NHS Scotland’s baby box scheme delivers 250,000th support package

A quarter of a million Baby Boxes have been delivered to expectant parents in Scotland – providing them with more than £400 worth of essential items for their newborn.

Scotland’s Baby Box provides families with a range of essential items for the first six months of their baby’s life, delivered in a sturdy cardboard box which can double up as a safe sleeping space during the early months. The contents of the box are designed to inform and support positive parenting behaviours.

APS Group (Scotland), which has the managing agent contract for Scotland’s Baby Box, conducted a cost analysis which determined that if parents were to buy the box and all the contents individually, the cost would be approximately £429.

In an independent evaluation, 97% of parents who took part in research rated the box and its contents as good.

Children’s Minister Clare Haughey said:“The Baby Box is part of our commitment to ensure every child has the best start in life, and I am heartened that so many families have benefitted from this fantastic scheme.

“Clearly household budgets remain under extreme pressure from the cost of living crisis, so it is reassuring to know that all expectant parents in Scotland, regardless of their circumstances, have access to essential items needed for the first six months of their newborn’s life.

“The Baby Box also contains items to support positive parenting, benefitting infants as well as parents.”

Scotland’s Baby Box has been showcased on the world stage in exhibitions in Philadelphia, Boston and Seattle.

The milestone was reached ahead of the popular scheme’s sixth anniversary in the summer.

One Parent Families Scotland Chief Executive Satwat Rehman said:“With rising costs, single parent households are under increasing pressure to meet the costs of looking after their children. Having just one income, with costs associated with a newborn, is very difficult and the essentials contained within the Baby Box go a long way to easing that for single parents. We have seen first-hand how much difference this has made to the families we work with.”