Poorly Dressed Children Playing in Snow and Taking Ice Showers

In some regions of the world, Russia/Siberia being some of the main areas, young children are encouraged to run around in the snow either completely naked or in just their underwear.  Some schools have the children strip down into their underwear and play in the snow, in some cases even poor cold buckets of water on themselves in freezing temperatures.  This is part might explain why Russians generally have a reputation for being very strong, touch and durable.  On the surface this sounds cruel to do for children, or even like abuse, but various tests, studies, and words from parents, doctors, and pediatricians, in these places show that these children not only generally get sick less, but have higher immune systems and more energy.  Many of them actually enjoy these activities.  If it works for them, then why not?

How does it work though?
1) There are many ways to build immunity to different things.  Before the children go out to play in the snow they warm up inside a sauna.
2) Then they go out and run around, some places incorporate buckets of ice-cold water for the children to pour upon themselves, while other locations do not go to that extent.
3) After playing a while they go back inside and drink warm herbal teas (preferably organic to avoid pesticides).

A mix of the sauna, the playing in the cold with minimal clothing, and drinking herbal tea as they warm back up builds up their immune system to the cold, preventing them from getting sick.

Who should do this?
This system of immune system building is not for everyone!  If you live in a region that has high snow seasons and offers this kind of activity then it is something to consider as a POSSIBILITY after looking at other options.  If this is the case and you still want to do it, I recommend using the privacy of your own backyard rather than a public location so your children don't get glared at for running around in their underwear in the snow.

Another video: https://www.facebook.com/inthenow/videos/730515220432183/

Are there other ways to prevent our children from getting sick in the snow?
Absolutely, but there are no full-proof options.  There is always the possibility of getting sick.  Instead of building their immune system to the snow, you can be old-skool and protect them from the shivering temperatures by keeping them warm indoors and well-warm dressed when going outside.  If you want to boost their immunity to the temperature you can also do a similar method to the one in this blog: 1) using a sauna first, 2) letting them play in the snow modestly dressed (they don't have to be in their underwear) for just a short time, 3) then warming them up inside with blankets and a cup of organic herbal tea.  There are plenty of risks to letting your child play out in the cold snow.  Do your research before deciding to do something as unusual as this method mentioned in this blog.