Challenges of fours seasons

In Finland kids play outside despite of weather

Summer

Dressing kids is easy summer time. (I love summers!) I can send kids outside without spending half an hour dressing them (or assuming that at the age of 3 and 5 years they do it all by themselves). 

Fall

Now challenges start. The kids need middle season overalls. If the ones that they used last spring are too small, it is time to do some shopping. The best options are waterproof overalls. However, for muddy and rainy days the kids need mud pants and a rain coats also. For cool days they need fleece or wool layers under their overalls (they can use the same once during the winter). To keep their feet warm Gore-Tex shoes are the best choice. They also need rubber boots for muddy days. And we should not forget water-proof mittens. And mud mittens to play with mud (which they love to do). They must have a beanie “pipo”, which is made of cotton. In addition to all these out-door clothes the kids need better clothes also: jackets, shoes, mittens etc.

Winter

Our kids have two different kinds of overalls for winter season, because winter seems to be more wet now days than it used to be. The kids have thick winter overalls, which they use when the temperature is below zero degrees centigrade. Unfortunately temperature is often above zero and the kids get wet playing out-door. My kids have also other overalls which are warm, but are made of rubber below the waist line (Lassie Suprafill). Gore-Tex boots are again the best ones, but they need to be also warm and not slippery. I haven’t found a pair of boots that would have all of these qualities, which means that the kids need several pairs of boots. When it comes to warm and not slippery shoes, Kuoma winter boots are our favorite. When the temperature is below zero, the kids use fleece or wool layers underneath their overalls. Mittens and beanies need to be warm as well. I prefer waterproof mittens also during winter. And again, in addition to all these out-door clothes the kids need better clothes also: jackets, shoes, mittens etc.

Spring

Yes! Spring will be here soon. It is time to switch to the middle season overalls. But with sunglasses they look much cooler! The weather improves every week and soon I can search for our kids sweatsuites that they often use when outside. Soon the rubber boots and Gore-Tex shoes can be replaced with sneakers. 

The Finnish maternity package

The new Finnish maternity package has been published -- like every spring!

When I was expecting my first child I couldn't wait to get our maternity package by mail. I had to wait for certain weeks (154 days) to be full so that I would get a certificate from the maternity clinic to apply for it. It was exciting to open the package and look though the items: snowsuit, socks, bodysuites etc.

You can have the package every time when you are expecting or you can choose to take the money (140 euros) instead. (If you expect twins, you get three "packages", if you expect triples you get six "packages"  > you can take choose to take money instead of any package.)  Most Finnish mother choose the package especially when they are expecting their first ones. The value of the package is much more than 140 euros.

I decided to take the package also when I was expecting our second child. The main reason was that I knew that we were having a boy and the colors of that package suited well for a boy (even though, they are often unisex). (And there is that certain excitement related to the package... The amount of 140 euros would not replace that...)

How about the cardboard box - did we use it as a bed for the baby? Yes, we did. When expecting our first child, my husband I build a stand for the box. We did it together from the beginning to the end. I sewed a lining for the box. It turned out beautiful -- or what do you think? Now it is serving as a shelf for my daughter's toys. And the boxes... they are used to store things.

Here you can look what the new Finnish maternity package 2015 looks like:
http://www.kela.fi/aitiyspakkaus

More information about Finnish maternity package in English:¨¨
Why Finnish babies sleep in cardboard boxes
http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-22751415

Summer and sauna

During summer we have warm days and weeks (+30C) as well as cool rainy days. Last summer was wonderful: sun was shining every day most of July. We enjoyed swimming in lakes. My parents live by a lake and water of that lake was +28C. Did you know that Finns go to sauna and jump to lake after that? People who have summer cottages have always a sauna with a wood-burning stove. I go to sauna and swim three times every evening when visiting my parents during summer. Our kids love going to sauna and swimming. They would spent the whole day swimming. My parents don't have a wood-burning stove in sauna. Their sauna has an electric stove that is always warm: you just lift up a lid and throw water to the stove. It is very handy if you want to spent the whole day swimming and want to warm up once and while.

I guess it is impossible even to talk about Finland without starting to talk about sauna. Every house and cottage in Finland has a sauna and I really mean every.

It is important to protect kids from ultraviolet radiation also in Finland. My kids use swimming suits that cover their skin and give protection against sun. That was not the case when I was a child. Times have changed as well as nature. When I was a child the weather was easy to forecast: now we have  had winters when there is hardly any snow and summers when it is mostly raining. 

Babies nap outside in Finland -- all year around!

In Finland babies nap outside even when it is -10  degrees centigrade. When it is cold, we dress them warmly (and if it is VERY cold we cover the pram with a blanket). When you try baby's nape, you will know whether the baby is warm, cold or hot. Babies sleep usually better outside than inside.

I faced problems when I was expecting our second child and we needed the pram for the baby. My daughter never got used to taking her nap inside. So soon after turning two she didn't take a nap anymore at all. Or she did if I took her for a walk outside, which was quite difficult with a newborn baby and bad back pain.

Generally mothers feel safe leaving their babies outside to sleep. Of course they keep them on eye. My babies have slept in our back yard where nobody could see from the street near by. Like everybody, we used also a baby monitor. 

When my daughter was a baby, there was a incident when a baby was taken from a stroller without anyone noticing . It was a miracle that the baby survived because he was buried under snow and it took hours to find him. It turned out that the baby was taken by a girl who was only 10-12 years old.

Maybe that was one reason why I wanted to have a baby monitor with a camera.


The babies who nap in sub.zero temperatures

"Just once" is the beginning of a habit

My daughter held my thumb when I was nursing her. And she held my thumb when she was falling asleep. At first I thought that it was cute. But after she was getting older and older and still wanting to hold on to my thumb to fall a sleep, it wasn't cute anymore. It was tiring. I had to wean her from that as well.

I have noticed that with kids you let something happen ONCE and after that the kids have adopted a new habit. I let our son to come to sleep in our bed once and after that he woke up every night trying to come to sleep between us.

Or you have stopped nursing during nights. One time you are too tired to say "no" and you are back to the same old habit again. And you have to wean the baby again from that habit.

Children need love. I think that often the reason behind all these quickly developed or re-developed habits is to feel loved... What is the love language of your child? Is the words of affirmation, quality time, gifts, acts of service or physical touch? (Chapman, Gary: The Five Love Languages). How does the child show you his or her love? That might be his or her love language. We should love our kids with all these languages, but also to try to find our what is the primary love language that especially makes the child to feel our love....

Transitions

When I had my first baby, I started worrying how could I even take her to a day-care and go back to work. She was very clingy. When I left the room she started crying and cried until I picked her up. Not even Daddy was good enough for her.  I can't believe how fast time has gone by. My daughter is already five years old. She is a little bit shy, but very determined. Just like when she was a baby: she knew what she wanted and didn't give up until Mommy picked her up.

This and next week all kids born in 2009 need to be registered to pre-school. There are not many private schools in Finland. There are none close by where we live (that means within 10 minutes travel). The best choice for us is a local public school. It is located only a few minutes ride from our house (1 km). When my daughter is older (7-8 years old), she is able to walk to the school by herself like most Finnish kids do.

I am worried whom we should wish to be in the same class with my daughter. How can we make the right choices... My daughter seems to be playing with many different girls in her kindergarten. Are they forming friendship for the rest of their school years? How do these sweet girls turn out when they become teenager? The feeling of responsibility for my daughter's future feels heavy upon me.

The past has taught me that often there is no need to worry. When my daughter turned one years old, I returned to work for nine months. I am thankful that we didn't have take our daughter to a day-care. Daddy stayed home with her and took care of her. (My husband was a student at that time and he was studying when she was taking a nap.)  I worried that our daughter would cry the whole day, because that is how it had been whenever I left the house. To our great surprised she waved to me at the door and was happy all day. It was a successful beginning for a special bond between Daddy and his daughter.