Supporting parents with cost of living
A quarter of a million Baby Boxes have been delivered to expectant parents – providing them with more than £400 worth of essential items for their newborn.
The milestone was reached ahead of the popular scheme’s sixth anniversary in the summer.
Children’s Minister Clare Haughey said: “The Baby Box is part of our commitment to ensure every child has the best start in life, and I am heartened that so many families have benefitted from this fantastic scheme.
“Clearly household budgets remain under extreme pressure from the cost of living crisis, so it is reassuring to know that all expectant parents in Scotland, regardless of their circumstances, have access to essential items needed for the first six months of their newborn’s life.
“The Baby Box also contains items to support positive parenting, benefitting infants as well as parents.”
One Parent Families Scotland Chief Executive Satwat Rehman said: “With rising costs, single parent households are under increasing pressure to meet the costs of looking after their children.
“Having just one income, with costs associated with a newborn, is very difficult and the essentials contained within the Baby Box go a long way to easing that for single parents. We have seen first-hand how much difference this has made to the families we work with.”