People

The Government Of Finland Gifts A Baby Starter Kit To All New Parents

By Mayukh Saha on March 24, 2020

Having a baby is a big step for couples, and they could definitely use some free goodies. The government of Finland pampers new parents with a “baby box” which contains 60 basic care items for the newborn. Yes, you read that right! From blankets to clothes, books to toys, the box covers everything. Finland not only has the lowest infant mortality rate in the world but is also considered a family-friendly country.

Many countries, including America, could learn something from Finland’s blend of capitalism and democracy that has benefited the people. Finland’s social security institution, Kela, has maintained the 75-year-old tradition of sending parents of newborn kids a box full of essential items. What’s more, the box is designed with adorable prints and can be used as a padded crib! What is the purpose of this grand gesture? The people at Kela believe that the new mother and child should not be stressed and the box is a gift for their well-being. If the new parents have all the necessary goodies, they can opt for a voucher instead.

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The government has also made important information accessible on its website that the parents might need. The sign-up page has every detail you’d want to know like paternity, maternity, and parental allowances. Additional information like child benefits, childcare allowances, adoption grants, sickness, and disability assistance are also there. The idea of a box stuffed with baby essentials may sound silly and it is easy to dismiss the initiative. However, if you compare the statistics of Finland and America, the former clearly has a lower child mortality rate.

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Today it has been a 100 years since my home country of Finland gained its independence from Russia. Celebrating this day has always been a solemn affair in Finland, a day of remembering the sacrifices so many Finns made defending that independence in later wars against the Soviet Union. For me personally, the significance of Finland’s independence is captured today in this photo. It was taken a few months ago and depicts my new daughter sleeping in her Finnish “baby box.” Every baby in Finland receives this box when they are born. The box comes with a mattress and bedding and serves as a starter crib, but it is also packed with useful baby clothes and other items, from onesies to snowsuits and a picture book, from baby nail clippers to a baby hair brush and bath thermometer. All residents of Finland are eligible to receive the box, but since I am now a resident of the United States I had resigned myself to missing out on this Finnish tradition. Somehow, however, my friends in Finland had gotten hold of one of the boxes for me and sent it to us in New York City as a surprise. It arrived about a month before our daughter was born, and when I saw it, I burst into tears. I love the things in it, but it’s not the stuff that made me cry. To me the box was home, and it was filled with love and support. It was a gift from a country that started out among the poorest in Europe, having endured famine, oppression and hardship, but that built itself up to be one of the wealthiest. But what matters to me most is what Finland has chosen to do with its wealth: Finland has chosen to invest in its people – all of its people – and especially to nurture its children – all of them. The path was not always straight or easy, and struggles continue even today. But I cannot imagine a better way to use one’s freedom, independence, and fortune as a society than to ensure a good future for the nation’s children. So happy birthday to Finland, a country of immeasurable beauty, terrible darkness, and the luckiest children in the world! #suomi100

A post shared by Anu Partanen (@anupartanen) on Dec 6, 2017 at 9:17am PST

According to the World Economic Forum, Finland is one of the safest and most stable countries in the world. From the banks to the judiciary, the laws are almost flawless. The Sustainable Society Index of 2016 points out that it is the best country as far as human well-being is concerned.

The Trump Administration has commented in 2018 that the Nordic countries do not have a good lifestyle owing to their socialism. However, capitalism seems to be the ruling force across the globe and Finland has found a way to merge it with democracy, which is a purely political system. The gap between the “haves” and the “have-nots” is not that wide in Finland as the government is taking steps to maintain a basic standard of living. The idea of using the country’s wealth for the welfare of its people is a democratic one.

Writers Trevor Corson and Anu Partanen, a Finnish-American couple, were going to have a baby in Brooklyn. They’d miss the baby box but luckily their friends from back home sent them the box, and they were delighted. Anu Partanen recalled feeling at home when the box arrived and it was the epitome of support for her. She noted how a country that has survived oppression and endured several setbacks has taken such wholesome steps for its people.

The children are the future of the nation and the government of Finland understood that a long time ago. It is about time the world focuses on health and climate issues instead of spreading hatred.

baby starter kit