International experts issue safety warning over SNP baby boxes
‘The party has a responsibility’
THE SNP’S ‘baby boxes’ should not be promoted as a ‘safe alternative’ to cots, a panel of international experts has warned.
The £9million-a-year scheme was introduced by the Scottish Government last year.
The parents of every newborn can receive a free box filled with toys, clothes, blankets, towels and books worth up to £160. Parents are encouraged to use the box as a crib.
But experts have raised safety concerns about parents being encouraged to let babies sleep in a cardboard box.
They warn they are potentially flammable and may even prevent the airflow needed for babies to breathe freely.
In an article in the British Medical Journal, the 12 specialists say much more testing needs to be done to satisfy safety fears.
They conclude the boxes should not be promoted as ‘a comparable alternative to cots or Moses baskets’ until evidence proves they are safe.
The article sparked calls for the Government to carry out immediate safety tests.
Scottish Tory public health spokesman Annie Wells said: ‘Surely the SNP would lose nothing by ordering an assessment of the guidance provided to new parents to ensure that it is appropriate?
‘It would be astonishing if the SNP was to dismiss this expert advice. The SNP has a responsibility to all new parents using these boxes, all of whom want to keep their babies safe.’
The BMJ article was written by world-leading authorities including Peter Blair of Bristol University’s medical school, Francine Bates, chief executive of the Lullaby Trust cot death charity, Professor John Thompson, an epidemiologist at Auckland University and Betty McEntire, of the American SIDS [Sudden Infant Death Syndrome] Institute.
In it they state: ‘Without supporting evidence, the cardboard baby box should not be promoted as a comparable alternative to cots, bassinets or Moses baskets, but as only a temporary substitute… if the device meets accepted safety standards.
‘We encourage rigorous controlled studies to better understand how families use the cardboard baby box and its safety implications.’
The experts are ‘concerned’ cardboard boxes are being promoted as ‘a safe alternative’ to more traditional cots, given the significant recent progress in reducing cot deaths.
They state: ‘We have three concerns: the scarcity of observational evidence that the box can be used safely (and no evidence that it reduces SIDS), the lack of safety standard regulations in place, and that promotion of the cardboard baby box could serve to undermine current safety messages.’
Traditional cots, the experts say, allow babies to be ‘easily seen by parents and may also facilitate airflow’.
But they say the baby box does not, as ‘carers can see the infant only if they are looking from directly over the box’.
The article points out that the boxes are potentially flammable and ‘susceptible to lowlevel draughts, pets and young siblings’ if placed on the floor.
A Scottish Government spokesman said: ‘The baby box was introduced to help tackle deprivation, improve health and support parents.
‘There is no evidence to suggest the baby box is unsafe and we are in discussions with Peter Blair about his concerns.
‘It meets British safety standards and was awarded British Standard accreditation as a crib for domestic use.’