Time in nature strengthens children’s immune systems, Finnish guide advises

A new guide on exposing infants and toddlers to nature, developed by South-Eastern Finland University of Applied Sciences, is being distributed to child health clinics across all of Finland’s wellbeing services counties, Yle reports.

The guide provides practical advice on how to introduce babies and young children to natural environments, such as letting them touch tree bark or moss, or choosing a forest over a playground. It also notes that even a few trees can constitute a “forest” for these purposes.

Research has increasingly shown that time spent in nature boosts children’s immune systems and may help prevent allergies. The guide was created in response to growing evidence of the health benefits of natural environments, according to Sanna Kuosmanen, project manager at Xamk.

Some parents have expressed concerns about exposure to ticks, dirt, or letting infants come into direct contact with the ground. The guide addresses these issues while emphasizing the calming effects of nature, which parents like Kaisamari Maczulskij, a mother of two from Mikkeli, have observed in their own children.

The project, funded with nearly €100,000 from Sitra, Finland’s Innovation Fund, aims to integrate nature-based guidance into routine child health clinic advice.