'Baby boxes' coming to Saskatoon-area store

The owners of a Saskatoon-area baby store hope the phenomenon of "baby boxes" takes off in a big way.

Baby boxes are a specialized kit for new parents that have been used in Finland since the 1930s. The boxes are filled with items like diapers and an infant thermometer. 

Recently, the Alberta government started handing out the kits in a pilot project.

• Baby box research to help new parents

"They are a great starter kit," said Debbie Oesch, co-owner of Ready Set Baby Planners and Boutique in Martensville, Sask. "They come with all kinds of clothing in them, they come with information — which is the biggest part for me — about breastfeeding, about pre-natal care, about finding a mentor to help you with getting along after the fact."

While the store plans on selling the kits initially, they ultimately hope that the program is picked up by a coalition of groups, ranging from local health regions to corporate sponsors.

"New moms, teen moms, these are people who really need that extra assistance," said co-owner Jan Hiebert. "The education is crucial."

Researchers in the Alberta pilot project say they are being very cautious about the quality of items placed in their baby boxes, making sure the material inside is approved by Health Canada and would be beneficial to babies.

"I think, certainly, they're valid concerns," said Hiebert. "We need to be very selective and we need to work with various parenting groups, different health regions, to ensure the products that we're putting in the box are of that utmost quality."

The current boxes are selling for $140.

Although the infant mortality rate in Saskatchewan has decreased since 2005, according to Statistics Canada, in 2012 Saskatchewan was tied with Newfoundland and Labrador for the third-highest rate of infant mortality of any province in the country. Saskatchewan was at 5.5 deaths per 1,000 children less than one year old, while Canada's average was 4.8 deaths per 1,000 children of that age.