Finnish baby box has inspired over 60 countries – The Finnish Embassy and Finnish institute invited specialists from Wales, Scotland and Finland to share experience on social innovations
For the past 80 years, all Finnish parents have been provided a box by the state. It is a starter kit with necessities ranging from clothes to toys to help care for their newborn. Today Finland has one of the lowest infant mortality rates in the world, in part thanks to this maternity package.
The Finnish Institute in UK + Ireland and the Embassy of Finland in the UK organized an online discussion on Finnish maternity package’s international success story on 10 March.
So far, there has been over 100 maternity package pilots in more than 60 countries.
Dr Annariina Koivu from University of Tampere shed light on various adaptations of the baby box around the world.
“The boxes vary a lot. Items can be life-saving, like malaria-nets or food. Sometimes they are conditioned for example on participating in antenatal health checks”, said Koivu, author of "The baby box. Enhancing the wellbeing of babies and mothers around the world."
Picture: Kela/Annika Söderblom
The discussion included Scottish perspective by Maria Gray, who heads the Parenting, Play and Baby Box Team at the Children and Families Directorate of Scottish Government. Scotland launched a universal baby box in 2017, largely inspired by Finland.
“The main goal is to reduce inequality, to enable the best start in life for babies”, Gray said.
“Some of the items - like the digital thermometer - have been valued not just by parents, but the wider family who may not have thought how useful it is to have a digital thermometer in the house.”
The initial feedback of the Scottish program has been very positive and a formal evaluation is undergoing.
Picture: Pasi Markkanen
Ella Davidoff, Head of Policy and Programme Development at the Welsh Government, offered a Welsh perspective to the discussion. Wales launched a pilot program called Baby Bundle in October 2020 in the Swansea Bay University Health Board Area.
“Some 200 bundles were delivered in the pilot program. The underlying idea is that all babies are equal”, Davidoff said.
Items included baby clothes, sleep sacks, play items and household items.
Picture: Kela/Annika Söderblom
Press counsellor Heli Suominen recapped the public diplomacy aspect of the Finnish Maternity package from 2013 BBC story when the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge received a baby box to dozens of stakeholder events by Finnish embassies around the world where the maternity package has been showcased.
“The interest in the baby box allows us to tell a wider story on equality. This boils down to the Finnish idea that when you make the start of life equal, you create safety and prosperity that benefit the whole society”, Suominen said.
This idea can also be found behind Finland’s own success story from a poor country to a highly developed nation, ranked the happiest in the world.
“We follow with delight how the baby box story continues around the world and how the different adaptations of the package help families”, Suominen said.
The event was part of the discussion series ‘An Equal Future’ on inspiring social innovations from Finland, the UK and Ireland. It was moderated by Jaakko Nousiainen, Director of the Finnish Institute in the UK + Ireland.
More information about the Finnish maternity package can be found on Finnish Social Insurance Institution's (Kela) website.
If you missed the event, you can request Virpi Oinonen's illustrated version of it from the Finnish Institute in UK + Ireland.