Animal prints, graphic designs and splashes of colour are the themes of the 2018 edition of Finland's baby box, the package of products new parents receive to make their lives easier as they adjust to the new arrival.



This year the new baby box has around 60 items. New features include a quilt, merino wool trousers, felt slippers, mitten clips, a food plate and spoons.

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Image: Petra Ristola / Yle

Maternity aid can be chosen either in the form of the baby box or a sum of 140 euros free of tax. The financial maternity aid will be raised by 30 euros from the 1st of June onward. The increase in the monetary compensation is also the reason the number of items in the baby box has increased.

The distribution of maternity packages in Finland began 80 years ago, and the idea has begun to spread outside of Finland's borders too.

From Rauma to the front door

The baby boxes are packaged at Rauma’s Logistikas Hankinta, where the factory is still processing 2017 baby boxes for delivery. According to Kela estimates, the 2018 baby boxes will be rolled out in May.

Close to 35,000 baby boxes are doled out each year and the contents of the box are regularly renewed. This year’s box dropped items such as cloth nappies, talcum powder, and the digital thermostat.

“This has caused some discussion. The cloth nappies remain unused by most and Kela is considering the ecological aspect of that waste too,” said Johanna Lainio, production and finance manager at Logistikas Hankinta.

In addition to clothes and bed sheets, the baby box also includes traditional features such as a natural bristled hairbrush, nail scissors, and a water thermometer.