We Should Really Just Steal Finland’s Baby Box Idea | The Walrus
The case for treating parenting as a public investment, not a private burden
I understand that baby boxes are no longer allowed in the U.S. but I see a reference to a different product causing issues.
In my mind, they were just looking for an excuse not to support a new family, the U.S. is backwards that way
https://www.jognn.org/article/S0884-2175(23)00277-0/fulltext
The whole baby sleeping in a box thing seems a little weird to me, but giving all new parents a starter pack of supplies sounds great. We could just distribute the supplies in a different shaped box if that was a concern we need to prevent.
But let's be real... US hospitals would try selling these care packages for a profit, when they should be free.
My daughter is 3. We accidentally stole a receiving blanket from the hospital. That was all we got. There are some free resources out there, like parenting books, but you are expected to seek them out yourself. I didn't even realize you are supposed to get a support visit from a nurse until another parent mentioned it to me. It was up to me to know it was available and to schedule it.
Published in The Walrus, but this article is about the US.
Montreal already does this: https://montreal.ca/en/programs/welcome-box-youngest-montrealers