Nunavut introduces Canada to baby boxes
Michele LeTourneau
Northern News Services
Monday, October 31, 2016
NUNAVUT
Nunavut is the first jurisdiction in Canada to introduce baby boxes, which the Government of Nunavut hopes will reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and the infant mortality rate in the territory.
As of Oct. 25, all parents of newborns will receive the box, which is filled with parenting goodies, but can serve as an infant bed when emptied.
"Nunavut has the highest rate of infant mortality in Canada, and reducing the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and infant mortality is a priority," Health Minister George Hickes stated in a news release.
The infant mortality rate in the territory is five times the national average.
The baby box is a concept borrowed from Finland, where it originated in 1939. Finland's infant mortality rate was 90 in 1,000 live births at the time, but the boxes are credited with dropping it to less than two in 1,000 births.
The department plans to deliver more than 800boxes to Nunavut's 25 community health centres in 2016-2017.
One day after the baby box launch, Statistics Canada released new birth numbers showing that in 2013 the number of births in Nunavut was 914, an increase of 71 babies - or 8.4 per cent - from 2012.
