Baby box boom welcomed

Nearly 1,400 baby boxes have been handed over to new parents across Fife since the scheme was introduced last year, according to new figures.

The baby box contains important items for parents and newborns, such as baby clothes, digital ear thermometer, bath towel, changing mat and books.

The box itself also doubles as a bed, containing a mattress, mattress protector and fitted sheet.

Official figures have revealed 1,380 boxes went to newborns in Fife in the first six months of the initiative, with a further 1,587 handed over in the NHS Tayside area.

SNP MSP for Dunfermline Shirley-Anne Somerville welcomed the statistics and said she hoped parents had been making good use of the new resources.

She said: “The boxes are a really positive Scottish Government initiative, providing parents with many of the essentials they need to care for their child.

“From thermometers to towels, changing mats to clothes, the boxes are a fantastic way of giving children the very best start in life.

“That 1,380 boxes have already been provided to parents across Fife, part of a total of more than 22,000 across Scotland, shows how popular they are proving with parents in every corner of the country – and given how beneficial they are to parents and newborns, long may that continue.”