Parents of 500 newborn children will be sent so-called baby boxes later this year as part of a delayed trial modelled on supports offered by other countries.
Minister for Children Roderic O’Gorman on Monday confirmed details of a pilot project dubbed “little baby bundle”, which will see the packages sent out to parents and children being cared for in the Rotunda Hospital and University Hospital Waterford.
The boxes will be sent out from this autumn, and will contain play items to “encourage early communication and bonding”, household items for help with safe bathing and sleep, and other items to support new parents after the birth of their child, the department said in a press statement.
Items in the box will include a blanket, hooded bath towel, a digital or smart thermometer, a bath and room thermometer, bath sponge, baby grow, nipple cream, vest, muslin cloths and socks, mittens, maternity pads, as well as nappy cream, reusable nappies, nursing pads and wipes.
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A manual breast pump, sling, baby toothbrush, bibs, teething rings and mats for changing and play will also be in it, along with books, a baby monitor, a changing bag, hair brush and nasal sucker.
It is intended that the final version will also have information on breastfeeding, safe sleep and post-natal depression, as well as a booklet with information and advice and links to online resources, a library card and an Irish poem.
Mr O’Gorman said the initiative was part of the Government’s First 5 strategy, the overall framework for babies, young children and families that is due to run until 2028.
A plan for the introduction of the boxes was included in the programme for government, which promised to “introduce baby boxes for all new parents”, but its rollout was delayed due to Covid-19, firstly to the end of 2021, and now to autumn of 2022.
Similar programmes have been put in place in Scotland and have been the standard in Finland since the 1930s.
In a statement Mr O’Gorman said the boxes were “about giving each of Ireland’s newest little arrivals a welcome gift, while also providing parents with practical supports as they navigate those special first few weeks and months in their child’s life”.
The department is to run a procurement process to find a managing agent for the project, which is to be paid for out of the dormant accounts fund. A company will also be sought to evaluate the pilot programme and examine whether it is suitable for a wider rollout.
