The 75-year old Finnish maternity package has changed with the times

The maternity package is the first benefit that the society offers for a family with a new born baby in Finland. It is given to around 40 000 families every year. The "baby box" has an eventful history with many changes along the way that coincide with changes in Finnish society.

The contents of the maternity package change every year. Finnish mothers not only value the wide range of items but also the high quality of the products. Photo: Annika Söderblom, Kela

Three alternatives

The story of the Maternity package begins in the year 1938, when the Finnish Maternity Act entered into force with around two in three mothers giving birth that year receiving the grant. The amount of maternity grant was FIM 450 per child which corresponded to more than third of the average monthly salary of an industrial worker. The grant was available as a cash grant, a benefit or a combination of the two.

There were originally three different maternity packs: one for the baby, one for the mother and a shared one for both. It was up to the municipal Social Services Committee to decide which type of pack was the most useful for the recipient. The pack could be used as a bed for the baby as the poorest homes did not necessarily have a clean place for the baby to sleep.

This is the maternity package from 1953. Back then the box included for example bedsheets, blanket, mattress, tissues, baby clothes, hairbrush and comb, soap, creams and some sterile wound dressing pads. Photo: Atte Hyvärinen, Osuustukkukauppa (OTK)

During the war years of the 40s, the shortage of textile materials became a problem as most of the materials were reserved for the Defense Forces. Regardless, the government wanted to continue providing the benefit as many people in Finland had lost their homes due to bombings and evacuations.

Package for every mother

From the year 1949, on access to maternity grant was no longer tied to the income level of the family. Instead, all mothers residing in Finland received the right to the benefit. A new provision was also incorporated into legislation under which a mother who wished to receive the maternity grant was to visit a physician, midwife or municipal prenatal clinic before the completion of her fourth month of pregnancy. The maternity grant helped encourage pregnant mothers to have health checks. This has contributed towards the maternity and child mortality rates being among the world's lowest in Finland.

The 1960s and 1970s were a period of transformation in Finnish society. Rural-to-urban migration was a prominent trend. This resulted in changing consumer habits. Working mothers needed ready-made easy-to-use products for their babies and maternity package changed accordingly. In 1968, the first sleeping bag appeared in the package and replaced the quilt. The design of the sleeping bag has changed from year to year, enabling people to tell the year a baby sleeping in it was born.

Still essential?

In the 1980s there was a debate on whether or not the package was still needed. Because of its popularity among families though, the decision was made to continue providing the package.

The new maternity box, Sukupuu (Family tree), was designed by Johanna Öst Häggblom. Photo: Annika Söderblom, Kela

In the beginning of the 2000s, ecological perspective was taken into consideration in the package. Cloth nappies were included in 2006. The baby bottle and soother were left out in order to promote breastfeeding.

In 2012, maternity pack got a new appearance after a competition for the design. The unique history of the Finnish maternity package was featured at an exhibition in Helsinki in  the summer of 2012. The exhibition had over 70 000 visitors.

More information:
Kela, maternity package  
Arjenhistoria.fi (more photos)
Finna (more photos)