site.btaMid-20th Century Daycare Napping Practices in Bulgaria

A number of BTA photographs from rural Bulgaria during the 1950s show rows of children bundled up and sleeping outside on cots. Outdoor napping apparently reflecting a belief that exposure to outdoor air was healthier than indoor air.

In the mid-20th century, particularly from the 1930s through the 1960s, outdoor napping for children in daycare and kindergartens was a common practice across several European countries, especially in Scandinavia, Germany, the Soviet Union, and Eastern Bloc countries.

In socialist Bulgaria (1940s-1980s), daycare centers and kindergartens were state-run, following stringent health and education guidelines. Outdoor napping, especially in warm seasons, was often encouraged in the early years but was later abandoned.