Encouraging good parenting has been part of the maternity box policy all along.
"Babies used to sleep in the same bed as their parents and it was recommended that they stop," says Panu Pulma, professor in Finnish and Nordic History at the University of Helsinki. "Including the box as a bed meant people started to let their babies sleep separately from them."
At a certain point, baby bottles and dummies were removed to promote breastfeeding.
"One of the main goals of the whole system was to get women to breastfeed more," Pulma says. And, he adds, "It's happened."
He also thinks including a picture book has had a positive effect, encouraging children to handle books, and, one day, to read.
And in addition to all this, Pulma says, the box is a symbol. A symbol of the idea of equality, and of the importance of children.
The story of the maternity pack
Pack from 1953
1938: Finnish Maternity Grants Act introduced - two-thirds of women giving birth that year eligible for cash grant, maternity pack or mixture of the two
Pack could be used as a cot as poorest homes didn't always have a clean place for baby to sleep
1940s: Despite wartime shortages, scheme continued as many Finns lost homes in bombings and evacuations
1942-6: Paper replaced fabric for items such as swaddling wraps and mother's bedsheet
1949: Income testing removed, pack offered to all mothers in Finland - if they had prenatal health checks (1953 pack pictured above)
【芬兰宝宝为何睡纸箱?】相关文章:
最新
2020-09-15
2020-09-15
2020-09-15
2020-09-15
2020-09-15
2020-09-15