If the SNP had started giving newborn babies boxes of baby grows and teethers when they first formed a government in Scotland, I would have three by now. The first of these boxes, which come with a mattress and can be used as a cot, would have been helpful when we moved. The second and third (for I presume the twins would have got one each) would almost certainly have been turned into a pretend car or makeshift doll's house for my older one with the help of some leftover Sellotape reels and toilet roll tubes.
I know I would not have done what the Royal College of Midwives in Scotland has suggested some relatively affluent mothers do and politely turn down the freebie. Although I had plenty of clothes ready, including donations from friends with older children and gifts, with my first I had no idea how much I would actually need. Next time around, the prospect of caring for two newborn babies and a toddler was intimidating enough – anything which looked like it would make life slightly easier would not have been turned away.
But I didn't need £100 worth of stuff from the Scottish Government and nor do the vast majority of families. Among parents of young children, freecycling has been the norm since long before the term was coined. It is a pleasure to pass on cute clothes, which are grown out of so quickly, just as it is a joy to shop for your future child or your friend's new baby.
Of course not every family is so lucky. For those that are struggling to get by, for those that do not have supportive parents themselves, for those who are gripped by addictions, there should be more support. There are SNP manifesto commitments that promise that and they get no argument from me.
But, why they have said they will spend £6 million a year giving every newborn a baby box is a mystery. Giving out to everyone so as not to stigmatise those who are desperate, is a lazy solution. Of course you don't want mums ashamed to show off their chubby-cheeked chap because he is wearing an NHS snowsuit. Why not have a system where low-income families can order items from a supermarket website involving them in planning and getting what they actually need?
The SNP baby box announcement appears to have credibility because they have done it in Finland for 75 years. The party press release handily links to a news article which reports that infant mortality fell rapidly in Finland in the decades after the baby box was introduced. Well, deaths among newborns have fallen 90 per cent since 1930 in the UK too.
Not that I begrudge the Finns their baby boxes. It is a tradition now which would be hard to take away – another reason why it is a ridiculous manifesto commitment in Scotland at a time when the wisdom of other universal benefits is being questioned.
Other overseas schemes for helping newborns enjoy a better start in life have been carefully piloted in Scotland – not rolled out en masse – despite good evidence behind them.
But, this is different because the SNP want to cover themselves in glory on May 5. It is taking party candidates kissing babies to a ridiculous new level. We have a baby bribe that may make a tiny difference to the many, when £6m a year could have been spent trying to make a real difference to babies whose lives are doomed.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel