Thousands of Scots parents want a baby box

● 500 delivered in first few days ● Premature tots are given priority

Nearly 10,000 parents have signed up to receive a baby box and more than 500 have been delivered in the first week of the scheme, the Scottish Government has said.

Under the policy, launched nationwidelasttuesday, new parents across Scotland will be given a box full of essential items aimed at giving their child a good start in life by tackling inequality and promoting health.

The boxes contain items such as clothes, books and blankets and can also be used for babies to sleep in.

Ministers said 507 boxes had been delivered in the first week, while 9,991 parents have registered to receive a baby box.

Deliveries have been prioritised for babies born prematurely and those who are due immediately, they said.

0 The boxes contain items such as clothes, books and blankets and can also be used for babies to sleep in

Deputy First Minister and Education Secretary John Swinney said: “The baby box is part of a range of measures to ensure that every baby born in Scotland is given the best possible start in life.

“It has definitely captured people’s imagination, both at home and further afield, and I am extremely pleased to see the high number of parents already registering to receive their own baby box.

“Each one includes a large number of items which are not only practical but designed to help tackle inequality and improve health. Already 507 boxes have been delivered, with many more on the way.”

The boxes are inspired by Finnish baby boxes and the national scheme followed pilot projects in Orkney and Clackmannanshire.

All babies due on or after 15 August are eligible for a box. The box itself also doubles up as a safe sleep space but the Scottish government has been forced to provide assurances that all of its baby boxes meet the highest UK safety standards for sleeping, with safe sleep guidance provided in a leaflet inside the box and safety guidelines printed on the lid.

It follows concerns raised earlier this month by cot death charity The Lullaby Trust, whose chief executive Francine Bates said she was unhappy with some boxes being marketed as products which will reduce infant mortality and SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome).

Professor Russell Viner of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health said last week that child health in Scotland was among the worst in western Europe, with about 400 infants, children and young people dying each year, many being potentially avoidable deaths.

He said that evidence into the effectiveness of baby boxes in reducing child mortality was “limited”.