No curve was too sharp for them and their bicycle. No puddle was deep enough to stop them. -- Friends by Helme Hein

02 February, 2012

It's cold here.

Really cold.  Up until this month, the winter in Denmark had been quite mild.  But for the last 2 weeks, the temperature has barely gotten above freezing, with most days well below 0 C. 

This morning it was -7C/19F when I left with Woody for the day.  The verdict is still out on what's worse in my opinion: staying indoors with a busy baby or getting a busy baby dressed to leave the house in this weather.  This completed winter look took about 30 minutes of chasing and dressing, one layer at a time.  In between layers, he speedily crawls away from me laughing at my growing frustration.  Here he is wearing long underwear, wool pants, a onesie, two long sleeve shirts, two pair of socks, a fleece suit and a baby balaclava.  It's hard work living in a cold climate. 

 All of that dressing for an hour or two at an indoor playground.  At least he is too tired to fight me after all that play when I dress him for the way home.

 
 I've been saving the topic of babies and prams in Denmark for a whole separate post, but this seems like a good time to talk about sleeping in the cold.  Did you know that babies in Denmark sleep outside for naps?  All year round?  The Danish health authority encourages moms to bundle up their babies, rock them in their prams, and leave them in the protected courtyard to sleep up until -10C.  After -10, they finally come inside. Some moms leave a baby monitor in the pram (complete with temperature gauge!) so they can tell when their baby has awakened.  My jaw dropped when I first heard this, but Woody does actually sleep very well in the cold. Unfortunately our courtyard is more like a trash heap, so he sleeps inside where it's warm. 

2 comments:

Scott and Heather said...

Is that your pram!?! I love the Columbia outfit on your little man. Let us know if you need more layers. I had heard that about letting their babies sleep outside! Belle sleeps if her room is a bit cooler as well!

Wendy Temple said...

That is crazy! I could see maybe (just maybe) having them nap outside in the spring/summer, but -10?!?!?Holy cow!