Washington moves to introduce Finnish baby box

The American lawmakers are considering introduction of Finnish cardboard box model in Washington DC with the view to prevent infant deaths, reported The Washington Post, a leading English language daily in the world published from the USA.

“District lawmakers are considering a tool that has become synonymous with the record-low infant mortality rate in Finland — a cardboard box,” said the report.

Earlier, in March 2016 Finnish embassies have taken an initiative to spread the idea of maternity packages all over the world.

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs has bought 60 maternity packages from national social insurance institution Kela for the embassies.

Earlier, Japan's own version of the maternity package was introduced at the end of 2014 in the city of Urayasu.

Mexico has developed a version of the maternity package for low-income mothers. The project is funded by the Mexican government.

Maternity packages are a social innovation, which was initially intended for the needy in Finland.

A maternity grant was divided among low-income mothers in Finland in 1937 but from 1949, every new mother in the country receives the maternity package.

“Baby boxes come packed with new baby supplies and are outfitted with a firm, foam mattress so they can double as a bassinet during the baby’s first months, offering a safer alternative to co-sleeping,” said The Washing Post report.

Another state New Jersey already introduced the baby box in January this year to become the first state in USA, said the report, adding that since then, Alabama, Ohio, Texas and Colorado have also announced statewide programs.

Click The Washington Post to read the detail original report.