Sladdbarn

"Sladdbarn" is a Swedish term to refer to a child who is born much later than their other siblings. The terms differ from the colloquial English expression "oops baby" which simply refers to any unplanned birth. There are similar terms for the concept in many other Nordic languages and some others.^[1]

Definition[edit]

There are many opinions about how far apart it should be for the child to considered a sladdbarn.^[2] If it has been at least six years between siblings, the younger child can be regarded as a sladdbarn according to the behavioral pedagogue Elisabeth Schönbeck.^[3]^[4]^[5] Another opinion is that it is when the difference between the infant and the second youngest is greater than the difference between the second youngest and the eldest child. A commonly held rule of thumb is that it should be 10 years between the children.^[6] Another criterion may be that the child is born long after the first clutch of children and thus is not part of the companionship of their older siblings, missing out on the sibling bonding stage during childhood, developing more as a single child.

Causes[edit]

Sladdbarn can be born because the parents mistakenly believe that they can no longer have children due to their age and stop using contraceptives. Another reason for a much later sibling is due to the parents feeling that their first group of children are getting older and they miss having small children around.^[7] Sometimes older couples with a more unstable relationship have yet another child in later life due to feeling a need to keep the relationship together when their older children start becoming independent, thus losing the so-called "glue" that kept them from growing apart.

Effects[edit]

During the early 20th century having a sladdbarn was considered shameful in the country, as it was considered to imply that the parents were overly sexually active in old age.^[8] In Sweden in the 1960s having a sladdbarn was considered a major economic setback for a working-class family^[9] but a status symbol for the richer who could afford it.^[8] Children whose only siblings are much older than them sometimes report feeling like an only child.^[10] Many sladdbarn are often accused of being spoiled by their parents according to the older siblings.^[11]^[12] They are also often said to remain childish even in adulthood.^[13]

Other terms[edit]

There are many playful synonyms for sladdbarn in the Nordic countries. In Swedish, "efterskott" may be used (a double entendre, meaning "arrears", but literally also "after-shot").^{[citation needed]} In Finland Swedish, there is a term "skrapabulla" (scrape bun, the word comes from the slightly smaller bun that gets created when a baker needs to scrape off the bowl to get enough dough to fill the last cup).^{[citation needed]} In Finnish, the term that is used is "iltatähti" (Evening Star), this after the planet Venus, which becomes visible during dusk, before the sun has gone down completely.^[14] In Norwegian, "attpåklatt" is a commonly used term, being the equivalent of "top-up" or "small refill" of your bowl of porridge.^[15] Danish uses the term "efternøler".^[16] Compare Danish "efterfølger", meaning "successor" and "nøler" which translates to "hesitate" in English. In English, a sladdbarn is sometimes colloquially called an "'oops' baby".^[17]

Notable people[edit]

Ola Salo (b. 1977) – singer^[18]
Miss Li (b. 1982) – singer and songwriter^[19]
Niklas Andersson (b. 1971) – hockey player^[20]
Anna Holmlunds – skier^[21]

References[edit]

^ Arwidson, Thorulf (13 May 2017). "Sladdbarn". Ardwidson.wordpress.com (in Swedish).
^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 25 October 2021. Retrieved 24 October 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
^ Sjödin, Anne (30 August 2010). "Beteendevetaren: Sladdbarnen blir framgångsrika men modersbundna". Arbetarbladet.se (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 17 May 2015.
^ "Endabarn och sladdbarn". Tryggabarn.nu. Archived from the original on 17 May 2015. Retrieved 17 May 2015.
^ Dahlbäck, Elisabet García (29 April 2013). "Syskon – gör dig till den du är" (in Swedish). Bra vardag. Archived from the original on 18 June 2015. Retrieved 17 May 2015.
^ Franzén, Stina (6 August 2015). "Äldst, yngst eller mellanbarn – så påverkas din personlighet". Aftonbladet.se (in Swedish).
^ Bergman, Linnea (30 October 2017). "Ny undersökning: Så påverkas vi av att få barn". Metro.se (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 2 January 2019.
^ ^a ^b Åke Arenhill; Nya och illustrerade sagor om Skåne 1966
^ 1966, Industria. Volume 62; Edition: 7–12 – Page 56
^ Bradford, Kelly Rose (5 April 2014). "I wish my son wasn't an only child". The Guardian.
^ Lidbo, Ulrika (5 April 2013). "Mina syskon kallar mig lat och slarvig". Aftonbladet.se (in Swedish).
^ Lagerblad, Anna (5 January 2015). "Vi blir aldrig fria från våra syskon". Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish).
^ "Ola Salo: Som liten längtade jag mycket efter pappa". Hemmets.se (in Swedish). 26 December 2018. Archived from the original on 3 January 2019.
^ "Dialektala uttryck - Institutet för de inhemska språken". Sprakinstitutet.fi. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
^ "attpåklatt". Det Norske Akademis ordbok (in Norwegian).
^ "efternøler". ordnet.dk (in Danish).
^ Ashford, Kate (30 June 2014). "So you're having an 'oops' baby". BBC Online.
^ Appelgren, Oscar (27 December 2018). "Ola Salo - en extravagant artist" (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 12 April 2019.
^ Haimi, Rebecca (19 August 2014). "Miss Li: Jag kan grotta ner mig fullständigt i ångest". Aftonbladet.se (in Swedish).
^ Andersson, Jan (5 January 2019). "På mammas gata med Niklas Andersson". Gp.se. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
^ Engström, Roland (21 February 2014). "Sladdbarn med vinnarskalle". Allehanda.se (in Swedish).