Experts in the UK have said that baby boxes should not be continually promoted as a safe alternative to standard cots because there is a lack of evidence to support this.
They have warned that baby boxes – used in Finland since the 1930s – are being promoted as a safe alternative to standard cots, bassinets and Moses baskets despite a lack of evidence on their safety.
The cardboard boxes, which include babygrows, a blanket, outdoor clothing, bathing products, nappies and bedding, are offered to new mums in Scotland and parts of England – and a scheme was just introduced in Ireland in May of this year, piloted in Wexford General Hospital and University Maternity Hospital Limerick.
The Royal College of Midwives has now said they want the scheme rolled out across the UK, saying it offers a "more equal start to life," but experts have raised concerns about how safe the boxes are to sleep in.
In a letter to the BMJ, Prof Peter Blair and colleagues say that, as far as the evidence stands, the boxes should only really be used as a temporary bed – and if nothing else is available.
"One of the things we've been encouraging in the last 25 years is just a bit more closer contact, closer observation. Forget this idea of having infants in a separate room early on,” he told the BBC.
"It's just this idea of observation just in case they get into difficulties. Sometimes you might not be able to do anything about it, sometimes you can, that's what we've encouraged."
They warned that compared with cots, bassinets and Moses baskets, it is harder for parents to see their babies easily when they are sleeping in them and that some boxes, particularly those that are not laminated, may potentially be flammable or leave babies more vulnerable if they are kept on the floor.
They also pointed out that there is no evidence that confirms how durable the boxes are, as well as adding that there is also no evidence to support the claim that they have helped Finland achieve some of the lowest rates of cot death (sudden infant death syndrome or SIDS) in the world.
More research, they said, is the key "to better understand how families use the cardboard baby box, and its safety implications."
