‘Baby boxes’ available to new parents in Johnson County

IOWA CITY - Like many babies in Finland, almost three-month-old Yirmeyahu Rodriguez-Hurtado sleeps each night in a 'baby box.”

But Yirmeyahu doesn't live in Helsinki; he lives in Iowa City, and the box was given to his mother, Marcela Hurtado, by Leni Hynes of Neighborhood Centers of Johnson County.

'I like (the box) because it's small, he feels more secure, like when he was in my belly,” Hurtado said through a translator. 'I can carry it everywhere. If I'm cooking, I can put it on the table. It's light and I can carry it myself.”

Laurie Nash, director of Johnson County Empowerment, is organizing the baby box effort. She said it came about after her organization committed funding to safe sleep practices.

'Kate Bengtson (of the Johnson County Medical Examiner's Office) shared with me that the child death review team had been talking about baby boxes that were in Finland and how great it would be to have them here,” Nash said.

According to the BBC, the Finnish government has been giving the boxes to all new mothers since the late 1930s. Some say the practice has helped Finland lower its infant mortality rates. The initiative in the last few years has begun spreading to other countries.

Nash said she found a company that makes the baby boxes in the United States and decided to order one in November. She liked it so much, she decided to order 25 more.

'The reason the baby box was so appealing to us was that if families are living in tight quarters, often the bedroom isn't big enough for a crib in the room,” Nash said. 'Research shows babies who sleep in rooms with their parents have better health outcomes, but not in the same bed. The baby box is a really great way for families to have the baby in the bedroom with the parents but still keep the baby safe in their own sleep environment.”

The boxes, made from shiny, double layered cardboard, contain two-inch foam mattresses with waterproof covers and sheets. They also are printed with a small design; Yirmeyahu's box has teddy bears all over it.

If ordered in bulk, the boxes cost about $35 or $40 each, which is cheaper than a bassinet or a cosleeper, Nash said.

'If someone just ordered them online, it's $70,” Nash said.

In order for a family to receive a baby box, Nash said they need to be working with a local agency such as HACAP or DHS, 'who can do some sleep education and follow-up.”

'We know if we give them the baby box and they still put baby in there with stuffed animals, we haven't achieved the goal of safe sleep, so the education piece is really important,” Nash said.

In addition to the boxes, the agencies give the families sleep sacks, some of which were donated by the Old Capitol Quilters.

'We purchase the Halo ones or give families one of the donated ones, so that way they don't use blankets and stuff that isn't safe to be in bed with baby,” Nash said.

Nash said the manufacturer of the boxes says they can be used until the baby is eight months old, or starts climbing out; that's when families should think about transitioning to something else.

'Hopefully by that time they're not getting up to nurse in the middle of the night, they're rolling over both ways; the risk of SIDS and sleep-related death is starting to decrease a bit too,” Nash said.

Although Johnson County Empowerment was the first to order the boxes, Nash said Benton County also has been looking into them.

'Not every family wants the box,” Nash said. 'Some want a crib, some want a pack and play.” Johnson County Empowerment will provide those as well, she said.

'For some folks, it's too new,” Nash added. 'They're just not sure about it. For others, they're excited to try it and they love it.”

Nash said she, herself, has been sold on them.

'Now I wish I had one of these,” she said. 'I bought my cousin one for a baby shower gift. Hopefully it will help with our sleep-related issues with babies.”