How £27m baby boxes ‘WON’T stop cot deaths’
NICOLA Sturgeon’s bid to give every new mother a box of baby goods has suffered a setback – as experts say there is no evidence they will cut infant deaths.
New parents are encouraged to put babies in the box when they sleep to reduce the risk of cot death, while the box itself contains items including blankets, mittens and bodysuits.
The scheme, which could cost up to £27million, mirrors an initiative in Finland, which has one of the lowest infant mortality rates in the world. But nearly all countries have had a dramatic reduction in infant mortality over the past century – in 1900, about 15 per cent of babies in Europe would have died in their first year but now it is less than 0.4 per cent. Professor Tuovi Hakulinen, of the National Institute for Health and Welfare in Finland, said there was no direct link between the boxes and mortality rates. This deals a fresh blow to the SNP scheme, the ‘primary focus’ of which was improving child health and reducing deaths. Professor Hakulinen’s colleague, Professor Mika Gissler, said the boxes were introduced for low-income women in 1938 ‘at the same time that prenatal care was started’. Women had to attend clinics early on in their pregnancy to qualify and their health could then be monitored. Legislation in 1944 made it a legal obligation for municipalities to provide maternity and child health clinics. That year, only 31 per cent of pregnant mothers had received prenatal care but the figure jumped to 86 per cent the following year. In 1949 the care package, including baby boxes, was offered to all women. Professor Gissler said: ‘Then there was a big change from home birth to hospital birth.’ The experts say the decline in infant mortality is more likely to be a combination of advancement in medicine, vaccinations, nutrition, hygiene and increased prosperity – not baby boxes. The comments, in a BBC probe of baby boxes, undermine SNP arguments for them. They have also been branded a ‘gimmick’ by Miss Sturgeon’s poverty adviser, Naomi Eisenstadt.
The Scottish Government said the boxes would cost about £100 each, and a total of around £7million a year – but the supply of 200 boxes in the pilot scheme cost £100,000, an average of £500 per box.
With more than 55,000 babies born every year, the cost could soar to up to £27.5million.
Ministers insist ‘we will obviously achieve significant economies of scale when purchasing for the national roll-out’.
The Scottish Government said: ‘[The baby box] has a proven track record in encouraging better and earlier engagement among women with maternal health services.’