Kela unveils 50-item baby box for 2021

The national social insurance institution Kela on Friday released this year’s maternity box containing 50 items, that is six items fewer than the box released in the previous years, said Kela in a press release.

The baby box released in previous years contained 56 items while the baby box of 2019 had 63 items.

The 2021 edition of the maternity package contains useful products for families with babies and the selection of products has, in keeping with the users’ wishes, stayed largely the same.

The distribution of this year’s edition of the maternity package will probably start in March or April.

“The maternity package is still very popular. Of all the maternity grants, 70% are still maternity packages,” said Kela Benefits Manager Johanna Aholainen.

Users have wished for items that are easy to mix and match. A new product in this year’s edition of the maternity package is a set of three clothes that can be mixed and matched.

For the first time, the package also contains a feeding bib with spill pocket made of silicone, in addition to an ordinary feeding bib. The number of muslin squares has been increased and emphasis has been put on using patterns with colours.

The clothes chosen for the new maternity package are of neutral colours. Also included are colourful clothes and vivid patterns with themes inspired by nature.

This year, the package does not include a light-weight overall, blanket, or thermometer.

“Experiences of the items in the package are important information for us. We gladly receive feedback from customers also about the current changes to the contents of the package,” said Aholainen.

A survey on the maternity package carried out in 2020 showed that customers are prepared to compromise on the number of products, if this helps to improve the sustainability of the package.

“Already in the bidding stage, we emphasise the sustainability of the products in the maternity package and, for instance, require that certain minimum standards be met as regards to production and choice of materials,” added Aholainen.

The tender process for the 84-year-old maternity package emphasises quality and responsible choices of materials. Of the products produced from cotton, some 95% are made of organic cotton. Five fabric items have partly been made from recycled material. Each product must of course meet safety requirements imposed by the Finnish and EU law.

Kela has started cooperation with the Aalto University and the government in designing a course on investigation into the carbon footprint of the maternity package. In the future, the aim is to use the carbon footprint as one of the sourcing criteria for the maternity package.

The exact date of the changeover to a new edition varies slightly from year to year, because any stocks remaining from the previous year’s edition must be cleared out first.

There has been a slight increase in birth rates, which has been reflected in the number of applications for maternity packages in the first couple of months of this year.

For the first time, Kela invited customers to vote on the pattern for the sleeping bag, and the chosen pattern won by a broad margin. The products are packed in a beautiful box that has been designed by Ilona Partanen, one of the winners in the design competition arranged by Kela.