芬蘭寶寶紙箱風靡英國

中譯／陳怡君 撰文及考題設計／British Council 英協教育中心 Melissa Henry 　　

The first 'baby box'’ gained attention in the UK in July 2013 when the Finnish government gave a baby box to Prince William and Kate when Prince George was born. Since then, there have been a number of conversations surrounding the origins and benefits of the baby box. Now, Queen Charlotte’s and Chelsea Hospital in London started a pilot project in April 2016 to give 600 ‘Baby Boxes’ for free to new mothers. The baby boxes include essential items for a newborn baby, such as clothing, bedding, hygiene products, and the box itself can be used as a portable crib. T he main objectives of the project are to decrease the infant mortality rate and to provide education to expecting mothers.

2013年7月，芬蘭政府送給威廉王子與妻子凱特的長子喬治的「寶寶紙箱」，在英國受到關注，自此，「寶寶紙箱」的來源與好處受到廣泛討論。倫敦夏洛特女皇暨雀兒喜醫院遂在2016 年4月展開一個試驗計畫，免費送出600個「寶寶紙箱」給新手媽媽，裡面有給新生兒的必備物品，包括衣物、被單與衛生用品等，箱子本身還能做為可攜式嬰兒床，主要目的是降低嬰兒死亡率與衛教準媽媽。

The box originated from Finland, as their infant mortality rate in the 1930s reached 65 out of 1,000 due to the economic status in the country. In 1938, under the ‘Finnish Maternity Grants Act’, a baby box was given to lower income families that did not have the means to provide the essentials or a clean, safe sleeping place for a newborn baby. In 1949, the Finnish government began giving the box to all mothers. However, expectant mothers were, and still are, required to attend pre-natal classes before their fourth month of pregnancy to be given the box. Queen Charlotte’s and Chelsea Hospital have likewise adopted educational classes for their pilot project in London.

「寶寶紙箱」來自芬蘭。1930年的芬蘭因為國家經濟因素，嬰兒死亡率高達千分之65；1938 年，無力準備新生兒用品與提供乾淨、安全育嬰環境的較低所得家庭，依照《芬蘭產婦法》，都能獲得「寶寶紙箱」。1949年起，芬蘭所有準媽媽都能拿到寶寶紙箱。前提是所有孕婦都得在懷孕四個月內參加產前「媽媽教室」才能拿到這個箱子。夏洛特女皇暨雀兒喜醫院同樣地也為這項試驗計畫，實施產前教育課程。

The contents of the Finnish baby box have changed over the years, fluctuating with times of war, the increase of working mothers, and health initiatives such as encouraging breastfeeding. Nevertheless, despite a family’s background and status, each child born is given an equal start in life. For the Finnish government, the scheme was a huge success as the infant mortality rate declined sharply each year and remains one of the lowest in the world at 2 in every 1,000 live births. The success can also be attributed to a national healthcare system that started in the 1960s and a central hospital network. The UK is hoping to achieve similar results, as their rate is currently 4 in every 1,000 live births.

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芬蘭寶寶紙箱的內容物反映出時代改變，像是戰事、職業婦女增加與鼓勵餵母乳等衛生計畫。儘管如此，即使家庭背景與社經地位不一，每個新生兒都有平等的起始點。對芬蘭政府而言，這項計畫非常成功，因為嬰兒死亡率逐年大幅下降，以千分之2的嬰兒死亡率維持在全球最低的國家之一。 這項成功也歸因於芬蘭1960年代開始的國家衛生照護系統與中央醫院網絡。目前英國的嬰兒死亡率為千分之4，希望也能達到相同成果。

Other countries have previously adopted the baby box programme but also adapted it to fit their local needs. In South Africa, the baby box is plastic to double as a bath instead of a bed and the pre-natal classes aim to reduce HIV-positive maternal mortality and the risk of passing HIV to the child. India’s baby box provides a birth kit to avoid infection and a mosquito net to protect babies from contracting malaria. In the US, the baby boxes are given to reduce the number of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome caused by accidental suffocation from mothers sleeping beside their child. Canada requires a mentorship program for soon to be parents until six months after birth, to help cope with a new life with a child.

其他國家也有因地制宜的寶寶紙箱計畫。南非的育嬰箱為塑膠材質，除了床以外，還可做為澡盆使用，產前媽媽教室的目的是降低感染愛滋病毒的產婦死亡率以及減少垂直傳染風險。印度的育嬰箱則提供避免感染的生產工具，以及一個蚊帳來預防寶寶感染瘧疾。美國的育嬰箱目的是用來降低母嬰同床導致嬰兒意外窒息的「嬰兒猝死症」。加拿大則要求準爸媽要持續上課直到嬰兒出生滿六個月，以協助這些新手爸媽因應有孩子加入的新生活。

All countries have the same objective – reduce the infant mortality rate and educate parents. Despite criticism, the baby box has helped achieve goals and provide a better start for children. For Finland, it has also become the symbol of equality; hopefully it can achieve the same for the UK. 這些國家都有一個相同的目標：降低嬰兒死亡率與教育準爸媽。儘管受到些許批評，但寶寶紙箱有助達到目標、也為兒童提供更好的生命起始點。對芬蘭而言，寶寶紙箱已成為平等的象徵，希望英國也能做到。(完)更多精彩內容請見《全球中央》2016年6月號；訂閱 《全球中央數位雜誌》；本文由《全球中央》雜誌授權刊載，未經同意禁止轉載。

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