to have Mitchell in his stroller on the streets of Stockholm without a striped POP hat!

My husband visited Stockholm a few years ago for work. He was blown away, he loved it so much! He said pretty much the same things you had to say about it. He felt like everyone was so kind and nice and that it was very family friendly, and that everyone was beautiful. 🙂

I am so intrigued by the Nordic commitment to get outdoors, even in the bad weather. As a child growing up in MN we spent lots of time playing outdoors in frigid weather. Our parents bundled us up and off we went. The fresh air and movement is so good for you! Sometimes when the weather is bad I want to hole up indoors but once I get outside I always enjoy it and I look forward to my time outdoors more and more.

I wish they had those rain boots in MY SIZE!

Hah. I love how people usually react when they hear about the outdoor-napping and playing practices. It’s the same in Finland. We didn’t put our daughter to sleep on the balcony (because you hear horror stories of rats getting to newborns and chewing on their faces), but we did take walks even at -30°C and now she plays outdoors every day.

And I love Stockholm, too. It’s very similar to Helsinki, many people don’t speak beautiful english here. AND Helsinki doesn’t have Stockholm’s Old Town. I absolutely adore that place with all its little shops and restaurants.

Now you made me want to book a trip for this summer. Think i just might.

And please come to Helsinki someday too! I can show you around 🙂

As we prepare for midsummer weekend, you can betcha that everyone is ready with rain-wear and buggy rain gear has already been packed! Hearing your impressions, again, has been a super fun reminder of the hardiness of the Swedes and their no-nonsense, love of nature. A transplanted northern-midwestern in Sweden; even I have reacted to the fact that this is no land for wimps; but found myself parking my baby buggies outside, too. In a land of so much “weather” and darkness, one would grow old and lonely waiting for a sunny day and quickly understands the need for good outerwear and hardy shoes! I realized this winter skiing 350 kilometer north of Stockholm, that Stockholmers moved around like sissies in comparison to their northern cousins. There toddlers were pulled in sleds behind skiing parents and retirees scooted on the streets using “kick sleds” as walkers!

I am Norwegian, and POP is a very popular brand here as well. I have a dress in the biggest girl size that fits me just perfectly, and I had to giggle when i met a little girl on the street about 30 years younger than me wearing the same dress 🙂

My son have lots of clothes from POP, and I love the quality. Their outdoor equipment is great.

From the day my son starting having regular naps, most of them have been outside. We live on the 3rd floor in a suburb outside Oslo. I have never heard about Norwegian babies being stolen 🙂 I put the babycall in his stroller, and I can always see him from my window. He sleeps so much better and longer in the fresh air.

He was born in October, and the winter was very strict that year. He would only sleep if I walked him in his stroller, so we were outside for several hours every day, and the temperature was waaaay below zero. We have that saying in Norway too, and everyone believes in it. The children in my son’s barnehage (kindergarden) are out most of the day, even in the coldest winter.

I am very surprised that this is not normal everywhere 🙂

Ref. my earlier post: Here is a link to my blogposts about winter in Norway, if anyone is interested 🙂
http://annascamping.blogspot.com/search/label/snø

From Iceland too and ,well, usually we do not let children sleep outside the first month or so if it is winter but after that then everyday all year around if the apartment has the possibility. I don’t know of many who put their babies out to sleep on the first 2 weeks – so do not just put them out in the pram on their second day!

I knew that this is a Scandinavian thing but what I am so surprised is that you (and a lot of the comments) were so amazed about children playing outside in all weathers! I just can not believe that in kindergarten and such the kids stay inside if the weather is in any way “bad”. I think it is very very important to learn to dress according to the weather and to learn to adopt to nature.

We also take them swimming from about 3 months old (indoor pools) and they dive down at about -5 months old 🙂

Love POP but I like even LINDEX more 🙂

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ha! Danes totally leave their babies outside too. It’s a bit unnerving at first but thankfully it’s a trusting environment here.

I just got back from Copenhagen to run their marathon three weeks ago and my impressions of the city match that of Stockholm exactly. Beautiful, tall, fashionable people everywhere speaking perfect English and plenty of H&M shopping stores everywhere. We’re not sure what time the sun rose, but it stayed out until 11 p.m. every night. However, I’m sure the opposite is true in the winter. Awe, Scandinavians.

Hi Jordan! I just returned from Stockholm for the first time and was so delighted to see so many children outside playing in every part of the city. These days in the US, I rarely see children playing outside like I used to as a kid. Even the very little ones were riding their tricycles to school with their parents cycling beside. I also saw sleeping babies in prams on nearly every block. Did you notice all the ramps on the stairways made especially for strollers? I really loved how outdoor/pedestrian focused the city was. It made me very inspired and excited to have children someday. This clothing line is adorable!

When we were in iceland and sweden over christmas we saw the strollers outside even then. In iceland! I love it though. Stockholm is my next destination I dream about.

I love our PO.P stuff! I didn’t realize what brand it was until a friend was asking for quality clothing recommendations for her newly crawling daughter who needed some new pants. I checked our favorite pair of pants and it was PO.P. I have enven found some of our other favorite clothes are by them as well. (I’m not really one to look at labels I just buy what I like.) Like our reversible checkered button up shirt. So cute!

My husband is Swedish and his mother has given us some lovely POP treasures over the years. One of my favorite pics is of my three kids in matching POP stripes. Love the softness of the clothes and yes, they do last for many passings-down. I used to live in Stockholm when I was first married and have loved the city ever since. So glad you had a great time, too! Thanks for the lovely post!