Finnish baby boxes have been credited with reducing the number of cot deaths in the country to the lowest in Europe. Now, a pilot scheme aimed at reducing cot deaths in the UK, will see one hospital give baby boxes to new mums.
Read: Why do Finnish babies sleep in cardboard boxes
The sturdy cardboard boxes – which come with a foam mattress, waterproof mattress cover, cotton sheet and other baby essentials – are designed to be a baby’s first bed, up to eight months old.
The baby boxes were first introduced in Finland in the 1930s when the level of cot deaths in the country was high. The rate fell from 65 infant deaths per 1,000 births in 1938 to 2.26 per 1,000 births in 2015.
Mums can opt for a box with a cash grant or a box that contains clothes, a sleeping bag, bathing products, nappies and a small mattress – or a cash grant.
Most opt for the box as its value is higher than the cash grant. Over the past two decades the SIDS rate in Ireland has declined gradually from a high of 2.3 per 1,000 births (an average of 134 deaths per annum) in the 1980s to a low of 0.55 per cent death per 1,000 births in 2004 (34 deaths).
Replacing the need for the traditional Moses basket or cot m, it is thought the small size of the baby box prevents babies from rolling onto their stomachs – which experts think can contribute to sudden infant death syndrome.
Lets hope there are plans in place for a pilot scheme in Ireland, similar to the one being rolled out in the UK at the moment.