#5 Free schooling
You can send your child to preschool (förskola) for a maximum cost of SEK 1,287 per month, so many families choose to use their monthly child allowance to help offset this cost.
As a resident of Sweden, you don’t have to worry about putting money aside for your child’s education: School for children aged 6 to 19 (preschool class through upper secondary school) is free of charge, with free lunches.
The free education continues into university for students from the EU, but fees apply to students from outside the EU/EEA.
#6 Healthcare is nearly free
Healthcare (including dental care) is essentially free in Sweden until the age of 20, although it depends slightly on the county. Infants get free Vitamin D drops until the age of two – important in Sweden’s cold climate.
From the age of 20, a visit to the doctor will cost you between SEK 100 and 300, depending on where you live, while a specialist consultation costs a maximum of SEK 400. If you incur SEK 1,100 in fees in one year (a 12-month period, not necessarily a calendar year), a high-cost protection (högkostnadsskydd) scheme provides free care for the remainder of that year.
If you fall sick and can’t work, you’re entitled to paid sick leave (except the first day you are off work) so you can concentrate on getting better. The payment is the equivalent of about 80 per cent of your normal income, based on a nominal salary up to a maximum of SEK 27,800 before tax (2015).
#7 Free public bus rides with prams
As well as public places, transportation and buildings that are accessible for those with families and disabilities, the Swedish society has a kind of built-in thoughtfulness that helps make it family-friendly.
In some Swedish cities – capital Stockholm being one of them – parents pushing infants and toddlers in prams and pushchairs can ride for free on public buses, and can board using the large doors in the middle of the bus. This means parents don’t have to leave their pram or pushchair-borne child unattended in the back of the bus while having to pay the driver.
Sweden has a strong literary culture geared towards children.
Photo: Kristin Lidell/
imagebank.sweden.se
#8 Classic children’s literature and libraries
Running out of ideas for keeping your child busy? Sweden has a strong literary culture geared towards children. In 2014 alone, 2,066 books for children, preteens and teenagers were published in Sweden.
There are child-specific libraries around the country such as Rum för Barn (‘Room for Kids’, web information only in Swedish) in Stockholm which has children’s books in different languages as well as activities such as painting, crafts and sing-alongs.
Sweden has also produced world-renowned authors like literary icon Astrid Lindgren and Nobel Prize winner Selma Lagerlöf, both of whom penned classic children’s books.
Lindgren created perhaps the most iconic of children’s characters, Pippi Longstocking, and the legacy of the author extends well beyond just books. Places such as Junibacken in Stockholm and Astrid Lindgren’s World in Vimmerby, a town in southern Sweden, are Lindgren-themed attractions, with vibrant settings, live performances and a host of other characters from her books such as Karlsson on the Roof and Emil of Lönneberga.
Other notable Swedish authors in children’s literature include Gunilla Bergström with her character Alfie Atkins (Alfons Åberg), Sven Nordqvist with his Pettsson and Findus stories, Anders Jacobsson and Sören Olsson who created the Sune books, and Martin Widmark with the LasseMajadetective series.
#9 Baby-friendly public areas
From pram ramps to playgrounds and dedicated park sections for children, Sweden has a lot of family-friendly public areas and features. Most shopping centres and libraries have nursing rooms for infants and changing tables in shared bathrooms.
Many libraries also have a designated pram parking spot where you can comfortably park your pram or pushchair. When dining out, most restaurants will provide a high chair for babies and toddlers, and many also have changing tables in the toilets.
#10 Staying home with sick children
If you need to pick the children up early from preschool or take a few days off work when a child is sick, most Swedish companies are flexible regarding parental duties, and employees still get 80 per cent of their pay when they have to stay home with sick children or dependents.
This temporary parental leave is available for up to 120 days per child per year for children under 12 years. Children aged 12–15 require a doctor’s certificate.
Parents whose children are sick or disabled for more than six months can also receive an additional allowance until the child turns 19.
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