Let’s Check Out Scotland’s Baby Box!

Hey there! Today, we’re looking at something that makes us feel super proud to be Scottish, and that's Scotland’s Baby Box! If you haven’t heard about it before, the baby box is a free gift, given to all expectant parents in Scotland (if you opt in) and includes a ton of useful items and resources that help make the transition into parenthood that little bit easier! As we mentioned before, we are very interested in budgeting hacks and freebies, so this was right up our street!

Scotland's Baby Box Background!

This amazing initiative was introduced by the Scottish Government in 2017, and aims to give all newborns in Scotland an equal start in life. The box is literally jam packed with items, ranging from information pamphlets all the way to a mattress and fitted sheets. The box design also allows for it to be used as a safe sleeping area for baby, meaning no child in Scotland should ever have to sleep in unsafe conditions! Since it's introduction, over 300,000 boxes have been delivered to expectant parents, showing just how popular this initative has been!

Registering For Our Baby Box!

To opt in for our baby box, we simply had to fill in the leaflet given to us by our midwife and post it! This leaflet is generally given out between 20-28 weeks of pregnancy and I think we got ours at our 24 week appointment! Once posted, you can sit back, relax, and expect to receive your baby box delivery at some point in your third trimester. Ours turned up at the 32 week mark, which was perfect, as we were still in the process of buying our baby essentials, and actually found there was loads in the box we could use, which helped to save some cash!

What Was Inside Our Baby Box?

Okay! So let's get to the exciting part and show you what was in our box! The majority of box contents will be similar, but occasionally there can be slight changes to box offerings, so don't be surprised if you receive a box and your contents aren't exactly the same!

Firstly, we have the sleeping equipment! The box, the mattress, two fitted sheets and a mattress protector. Although we don't plan to use this we can see how great this may be for some families!

Next up is clothing! The box contains a good amount of clothing, ranging from newborn up to 6 months. Our box included baby grows, rompers, sleepsuits, leggings, a fleece, socks, mittens, bibs and hats!

Other items to keep baby snug and clean were, blankets, a cute little comforter (is it giraffe or a cow, you tell me?!?!), a hooded bath towel and plenty of muslins!

For bath time, we had the basics down! This included, bath temperature probe, sponge and some little nail files.

We also had a digital thermometer, travel changing mat, baby carrier wrap and teething toy. Items that will all come in handy for sure!

Our favourite items were the educational offerings; there were several books and an interactive playmat. We LOVED these and can't wait to read the stories to our baby boy and help him play and interact on his colourful playmat!

Next up was a selection of items to help mum. We had some breast pads, maternity pads, and condoms. We found the addition of condoms quite funny from our perspective, but we totally understand how important it is to get contraception in check after birth!

Finally, we have a selection of advice leaflets and a cute poem, written in Scots language. This is quite a heartfelt addition, and made me feel quite emotional as we look forward to welcoming our little one into the world!

Our Final Thoughts On Scotland's Baby Box

Honestly, what's not to love about this initiative?!? The selection of goodies are well curated, and serve to cover most of the essential needs of a newborn in those early months! Mums and other parents aren't forgotten about either and there seems to be a real sense of empowering families and inspiring community connection. The box works as a great leveller; no matter your socioeconomic background, there is something in here you will be able to use! My advice would be to opt in if you can and enjoy the feeling of being part of something bigger! Every child deserves to get off to a great start in life, and here in Scotland, we really are doing our best to achieve that!