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Fascinating article, and a really great ideal! In the US we have approximately twice the infant Mortality rate that Finland does....Just imagine if we gave this a try!
I can imagine many low income people here snubbing their noses at the idea of a box for a baby ("they think poor babies belong in boxes!!!").
This is actually not very different from what poor people in America did in the olden days: USE A DRESSER DRAWER AS A BABY BED. It's a built-in box that you can push in during the daytime. You have to be careful the baby's not in it, when you push it in.
Small countries can do things that big countries, or America, can't. We have too many poor people having too many babies to fund something like that. There are more life critical needs first....like food and a place to live.
Churches and charities often provide gifts to poor babies.
Is US infant mortality caused by lack of a baby bed and infant clothing? No? Then this type of box would have no bearing on the mortality rate.
The US has free clinics, SNAP, Medicaid, WIC and all types of services for low income pregnant women.
Its the pre-natal care requirement that has the biggest effect on infant mortality, although the box itself certainly played a big part in the early days when Finland was a very poor country and people lived in cramped conditions - not so safe for a baby then. The lowering of infant mortality was also thanks to this guy Arvo Ylppö - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia as he realised that those deaths could be prevented with pre-natal care as many of the causes were treatable.
Just the box alone would save the lives of a dozen or more babies each year in my city. Deaths from co-sleeping are shockingly common in my community. Many of the times it is because the baby does not have their own space to sleep.
You're kidding right? Deaths from co-sleeping are shockingly rare actually. In fact more kids die in cribs than co-sleeping. Hence the term "crib death" now changed to SIDS.
Regardless babies in the US die from being born premature and parents that do drugs and smoke.
The purpose of the Finnish Baby Box is not a bunch of random freebies and a box/bed, but to get women to have prenatal care so their child doesn't die from their drug use.
You're kidding right? Deaths from co-sleeping are shockingly rare actually. In fact more kids die in cribs than co-sleeping. Hence the term "crib death" now changed to SIDS.
Regardless babies in the US die from being born premature and parents that do drugs and smoke.
The purpose of the Finnish Baby Box is not a bunch of random freebies and a box/bed, but to get women to have prenatal care so their child doesn't die from their drug use.
Yeah, all those evil poor people don't want a box and they are druggies. Honestly.
I do see the point of prenatal care though, you are are correct about that.
Last edited by FlowerPower00; 06-08-2015 at 05:11 AM..
I have heard that many countries don't count premature infant deaths in their overall infant mortality rates. Is there any truth to that? If so it could account for at least some of the disparity between our rate and those of other developed nations. I also suspect that as many of these nations continue to increase their third world immigrant populations those numbers will tighten up a bit as well.
I have heard that many countries don't count premature infant deaths in their overall infant mortality rates. Is there any truth to that? If so it could account for at least some of the disparity between our rate and those of other developed nations. I also suspect that as many of these nations continue to increase their third world immigrant populations those numbers will tighten up a bit as well.
Finland uses the same definition as the US - all live births (meaning they exhibit any sign of life), no dependence on weight, gestation age etc. Actually only a few European countries define it differently than the US and those that do will have their peri-natal death rate rise accordingly.
You're kidding right? Deaths from co-sleeping are shockingly rare actually. In fact more kids die in cribs than co-sleeping. Hence the term "crib death" now changed to SIDS.
Regardless babies in the US die from being born premature and parents that do drugs and smoke.
The purpose of the Finnish Baby Box is not a bunch of random freebies and a box/bed, but to get women to have prenatal care so their child doesn't die from their drug use.
Thank you. I just did a little more checking and, although co-sleeping infant deaths make big headlines they are just the tip of the iceberg. Apparently my city has the highest infant mortality rate in the entire country. Several zip codes have death rates of 16 to 19 infants per every 1,000 infants born alive. And, as you stated, the main causes are lack of prenatal care combined with smoking, drug use and other factors.
One of the studies that I just read said that "60% of the deaths were due to babies born prematurely ".
Its the pre-natal care requirement that has the biggest effect on infant mortality, although the box itself certainly played a big part in the early days when Finland was a very poor country and people lived in cramped conditions - not so safe for a baby then. The lowering of infant mortality was also thanks to this guy Arvo Ylppö - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia as he realised that those deaths could be prevented with pre-natal care as many of the causes were treatable.
Can't rep you quite yet!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Uncle Bully
I have heard that many countries don't count premature infant deaths in their overall infant mortality rates. Is there any truth to that? If so it could account for at least some of the disparity between our rate and those of other developed nations. I also suspect that as many of these nations continue to increase their third world immigrant populations those numbers will tighten up a bit as well.
As Natsku said, Finland uses the same definition as the US. Japan and some countries in Europe use different definitions, which of course affect the stats.
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Honestly.
Look at the prison industry this country support...people don't mind paying taxes for THAT...
