Parenting in Finland

Here's a post about all the equipment you need to have if you live in Finland and your children go to either daycare or school here. I hope you all have a Finnish friend with same aged, or even better, older kids, from whom you can ask for advice. I realize that I'm very spoiled because I have a big brother with older kids, and my kids often get their gear directly from their cousins.

For the most time of the year, your children will need some kind of ulkovaatteet, outside clothes. Finnish children go out no matter how cold or wet the weather is, so you just have to dress your child according to the temperature. And don't forget kuravaatteet or sadevaatteet, the rubber-made overalls, jacket and rubber mittens. Usually the daycare teachers advise you to have a set of kuravaatteet and kumisaappaat, rubber boots, that you keep at the daycare. If that's the case, you are also advised to bring the muddy clothes home for the weekend for a wash. Most kids wear some kind of tossut or sisäkengät (slippers or inside shoes) inside.

Of course, it depends on the region, but here's a list of sports equipment your children will most likely need from the age 4 (or maybe even 3) up:

• sukset - skis (Not the strap-on ones but real skis.)
• sauvat - ski poles 
• monot - ski boots
• suksipidike - the thing that keeps the skis and ski poles together when you carry them
• luistimet - skates
• luistinten teränsuojukset - skate blade covers
• kypärä - a helmet (Ideally the same helmet would work for biking, skating and downhill skiing, but you'll probably need several different helmets.)
• uimapuku tai uimahousut - a swimsuit or swim trunks (the European style, not the loose shorts.)
• reppu, johon kaikki mahtuu - a backpack that fits everything

In school, they might also want to have

• sisäpelikengät - indoor sport shoes
• salibandymaila - a floorball stick

For organizing art work and different papers you might be asked to bring

• kansio - a binder
• muovitaskuja - plastic pockets

And while you're out there shopping, you might as well make a trip to the pharmacy and buy some täishampoo just in case your child (and the rest of the family, too) will get lice. Oh, and at some point your child will want to have naamiaisasu, a costume.  My favourite way of marking my children's clothes and gear is this kangasteippi, fabric tape and this kind of merkintätussi, a fabric marker.

If this was useful, you might also like my e-book A guide for schoolkids parents.

About the author of Random Finnish Lesson: 

My name is Hanna Männikkölahti. I am a professional Finnish teacher who gives private online lessons and simplifies books into easy Finnish. Please read more in www.linktr.ee/hannamannikkolahti and follow this blog, if your want to be the first one to know when I post something new.