New baby boxes lack vital ingredient

Nicola Sturgeon expressed her determination during the Holyrood election campaign that every child born in Scotland should get “the very best start in life”.

What would really boost a newborn’s chances is being breastfed, and yet, as Labour highlights today, information and materials about the practice will be missing from the Scottish Government’s new baby box scheme.

The party says this is a missed opportunity, and we would agree.

That is not to say the baby box is a flawed idea – we welcome the initiative. The box, which will include clothes and nappies, is designed to provide the essentials for a new baby, and is sure to be a help to some – although whether it needs to be universally issued is open to debate.

However, given the scientific evidence which shows the advantages of breast feeding, and the efforts that maternity wards put into encouraging new mothers to breastfeed, the baby box does seem an appropriate place to carry that message.

Breastfeeding can be incredibly hard for some women, and rates are as low as 15 per cent in some areas of Scotland.

Of course, a printed piece of paper is no substitute for the encouragement and guidance of a nurse, midwife or health visitor – nothing like it.

Information on breastfeeding may be ignored, rejected or simply discarded. But no pointer in the right direction can be considered a waste of time, even if only a fraction of mothers follow the message.

Even though the boxes are to be rolled out within days, it’s never too late to make an addition to their contents.