A nursery charging parents £8-an-hour puts babies to sleep outside even if it's cold 'because its healthier'.

Hannah Rosalie, who runs Paddock Cottage in Sussex, claims sleepy tots should be left wrapped up outdoors because they will nap for longer and be less susceptible to colds.

The childminder says she was inspired by the Scandinavian 'forest schools' movement where youngsters sleeping outside is common.

She told how she adopted the practice for her own babies and now does the same with children she looks after.

On her website , she said "It is the cultural norm for babies, toddlers, and young children to nap outdoors in many countries, as indeed it was here just a generation ago".

A childminder has claimed it was healthier for babies to nap outdoors

She wrote: "It seems we are sadly losing this lovely method of daytime rest for babies.

"All the children I look after sleep so well outdoors, even in the cold weather.

"We check them every five to ten minutes and every baby that we lift from their sleeping bag cocoon is toasty warn and dozy when they wake."

Speaking to the Huffington Post , Hannah said: "I’ve always loved the outdoors and so have my own children, who always napped outside - they always slept well and were very healthy,”

“Babies generally sleep better in cooler temperatures so the cool air from outside can help them sleep longer (provided they are dressed appropriately).

“Also, older babies get stimulated by their surroundings very easily and being outside, can have a calming affect, lulling them to sleep.”

The childminder said she was inspired by forest schools in Scandinavia where children sleep and learn outside

So-called forest schools where children are encouraged to eat, sleep, learn and play outdoors have existed in Scandinavia since the 1950s.

In 1993, childcare professionals from Bridgwater and Taunton College visited a school in Denmark before being among the first to introduce the concept in the UK.

It's popularity has led to outdoor schools springing up including the Dandelion Education nursery in Norfolk, which was given an 'outstanding' rating by Ofsted inspectors and crowned Nursery of the Year last year.

Dr Rahul Chodhari, of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, said sleeping outdoors is relatively safe, even in cold weather, and pointed to Finland where it's done as a "cultural practice" and the infant mortality rate is lower than the UK.

He told The Telegraph : "This is a very Scandinavian approach where afternoon nap-time in the back garden temperatures could drop below freezing.

