Lowering Infant Mortality with Cardboard-Box Cribs

A recent article from CNN described a Finnish program where new moms are entitled to a cardboard box full of baby supplies when they give birth. This means that not only do they have a starter-kit of useful clothing and accessories, but the box bottom is lined with a mattress, allowing it to become a simple crib. Babies of all social strata all over Finland have started their lives in the same cardboard box, an unusual but powerful equalizer.

 And their numbers are proving that the program works.

Besides the box, other reasons for the drop in mortality rate since the 1940's have been credited to pre-natal care for all women, followed by a national health insurance system and central hospital network. With all of the demands and stresses placed on moms, it's nice for these ones to know they have support. Perhaps this can serve as a model, just one small example of a successful program, as our own country addresses its badly-broken system. 

In Finland, they know that good things come in small packages--and also in slightly larger ones. 

Facts & images courtesy of CNN.com