“Aren’t there bad boys out there?” Viral video of Norwegian babies sleeping ONLY outside in freezing weather stuns Americans – who ‘could never imagine such a safe world’

An Australian living in Norway has gone viral after sharing video of around a dozen babies sleeping outside in their prams in freezing temperatures.

Olly Bowman (22) from Sydney has more than 200,000 followers on TikTok, where he uses the handle @mrmelk_ to document his life abroad.

The expat stunned viewers – especially Americans – when in mid-February he released footage of himself walking past the unaccompanied babies sleeping peacefully outside.

“Another day in Norway, another group of babies left alone in the cold. Look how many there are,’ he says as he pans the camera to show all the wagons lined up.

“Another day in Norway, another group of babies left alone in the cold. Look how many there are,’ he says as he turns the camera to show all the wagons

“It helps with their breathing and makes them more independent,” he added of the claimed benefits. “This is actually why so many people in Norway leave home earlier than in other countries.”

Putting babies to sleep outside in winter has been a common practice in Scandinavian countries for nearly 100 years – after a tuberculosis epidemic that hit Iceland in the early 20th century was exacerbated by poorly ventilated houses.

In 1926, Icelandic doctor David Thorsteinsson published an educational book in which he argued that parents should let their children sleep outside in strollers, even in cold weather, for fresh air to strengthen their immune systems.

The tradition has been passed down through generations and in countries such as Norway, Denmark and Iceland it is common to see prams with sleeping babies parked in front of houses, apartments and even local businesses.

A 2008 Finnish study found that children “sleep longer outside than inside”. However, cold weather carries a risk of hypothermia, and experts say it’s important that children are properly wrapped up when outside.

“A baby’s temperature can drop four times faster than an adult’s, and they can become hypothermic,” said Dr. Jennifer Shu, a pediatrician in Atlanta, Georgia, told Insider in 2020.

TikTok users familiar with the practice took to the comments section of Bowman’s video to suggest the benefits of letting babies sleep outside.

“My Norwegian neighbor convinced me and my youngest of this [does] I don’t get sick as often as my oldest,” one mother shared.

A 2008 Finnish study found that children “sleep longer outside than inside”. However, in cold weather there is a risk of abduction and hypothermia

Putting babies to sleep outside in winter is a common practice in Scandinavian countries such as Norway and Iceland (pictured), dating back nearly 100 years

Many Americans who saw Bowman’s video maintained that they never felt safe enough to lose sight of their children for a minute.

“Growing up in Minnesota, my mom would always put me on the back porch where she could still see me from the living room/kitchen and I would sleep for hours,” recalled another.

“As a Scandinavian baby, it also adapts us to the cold!” prompt someone else.

Temperature aside, there is also an increased risk of kidnapping, but there are varying levels of trust in many Scandinavian countries, which are among the safest in the world.

According to CrimeGrade.org, the kidnapping rate in Norway is 0.02 per 1,000 population in a standard year.

By comparison, in the United States, a child goes missing or is kidnapped every 40 seconds. About 840,000 American children are reported missing each year.

The cultural differences led to aspiring Danish actress Anette Sørensen being jailed by New York police in 1997 for leaving her baby in a stroller outside a restaurant where she was eating.

“I lived in New York [during school]So of course I knew I wouldn’t see walkers everywhere in the city,” Sørensen told the New York Post in 2017. “But… I lived in Copenhagen, I gave birth to my daughter in Copenhagen, I grew up in Denmark myself… That’s how they do it in Denmark.”

Many Americans who saw Bowman’s video insisted that they would never feel safe enough to lose sight of their children for a minute, let alone sleep outside a coffee shop.

“Babies [are] Moms are left outside to shop and in America we are afraid to send any age to school,” wrote one.

Bowman’s video has been viewed more than 13.8 million times and he later directed a sequel in which he asked parents in Norway if they would be comfortable letting their children sleep outside

One father explained that “it depends on where you are,” adding that he didn’t think anyone would take their babies in Oslo

Another mother explained that she knew many pushchairs were stolen and although people wouldn’t steal them if they had babies in them, she didn’t want to risk it

“THERE IS NO EVIL[?]asked another. “I DO NOT UNDERSTAND!”

“It’s always great… until it’s not anymore. I don’t care how safe they claim to be, evil is everywhere,” someone else insisted.

Admittedly, some people, mainly Americans, were also jealous and wondered how they could move to Norway.

“I envy the ability to do this without fear,” one TikTok user shared, while another added: “I’ve never felt so safe here in the ‘land of the free.'”

“As an American, I could never imagine such a safe world. May I come over??’ someone else asked.

Bowman’s video has been viewed more than 13.8 million times and received nearly 17,000 comments since it was posted last week.

He later directed a sequel in which he asked parents in Norway if they would be comfortable letting their children sleep outside alone.

One father explained that “it depends on where you are,” adding that he didn’t think anyone would take their babies in Oslo.

“I know people do it, but we didn’t do it. Not downtown. I know a lot of pushchairs have been stolen too,” said one mother. “People don’t steal prams with babies, but we still don’t want to risk it.”

Another mother with a newborn baby said she would leave her daughter alone for a minute or two while she rushed to a coffee shop for a coffee, but no more.

“Actually I’m from Germany,” emphasized someone else. “I think it’s safe. Maybe I would. This is my first [child]So I’m a little scared, but I have a lot of friends and people I know who go to a coffee shop and leave their babies outside.

“It’s very common,” she added. There is a saying, “There is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes.” So just wrap the baby.”