The popular baby box program has officially launched in Alberta, providing expectant parents with free essentials for their newborns.

The cardboard boxes include a mini mattress, waterproof cover and fitted cotton sheet to create a safe sleeping environment for the baby. The boxes are compliant with Health Canada bassinet regulations and are also filled with other necessities, such as diapers, teethers, baby shampoo and lotions.

Jennifer Clary, CEO of the Baby Box Co., said the goal is to ensure that children “universally have access to a safe sleep space for the first six months of life.”

The baby box program was also launched in Ontario and Manitoba this year. By the end of the year, expectant parents across the country will have access to the program.

The baby box tradition originated in Finland in 1938, when the country began distributing boxes filled with newborn necessities to low-income expectant mothers. Finland extended the program to all families in 1949. The tradition continues to this day, and is credited with helping the Nordic nation reach one of the lowest infant mortality rates in the world.

With files from CTV Calgary