Finnish Baby Box Given to Kate Middleton, Complete With Condoms, Bra Pads Inside
Most parents receive a wide array of clothes, toys, and other accessories for their baby once they announce their pregnancy to their friends. Not Britain's new royal couple though, no way. Instead, they get condoms and bra pads.
"Kela [the Finnish social security office] wanted to congratulate the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge," said Finnish spokeswoman Heidi Liesivesi. "The maternity package gained such a positive response from all around the world. The timing was perfect that the royal couple are having a baby."
The maternity package in question is the now-famous Finnish baby box. The package is given to all new parents in Finland by the government, and contains a wide assortment of onesies, diapers, bra pads, and toys. Even the box it comes in can be converted into a bed for the baby. Though that sounds a bit odd, it's actually quite a bit safer for the children.
"One thing we know about baby's sleep patterns [is that] there's a connection between Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and sleep environment," said Dr. Dennis Rosen. "You want to keep the baby on relatively firm bedding. You don't want to cover the baby up too much...you want to keep the baby on their backs."
The baby box is most notably getting attention for its inclusion of condoms, however. Presumably, those are added to remind parents of effective birth control methods should the baby have been a bit of an accident, though it's doubtful that Prince William and Kate Middleton were unaware of said methods.
The royal couple is expecting their baby to be born any day now, as the birth has been projected any time between Jul. 4 and Jul. 14. Though it was given to the two new parents as a sign of goodwill between nations, the baby box has traditionally symbolized Finland's economic and cultural advancement.
"[The box] can be seen as a symbol of transformation from a poor agriculture country to a [richer] industrial, welfare state," said Mika Gissler, a research professor for the Finland National Institute for Health and Welfare. "It also highlights the government's will to increase the fertility in Finland and thus it can be seen...as a guarantee for future of the country."
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