Scotland's Baby Box pilot: development research

1. Policy and Research Background

The Scottish Government plans to strengthen its support for new parents, babies and children. One new initiative that plans to launch in 2017 is to give every newborn a Baby Box of essential items, to help all children to get the best start in life.

Scotland's Baby Boxes will be based on a scheme in Finland, which has one of the lowest infant mortality rates in the world. It is intended that the sturdy cardboard boxes would include clothes, toys, nappies, books and a built-in mattress to facilitate usage of the box as a safe sleeping space. By providing parents with the necessary tools and equipment, the Scottish Government hopes to encourage behaviour change that will positively impact on the outcomes for the child (for example encouraging safe sleeping practices, breastfeeding, and attachment and interaction).

Qualitative research amongst parents was commissioned to investigate how the Scottish Government can ensure that parents' perception of the Baby Box is positive, that the contents are as useful as they can be (within some limitations), that it is positioned in a way that is attractive to parents and encourages uptake and usage. The research focused on Baby Box contents, communications, sign up, and receipt. An online survey provided quantification of key questions to complement the qualitative findings.