A while back I read an article on facebook talking about how in Finland when you have a baby you get a box to put your baby in for safe sleeping! It sounded crazy to me at first, I mean putting your baby in a box? Why? How is it safe? I was curious, I remember hearing stories about babies who slept in dresser drawers so maybe this isn’t so crazy. I wanted to know more because I have had 3 kids but I never put them in a box to sleep. When I found out baby boxes were available here in Ohio, I knew I needed to look into it and share with you.
Baby Boxes in Finland
Expecting Parents in Finland receive a baby box with baby essentials and the box itself doubles as a baby bed and once your baby grows out of the box it can be used for storage. This government funded program has been around for over 75 years. The concept was to make sure each baby had a safe place to sleep and all the things needed right away, regardless of the parent’s income! They wanted to cut down on infant mortality rate and it worked!
The Baby Box Co.
The Baby Box Co. is the first company to offer these boxes outside of Finland. They are out of California and just had their launch here in Ohio last Friday. Over 150 boxes were handed out Friday morning at University Hospital MacDonald Women’s Hospital! Each box contained diapers, wipes, breast pads, and other newborn essentials. (Valued at around $150.) But why did The Baby Box Co. select Ohio?
Why Ohio?
According to the Ohio Department of Health, Ohio’s infant mortality rate as of 2015 is 7.2 fatalities per 1,000 live births (compared to the national average of 5.82 deaths per 1,000 live births.) Of those 16.9% of these are Sleep-Related fatalities. To me, this is heartbreaking. Also, it makes me hope many of these can be prevented with properly educating parents and providing them with the proper tools. If it worked in Finland, then I think it can work for Ohio too!
How Do You Get a Box?
Well if you are looking to gift a box or order one you can easily order one online here. Box Prices Range from$69.99 to $225.00. There is another way to receive a box. If you are an expecting parent in Ohio you can check out The Baby Box University, here you can create an account and watch all of the educational videos ( select the Ohio Syllabus) and take the quiz. You will get a certificate that you can print out and bring to a location to pick up a box or have one mailed to you. What makes this even more amazing is you can login afterward and use The Baby Box University’s resources.
What kind of Resources does The Baby Box University offer?
The Baby Box University offers a ton of videos with information on all topics like pregnancy, birth, babies and more. There are wonderful articles about things from natural cures for morning sickness, travel tips, tips for working from home with kids and so much more! There are also 3 wonderful ebooks available for download and my favorite part is that they also have activities ideas for babies from birth to age 5! How awesome is that! Would you put your baby in a box for safe sleeping? I would!
