The maternity(母性) package—a gift from the government—is available to all expectant mothers.It contains bodysuits，a sleeping bag，outdoor gear，bathing products for the baby as well as nappies，bedding and a small mattress.

　　With the mattress at the bottom，the box becomes a baby’s first bed.Many children，from all social backgrounds，have their first naps within the safety of the box’s four cardboard walls.

　　The tradition dates back to 1938.At first，the scheme was only available to families on low incomes，but that changed in 1949.In the 1930s Finland was a poor country and the infant death rate was high—65 out of 1,000 babies died.But the figure decreased rapidly in the decades that followed.Over 75 years，the box has been an established part of the Finnish rite(仪式) of a passage to motherhood，uniting generations of women.

　　Reija Klemetti，a 49­year­old woman from Helsinki，remembers going to the post office to receive a box for one of her children.“My partner Milla and I were living in London when we had our first child，Jasper，so we weren’t eligible(有资格) for a free box.But Milla’s parents didn’t want us to miss out，so they bought one and put it in the post office.We couldn’t wait to open the box.There were all the clothes I had expected，with the addition of a snowsuit for Finland’s cold winter.”

　　“We now live in Helsinki and have just had our second child，Annika.She did get a free box，from the Finnish government.This felt to me like evidence that someone cared—someone wanted our baby to have a good start in life，” Reija Klemetti said.

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