Baby boxes could give families a helping hand
In some countries, ‘baby boxes’ containing essential items are given to parents of new babies. Here, Dr Gideon Calder explains why such a scheme should be introduced in Wales
JUST over 32,000 babies were born in Wales last year. That’s roughly the population of Pontypridd. A sizeable town’s worth of people starting out in life. Had they been born in Scotland, Limerick, Finland or Birmingham, the parents of each newborn would have been entitled to a package of essentials, to help in those vital early stages of their child’s life, and their own parenthood.
It’s a simple idea, but a very appealing one. Every parent, regardless of background, bank balance or postcode, can take up the offer. For those of us in favour, it’s very welcome news that trialling a similar scheme is now being proposed for babies in Wales, as announced yesterday – by coincidence, in Pontypridd – by Welsh Labour leadership candidate Mark Drakeford.
What comes in such packages can vary. In Finland, where the scheme has run for 80 years, the contents of “baby box” scheme have moved with the times.
Some clothes; a thermometer; a sling; advice on how to access support; tips on breastfeeding – all of these are obvious candidates.
And what these items are contained in can make a difference: there is evidence in favour of using a basket, rather than the box favoured in existing schemes.
It’s important, if this goes ahead in Wales, that we learn from those other experiences, and from our own research, in deciding what would suit best. But the benefits in principle are clear.
For the baby, it means the things all need for a secure and healthy start are in place, before birth.
For parents, it’s a way of getting support and advice which comes with no strings attached, as a matter of course – regardless of what resources they already have.
From professionals’ point of view, it provides a way of helping with the work of midwives, nurses and health visitors – backing up the help that they provide, and reducing the risk of early harm or death in those vulnerable early months. (There is evidence that the “baby box” scheme has contributed to a substantial fall in infant mortality rates in Finland, since the scheme began.)
The Royal College of Midwives is firmly in favour of a universal, free scheme with appropriate learning resources as “a valuable contribution to reducing costs and stress for new parents”.
And for the general public, there is the sense that we are doing something substantial for every individual baby born in Wales: a signal that each is equally valued. It’s a positive affirmation of the confidence we place in the next generation.
A fairer society is one of the most fundamental things to aim for. It is also highly ambitious. There are so many factors which mean that many of the 32,000 babies may not get the best possible start in life, or arrive on a level playing field.
Wales has the highest child poverty rates in the UK. Research by Save the Children has found that more than half of Welsh children in lowincome families are worried their parents are finding it harder to pay for everyday necessities. We know that for disadvantaged parents, doing the best for a new baby can be much more of a struggle, and that society’s inequalities start shaping babies’ lives even before they are born – as well as all the way through to adulthood.
A baby born in Blaenau Gwent can expect on average to live nearly five years less long than a baby born in next-door Monmouthshire, and the life expectancy gap between the inner city and outskirts of Cardiff can be as high as 10 years.
While of course it’s only one part of a larger response, a material offer to each baby is one of the most direct, effective yet relatively affordable ways that we can help even things up.
A “baby bundle” is a simple gesture, but a powerful one. If we adopt such a scheme, we will all have reason to be proud of the differences it can potentially make.
■ Dr Calder is the BSc Social Policy director at the Department of Public Health, Policy and Social Sciences at Swansea University.