Why Did Russian Children Sleep Outside Even In Winter And In Freezing Temperatures?
Having a child is one of the boldest choices you can make in life, and parenting isn’t always easy. Thinking about how to raise a child and what is good or bad for him or her is often a challenge. The concerns are numerous and often related to the health of toddlers.
Protecting them and raising them in good health has always been one of the main goals of parents. But not everyone has the same methods. For example, would you think of letting your child sleep in the garden when the outside temperature is 0 ° C or even lower? If you answered no, know that this is exactly what happened in Russia in the first half of the 20th century. Are you ready to find out why?
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image credit: GaGator43/reddit
In an old official document, approved by the highest medical authorities of the USSR, we can read the sanitary rules to be adopted in kindergartens. One of the most important rules was that children should spend as much time as possible in the open air. It goes without saying that playing or taking a nap outside were controlled practices: children should be well covered and the temperature should not drop below -10 ° C.
The Russian government was considering such measures to reduce the spread of epidemics such as tuberculosis. Along with administering vaccines, it is important to provide guidelines for avoiding infection, such as good hygiene and healthy activities. And good habits were often instilled from an early age.
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image credit: Pxfuel – Not the actual photo
That is why it was compulsory to ventilate the classrooms at least twice a day and to take the children outside. According to the Soviets, being on the outside somehow fortified the individual and hardened him against outside “attacks”. A practice and a way of thinking that has distant historical roots. There is indeed a link with the period of the Tsars and in particular with the Romanov family. It is assumed that the descendants of this family spent too few hours outdoors, resulting in their poor health .
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image credit: Pxfuel – Not the actual photo
Adopting a completely different methodology was, therefore, a good way to strengthen the new generations in a natural way. A practice so deeply rooted that we can still find it today in the habits of certain Nordic countries.
What do you think? Would you leave your child in subzero temperatures for a nap or play to strengthen them? Tell us in the comments.
Source used:
https://www.historicmysteries.com/russian-babies-sleep-outside/
https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-21537988