Lessons from Finland: Babies can sleep in boxes

Did you guys see this BBC article circulating the other day? Rookie mom Yasmeen in Pune, India sent it to us. Thanks, Yasmeen!

Pregnant women in Finland receive a starter kit from the government that includes this large box, suitable as a newborn sleeping station (includes a mattress), packed with baby necessities from cold weather clothing to bathing products. Everything in the box is gender neutral, and it saves the expectant parents money as well as the stress associated with making a bunch of purchase decisions.

How wonderful for every baby in the country to be offered the same start in life, down to the same hooded bath towel. A father quoted in the article even says, “…when I visit friends with young children it’s nice to see we share some common things. It strengthens that feeling that we are all in this together.”

Question for you: Did you enjoy shopping for and selecting all the things you needed to prepare for baby or would you prefer to have a magic box handed to you by the state?

images: BBC

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Whitney

RookieMoms.com co-founder Whitney lives with her husband, son, and daughter in the San Francisco Bay Area where she writes about parenting, crafts, and activities that moms can do with babies in tow. She and Heather also publish 510Families.com, a site for East Bay parents.