In their efforts to prevent cot deaths and lower infant mortality rates, hospitals are giving parents cardboard boxes where their babies can sleep.
West London's Queen Charlotte's and Chelsea Hospital is one of the hospitals distributing these small cardboard boxes that come with a foam mattress. The practice is quite popular in Finland, where the simple device is said to have lowered infant mortality rates from 65 per 1,000 babies in 1938 to just 2.3 per 1,000 infants in 2015.
The "baby box" helps prevent babies from rolling onto their stomach. This movement supposedly increases the risks of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
The Queen Charlotte's and Chelsea Hospital will be distributing about 800 baby boxes to parents on a first-come, first-served basis. Following Finland's practice, the babies who use the Finnish cardboard boxes will be observed by the National Health Service (NHS) Trust until they are 8 months old. The parents will also be asked to share their feedback by answering a questionnaire.
The NHS Trust's baby box team is composed of breastfeeding consultants, specialist midwives, obstetricians and psychologists. The team will also coordinate with health visitors as well as other professionals from various fields to maximize the project's educational aspects.
"These boxes and the education resources that sit alongside them have been proven to help reduce the infant mortality rate in Finland," said the hospital's consultant obstetrician Dr. Karen Joash, adding they are hoping to replicate the success in the UK.
The baby box trial is first in the UK. The research is organized by the Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust in collaboration with The Baby Box Co., an international company that markets baby boxes and other infant products.
The Baby Box Co. CEO Jennifer Clary said they are pleased to be providing the baby boxes to the NHS Trust for parents in the UK. Clary added that they are looking forward to the trial results.
Clary shared that when the babies are strong enough to be able to pull themselves up on their own, it's time to retire the baby box.
Out of 50 European countries, Britain is in 22nd place when it comes to the countries with the highest infant mortality rates. Based on World Bank data, about 4.19 deaths occur for every 1,000 births in Britain. There are also 300 SIDS-related deaths every year.
In 2013, a study found that babies aged 3 months who breastfeed and sleep on their parents' beds carry increased cot death risk.
