More Trusts sign up for "baby boxes"

The Finnish style baby boxes are being introduced in more hospitals across the UK, with the aim of reducing baby loss.

The boxes, made from thick cardboard are designed to replace moses baskets or cots for the first 8 months of life. They come with a firm foam mattress, waterproof cover, cotton sheet and educational materials. It is thought to improve mortality rates due to the small size of the box, preventing babies from rolling onto their stomachs which is considered a factor in Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.

The baby boxes have been credited with reducing the Finnish infant death rate from 65 per 1000 births in 1938, to 2.26 per 1000 in 2015. The boxes can be customised to local needs and have been developed with the support of leading medical professionals worldwide.

North Middlesex University Hospital, and Cheshire and Merseyside Women’s & Children’s Services Partnership for the Halton, are introducing the boxes and their educational services to women during pregnancy.

For North Middlesex University Hospital, where between 6 and 10 babies die from SIDS per year, educational videos made by their own midwives and doctors will be included in the scheme, through ‘Baby Box University’. The videos will also be made available in 17 different languages, ensuring that babies get the same safe start in life, regardless of background.

This initiative is aimed at improving the UK’s infant mortality rates, as it currently sits 22nd out of the 50 European countries with 4.19 deaths per 1000 births.

For more on this story see RCM article here

Learn more about the boxes here