Finland has one of the lowest infant mortality rates in the world.
How is that achieved by letting a baby sleep in a cardboard box? Well, it isn't really the box itself that lowered the infant mortality rate. It's how you get the box that made the difference.
All expectant mothers in Finland can choose between a cash grant from the state, or a start-up box. The box is filled with everything you will possibly need after your new baby arrives.
It contains bodysuits, a sleeping bag, outdoor gear, bathing products for the baby, as well as nappies, bedding and a small mattress that makes the box double up as a crib. All of this is worth a lot more than the cash grant, so 95% of parents opt for the box.
But to get a box you have to see a doctor or a pre-natal clinic during the early stages of pregnancy. Boxes also do not contain bottles and dummies and that encourages breast feeding.
So in order to get the coveted box, more mothers have gone for pre-natal care than in the past and more mothers are breastfeeding.
Both these practices lead to healthier babies and that is how the box helped lower infant mortality rates.
