Sturgeon slams baby box scaremongers
NICOLA Sturgeon has accused the Tories of “needlessly trying to frighten parents” after they called for all safety documentation on the baby box to be published.
MSP Miles Briggs said there should be “complete transparency” from the SNP over the advice received about the boxes, which have been delivered to more than 22,000 families since last August.
The kits, which contain essential items for newborns, are also promoted as a safe place for babies to sleep. But cot death expert Dr Peter Blair raised concerns about the safety of the boxes in a memo to the Scottish Government.
At First Minister’s Questions, Sturgeon said: “The Tories should be deeply ashamed of themselves for needlessly trying to frighten parents.
“Miles Briggs called for all of the safety accreditation to be published. That was done months ago and I don’t believe Miles Briggs doesn’t know that.
“The question, therefore, is why is he trying to wilfully mislead people about that?
“Let me address this because it is really important to parents.
“The baby box conforms to all relevant safety standards.
“There isn’t yet a specific British standard for baby boxes but they conform to the standards in place for a crib or a cradle for domestic use, and that includes passing all of the necessary stability, static load and strength safety tests.”