New Jersey is giving away free powder boxes to reduce infant mortality
(Baby Box Company)
They’re not your ordinary brown cardboard boxes – although your cat will definitely love them all the same.
These are, in fact, baby boxes: cardboard cradles given to new parents, with a bundle of baby clothes, towels, toiletries, and more stored inside.
Providing baby boxes to new parents is a long-observed tradition in Finland , but New Jersey just became the first US state to issue them. In 2017, the state will provide about 105,000 free boxes to new parents.
The goal is to make typically difficult beginnings a little easier for parents. And in New Jersey, the baby box program also has a public health component: reducing the rate of sudden infant death syndrome.
Dr. Kathie McCans, a pediatrician and chair of the New Jersey Child Mortality and Near-Fatality Review Panel, told the New York Times recently that 57 of the state’s 61 SIDS cases in 2014 (most recent year data available) regarding unsafe sleeping circumstances. That could mean the child is sleeping with the parent, wrapped in a blanket, or some other risky situation.
Vị trí an toàn nhất, các chuyên gia đồng ý, là đặt em bé nằm ngửa.
Hộp em bé có nghĩa là khuyến khích cha mẹ làm theo sự khôn ngoan đó. Như McCans nói với tờ Times, chúng cũng có nghĩa là một công cụ giáo dục. Để nhận được hộp em bé, cha mẹ New Jersey phải tham gia một khóa học trực tuyến ngắn hướng dẫn họ về những cách khác nhau mà trẻ sơ sinh có thể bị SIDS. Trong hai tuần đầu tiên của chương trình, khoảng 12.000 người đã tham gia khóa học.
(Attila Cser/Reuters)
Finland’s baby box program started with a similar goal 75 years ago. The infant mortality rate was high, and the federal government wanted a way to standardize, at least in part, the way newborns were cared for. Today, that means sending parents a box filled with clothes, burp cloths, toys, outerwear (it’s chilly in Finland), a toothbrush, bibs, and other essentials that babies demand.
New Jersey’s baby boxes come with a similar assortment: baby wipes, breast-feeding pads, Pampers, a onesie, and other smaller items. The boxes themselves are paid for by the Child Fatality and Near Fatality Reviews board, though any remaining costs will be paid by the California-based Baby Box Company .
Parents from all income brackets can receive a box, as SIDS doesn’t affect one socioeconomic group more than another. In the US, SIDS ranks as the leading cause of death for children between one month and one year of age.
New Jersey’s rate of SIDS happens to be the lowest in the country, tied with California’s. If the new program works as intended, it’s likely to reduce the number even further.
NOW WATCH: This $1,150 crib automatically calms crying babies back to sleep in minutes
More From Business Insider