The pro-lifers wouldn't stand for that.

We have a charitable organization nearby that is available to poor pregnant women to come to the "store" (really a room in the charity's office) and choose items they need for free (new items that have been donated).

This Finnish idea is even better. "thumbsup:

it's such a beautiful gesture. If only every mother and baby in the world was treated with such kindness. Dana ; )

I was approved for intermittent Family Medical Leave, unpaid of course. I took two weeks off at the start then have been taking days here and there as I want as long as I do not exceed 450 hours by the end of the year. I use it often and benefit from a understanding supervisor that never questions me or gives me any grief when I take it on short notice as I often do as my baby girl is just 11 weeks now. I am glad I was afforded this time but I had to choose being with my baby girl over having a full paycheck. I choose my daughter time and again but it doesn't have to be this way. I have been with the state for 5 years and a brand new caseworker who is still in probationary period also had his first child and was not eligible for any leave. I hate being away from my daughter 1 sec and can't imagine how it must be for him barely able to take any time off.

I know there's a lot of fancy stuff out there for bebes now, but really this box is a great idea. Almost all you need.

Babies are damned expensive. I love that they included several sizes of clothing, infants grow out of things very quickly.

It's why I'll knit or weave heirloom blankets for them but forget the clothes they can wear for only a few weeks.

I also notice a few things for Mom, like nursing pads to sop up the leakage.

...so, too.

Bought about 3 used lots of each size (newborn, 3, 6, 9, and a year), sorted through them and got rid of any that didn't have soft enough fabric for the baby, etc, and then washed them all in Dreft twice and gave them to her at the shower, a HUGE box. Deliberately got unisex stuff because I knew she planned on having another baby. Stuff like onesies, sleep sacks, matching pants for the onesies, sleep-and-plays, etc. Not the fancy clothes, the stuff that you use. Spent about $200 in total -- you can barely get a layette in one size for that new. (Donated the discards to Goodwill.)

She was thrilled, especially when one cute find had made it into the lots -- a Halloween costume! Said "Little Monster" on it.

She got a lot of gender-specific clothing at her shower, since she had a little girl.... all sorts of fancy dresses. But no one got her the simple stuff.

Nobody ever seems to think of waterproof sheets, over the shoulder blankies to catch baby puke, bibs for drool, and chew toys that can be put into the freezer for a few minutes to help with teething.

My gifts weren't glamorous, but they were the ones that got used the most.

Your gift sounds similar, things that were going to get used instead of worn for a special photograph and put away quickly before the kid puked, peed, or shat on them.

...wonderful way to start off with a new baby. With all the resources we have in this country, it is really too bad that we can't do something similar.

The Finland Baby Box dates back to the early 1930's, when the infant mortality rate in Finland was terrible.
The box worked- and infant mortality is now much better in Finland than in the United States.


A clip of the history:
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"It's a tradition that dates back to the 1930s and it's designed to give all children in Finland, no matter what background they're from, an equal start in life.

The maternity package - a gift from the government - is available to all expectant mothers.

It contains bodysuits, a sleeping bag, outdoor gear, bathing products for the baby, as well as nappies, bedding and a small mattress.

With the mattress in the bottom, the box becomes a baby's first bed. Many children, from all social backgrounds, have their first naps within the safety of the box's four cardboard walls.


A 1947 maternity pack Mothers have a choice between taking the box, or a cash grant, currently set at 140 euros, but 95% opt for the box as it's worth much more.

The tradition dates back to 1938. To begin with, the scheme was only available to families on low incomes, but that changed in 1949.

"Not only was it offered to all mothers-to-be but new legislation meant in order to get the grant, or maternity box, they had to visit a doctor or municipal pre-natal clinic before their fourth month of pregnancy," says Heidi Liesivesi, who works at Kela - the Social Insurance Institution of Finland.

So the box provided mothers with what they needed to look after their baby, but it also helped steer pregnant women into the arms of the doctors and nurses of Finland. "

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Read the whole story here:

http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-22751415