‘Baby boxes’ to be sent to new mums in Scotland from this week

From this week, baby boxes are to be sent to new parents all across Scotland.

They will include essential items for newborns like clothes, blankets, and books. The box itself can also be used for a baby to sleep in. This initiative comes as part of a new scheme announced by Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon to help reduce child mortality and cot death, while also improving the health of newborns in the country. While the baby boxes will not be able to prevent cot deaths, they are being sent out to encourage "safe sleeping" for new babies. Dr Catherine Calderwood, chief medical officer for Scotland, has said that parents should be thinking about safe sleeping practices before their baby is even born. “It is important parents make the safe sleeping choice that is right for them, and anyone needing more information should speak to their health visitor or midwife," she said. The baby boxes are to be offered to all new mothers across Scotland. They will be rolled out this week as part of a voluntary opt-in scheme which will see over 58,000 new mums receive the boxes for free. A similar scheme has been running in Finland since the 1930s. Once it was introduced, the country saw their infant mortality rates drop considerably.