TRENTON, N.J. -- Cardboard boxes certainly aren't new technology. But when they're linked to a practice that started in Finland decades ago to help babies sleep safely, they're taking on a new purpose as so-called baby boxes make their way to the U.S.
Parents are beginning to take baby boxes home from hospitals along with their newborns. A Los Angeles company has partnered with health officials to give the boxes away and an online initiative offers advice aimed at reducing sudden unexpected infant deaths. New Jersey and Ohio were the first to participate statewide in the program.
"To new moms: [sudden infant death] was one of my biggest fears and then it happened," said Chauntia Williams, 35, of Maple Heights, Ohio.
Williams is an advocate for safe sleeping and the boxes after she unexpectedly lost her 33-day-old daughter Aaliyah nine years ago. Williams said her daughter went to sleep in a crib with cushiony bumpers, stuffed animals and an added blanket beneath the fitted sheet and never woke up. She said the coroner determined the bedding caused the death.
She now uses a box with her son, Bryce, though he's getting a little too big for it. Her message to new parents: Educate yourselves on safe sleep habits.
Sudden unexpected infant death is a broad category that includes sudden infant death syndrome and accidental suffocation and strangulation that could come from overcrowded bassinets or cribs. The boxes aren't the only option for safe sleeping, of course, but health officials say they're a useful part of a broader safe-sleep education program.
Ohio on Wednesday joined New Jersey in offering the cardboard boxes, which double as bassinets, for free. Each box comes with a mattress, fitted sheet, onesie and diapers.
The Baby Box Co. also is handing out the boxes in Minneapolis, Phoenix and San Francisco, with the goal of expanding to all 50 states. The for-profit company also operates in Canada, Ireland and the United Kingdom.
A Section on 03/12/2017