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SCOTLAND’S First Minister has announced every new born baby will receive a Finnish baby box - but in the country where it originated experts believe she has missed the whole point of the project.

The baby box was introduced as a maternity package in the Scandanavian country to persuade Finnish mothers to access public health services and since its introduction the infant mortality rate has fallen to one of the lowest in the world.

The current infant mortality rate in the UK is four per 1000 live births - double the Finnish rate.

Sari Lahti is a lecturer in nursing at the Helsinki Metropolia University of Applied Science and has witnessed the benefits of the Finnish baby box.

But she is at pains to point out that the box alone is not responsible for the lowering infant mortality rate.

She said: “A lot of people think babies sleeping in the box was what caused the reduction in babies dying but it wasn’t solely that. It was making mums-to-be attend clinics when they were pregnant to qualify for the maternity allowance which improved the outcomes.

“The mum’s health is monitored throughout and after the pregnancy which has helped survival rates in infants.

“ Introducing the baby box in Scotland without that qualification would be just a case of giving a nice gift. In terms of helping the health of pregnant women or unborn children it would be worthless.”

Visits to maternity clinics are voluntary but to qualify for the maternity allowance - the baby box - the mum-to-be is required to make the necessary appointments. First time mums have 12 nurse appointments, one home visit and three doctor’s appointments, one of which will be a home visit, during pregnancy - a total of 16 medical interactions prior to birth.

There is also an extended health check for all mums-to-be involving the whole family - mum, dad and any other children.

Gymslip mums are “practically non existent” in a country where comprehensive sex education was introduced in schools more than 50 years ago.

Contraception - including the morning after pill - is given free of charge from the school nurse once a child is 15 or as young as 13 “if they know what they are doing”.

Sari commented: “When a baby comes it comes to the whole family, not just the mother.”

There are no waiting lists for seeing a healthcare worker at one of the country’s neuvolas - a centre dealing with all aspects of childcare from ante natal until six years old.

There is a weekly drop-in service for vaccinations, weighing the baby and carrying out procedures like foetal heart monitoring. Short visits like these do not need appointments but the longer, planned appointments can take between 30-45 minutes and often involves a chat with the public health nurse to ascertain if there are any anxieties or queries.

Sari added: “Children’s services are a priority and all are guaranteed in law. Inequality hasn’t disappeared but a good public education and neuvola helps.”

The baby box itself currently contains 56 separate items and is chosen by around 95 per cent of new mums with an alternative of €140 for those who do not want it .

It was introduced for low income families in 1937 but extended to every chid 12 years later in a bid to end inequality.

Olga Tarsalainen, communications specialist with the Maternity Package, said: “The value of the baby box is around €400, much greater than the cash alternative.

“It is all about reducing infant mortality but it has helped influence other aspects of child healthcare as well.

“We used to have a baby bottle in the package but because we wanted to encourage more women to breastfeed it was removed.”

Virtually 100 per cent of mums breastfeed their children and 40 per cent continue to do so until the baby is at least six months old.

Some Scots will argue there is no need for more affluent parents to receive the baby box but Olga disagrees.

She said: “Here we want to show every child is equal and every child has an equal start in life no matter the background or who their parents are. We all began life sleeping in a box.”

But taxation is high with most paying around 28 per cent up rising to 50-60 per cent for the bigger earners. However, parents recognise they get a good deal .

Generous maternity and paternity leave means new parents are paid 70 per cent of their salary, to stay at home for about a year. Many parents opt to care for their child at home until they are three and the government pays them a generous allowance to do so.

(Image: AFP/Getty)

Every child has the right to eight hours childcare per day and while there is a small charge for this, it is largely covered by the monthly child allowance paid to families. There are even special sleep centres for children whose parents are nightshift workers.

A Scottish Government spokesman said: “The baby box will be given to the families of all new-born babies in Scotland and will include essential items for a child’s first weeks to promote the fair and equal start we want for every child regardless of their circumstances. These will include materials which promote attachment and which help parents prepare for the arrival of their baby.

“This initiative will form part of a range of government activities to ensure more of our children get the best possible start in life, including the Best Start grant. It also complements the existing support for expectant mothers and work to reduce health inequalities.

“Our commitment to expand childcare is this government’s most transformative infrastructure project. Quite simply, parents and carers benefit from having access to a high quality, flexible system that helps to support them into, or stay in, work, training or further study.

“The Scottish Government is committed to increasing funded free early learning and childcare to 1,140 hours by 2020 and work has already started to plan for this expansion. The expansion to 600 hours has already been fully funded.”