More states in America are adopting their own baby boxes scheme this year. The initiative, which was spearheaded in Finland in the 1930s, aims to promote safe sleep practices and prevent sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) among parents with newborns.
CBS Denver reported some 1,000 parents got their baby boxes from the Denver Public Health on Saturday. Aside from containing essentials for the infants, like diapers and bedding, the boxes can also be used as the baby's crib for the first few months.
Arizona's Department of Child Safety is also doing the same initiative. According to 12 News, the agency started giving away baby boxes last December 2016 and there are still plans to continue this.
Some 200 families with newborns in Arizona have benefitted so far after 74 infant deaths happened in the state last year. Officials want to lessen this number this year considering 90 percent of the time, SIDS is preventable.
A small town in Ohio, on the other hand, will also begin handing out baby boxes. The Muskingum Valley Health Center will distribute these to parents provided they undergo training on how to care for newborns with health care workers first, Whiz News reported.
"One of the countries with Finland has been decreasing their sudden infant death syndrome due to the birthing boxes they have been giving," Dr. Bijan Goodarzi of the center said. "So we're trying to decrease the other reasons for sudden infant death to be from suffocation and unknown causes," he added.
In January, New Jersey became the first American state to implement free baby boxes distribution to all Jersey parents with a newborn. An estimated 105,000 boxes are expected to be given away for the whole year.
Moms and dads who want to avail of this benefit need to sign and complete an online parenting class. The move is in partnership with retail store The Baby Box Company, as Parent Herald previously reported.
