Whenever you dig into lists of the “best places in the world to have a baby,” the Scandinavian countries tend to be at the top. Many American parents gaze longingly across the Atlantic to that magical land of generous maternity leave laws and government-subsidized child care. Ellie Owens, an American mom living in Copenhagen, shares her life in Denmark on TikTok and recently made a video highlighting her daughter’s first two years abroad versus her U.S.-born daughter. All the differences between brothers.
American moms, get ready. real Jealous.
The difference starts immediately: a few hours after delivery—and it will take there is nothing — Owens hopped on a bus to take her kids home. A nanny makes home visits during the baby’s first year of life to make sure everything is going well. She also has access to a designated mother-and-baby group; all the babies there are born around the same time. (Anyone who has participated in an online mom group based on birth month can tell you how helpful it can be to have a group of people going through the same thing at the same time.)
While many American parents shudder at the thought of living without a car, that doesn’t seem to be a problem for Owens. “I can only count on two hands the number of times she’s been in the car here,” she explained, noting that she happily spends a lot of time outdoors with her children and takes public transportation when biking is too far. (Her bike setup is indeed beautiful.)
Overall, Owens’s picture of Denmark is, simply put, at least more child-friendly than what I experienced in America. There’s a baby cafe (have a chat over a coffee and let the babies crawl around) and it’s normal to let your baby nap outside in the stroller while you run errands or socialize. Playgrounds abound (indoor and outdoor), and many have plenty of bikes for kids to practice on for free. (This is probably not surprising considering that cycling is an important part of daily life in Denmark.)
There are also parenting issues. “Child care here is subsidized by the government,” she explains. “So, at 14 months old, she was able to start Danish daycare, where she learned Danish and how to be self-sufficient. They played outside every day and took them on random field trips around the city, and I didn’t pick her up until Just found out about them.
“This is what society supporting families looks like,” one commenter said.
“I want to be a Danish baby, please,” another begged, and honestly, just as much.
Many people were surprised by the possibility of connecting with other families, with special emphasis on baby cafes and mother and baby groups. Let more people be appalled at the idea of leaving babies outside to sleep (rest assured, it’s a thing, and it’s okay).
A common, perhaps most common, sentiment in the comments can be summed up by one person writing, “American crying.” (same.)
