Kela or the social security institution of Finland has been sending new parents a starter kit for their babies since the 30s.
The kit contains 60 pivotal things like blankets, clothes, toys, books, bedding, and personal care items.
It’s designed with IKEA prints and the box is designed for safe usage as a padded crib.
According to Kela, all the things in the kit are chosen according to their significance for the promotion of the health and well-being of the mother and the child.
If the parents already have all the stuff they need, they can opt out of the box and choose a voucher of 170 Euros instead.
The starter box isn’t just given to their citizens-it’s available for non-citizens residing in their country as well.
Amazing Information on the Signup Page
On the website where you can sign up for this starter kit, you can also find useful parental information on topics like maternity, paternity, child benefits, parental allowances, childcare allowances, child disease, disability assistance, adoption grants, and more.
Even though other countries may look at this idea as charming and ultimately glib- the truth is much different and it shows that paying attention to details matters.
And, this is probably why the under-five child mortality in the country is 1.7 per thousand births which is also the lowest rate in the world.
For example in the US, this rate is 6.53.
One of the Best Countries in the World to Live in
Finland is also ranked as the most stable country in the world, as well as the safest and freest country.
It has the least organized crime in the world, an independent judicial system, sound banks, and optimal property rights protection.
Even though the low rates of child mortality are mostly the result of their amazing and accessible health care system, this box for babies and parents is the ideal example of how Finland uses its wealth to invest in the health of their citizens and how everyone is benefitting from it.
According to Anu Partanen and Trevor Corson, a Finnish-American couple who resides in Helsinki and wrote the New York Time piece- Finland Is a Capitalist Paradise, the box was home and full of love and support.
It was a gift from a country which started as one of the poorest in Europe and endured famine, oppression, and hardship and then built itself into becoming one of the wealthiest.
Today, they use this wealth to nourish their people and children.
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