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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/may/09/snp-baby-box-expert-safety-concerns
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| The SNP has caused its own baby box blues | The SNP has caused its own baby box blues |
| (about 1 month later) | |
| If the cardboard baby boxes given out to tens of thousands of new mothers in Scotland are emblematic of the SNP’s commitment to eradicating social inequality, then the response to concerns raised over their safety is an indictment of the way it handles criticism – a testament to the evidence-free nature of much modern politics. Though the welfare of infants is at the heart of the party’s flagship policy, the claim by the cot death expert Dr Peter Blair that the Scottish government should not be promoting the boxes to be routinely used as cribs was met not with an open mind, but with a defensiveness bordering on contempt. | If the cardboard baby boxes given out to tens of thousands of new mothers in Scotland are emblematic of the SNP’s commitment to eradicating social inequality, then the response to concerns raised over their safety is an indictment of the way it handles criticism – a testament to the evidence-free nature of much modern politics. Though the welfare of infants is at the heart of the party’s flagship policy, the claim by the cot death expert Dr Peter Blair that the Scottish government should not be promoting the boxes to be routinely used as cribs was met not with an open mind, but with a defensiveness bordering on contempt. |
| While the first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, took to social media to criticise the Guardian’s coverage, her supporters openly mocked Blair – the chairman of the International Society for the Study and Prevention of Perinatal and Infant Death – for suggesting the boxes’ high sides and potential flammability meant babies should sleep in them only when there was no viable alternative. | While the first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, took to social media to criticise the Guardian’s coverage, her supporters openly mocked Blair – the chairman of the International Society for the Study and Prevention of Perinatal and Infant Death – for suggesting the boxes’ high sides and potential flammability meant babies should sleep in them only when there was no viable alternative. |
| Even before the pilots were launched, the SNP was overstating their benefits | Even before the pilots were launched, the SNP was overstating their benefits |
| The same dismissive attitude was on display when the party was challenged over its insistence that baby boxes were instrumental in reducing infant mortality in Finland (a claim for which there is no empirical evidence). Instead of accepting that her government had overplayed its hand, Sturgeon went on the attack, accusing reporters of conflating sudden infant death syndrome (Sids) and infant mortality. Even when Kela, the Finnish welfare and benefits agency that administers the scheme, confirmed there was no data on the impact of baby boxes on infant mortality, the SNP refused to back down. | The same dismissive attitude was on display when the party was challenged over its insistence that baby boxes were instrumental in reducing infant mortality in Finland (a claim for which there is no empirical evidence). Instead of accepting that her government had overplayed its hand, Sturgeon went on the attack, accusing reporters of conflating sudden infant death syndrome (Sids) and infant mortality. Even when Kela, the Finnish welfare and benefits agency that administers the scheme, confirmed there was no data on the impact of baby boxes on infant mortality, the SNP refused to back down. |
| One of the most pernicious features of last week’s furore was the portrayal of all those who expressed reservations about the policy as cynical and politically motivated. The assumption appears to be that because the baby boxes – with their nappies and scratch mittens and cute little rompers – are “cuddly” or heart-warming, they ought to be exempt from scrutiny. And yet, as anyone who has ever bought a Moses basket, or a cot or pram, knows, other receptacles in which you place a newborn have to comply with rigorous safety standards. It is not the Scottish government’s fault that no officially recognised standards yet exist for baby boxes; but ridiculing the idea that unlaminated cardboard might catch fire more easily than other materials, and accusing your critics of scaremongering, is unlikely to provide public reassurance. | One of the most pernicious features of last week’s furore was the portrayal of all those who expressed reservations about the policy as cynical and politically motivated. The assumption appears to be that because the baby boxes – with their nappies and scratch mittens and cute little rompers – are “cuddly” or heart-warming, they ought to be exempt from scrutiny. And yet, as anyone who has ever bought a Moses basket, or a cot or pram, knows, other receptacles in which you place a newborn have to comply with rigorous safety standards. It is not the Scottish government’s fault that no officially recognised standards yet exist for baby boxes; but ridiculing the idea that unlaminated cardboard might catch fire more easily than other materials, and accusing your critics of scaremongering, is unlikely to provide public reassurance. |
| Equally, the fact the Scottish Tories are exploiting Blair’s concerns to their own ends – or that the Sun turned them into a cheap tabloid stunt – must be frustrating, but it does not make those concerns any less legitimate. | Equally, the fact the Scottish Tories are exploiting Blair’s concerns to their own ends – or that the Sun turned them into a cheap tabloid stunt – must be frustrating, but it does not make those concerns any less legitimate. |
| There are, of course, many plus sides to the SNP policy. As a statement of aspiration – that every child is equally cherished by the state – it is pitch-perfect. It helps vulnerable women feel valued, and creates a sense of social cohesion. Some of the goods the boxes contain – such as nursing pads and ear thermometers – foster good parenting. | There are, of course, many plus sides to the SNP policy. As a statement of aspiration – that every child is equally cherished by the state – it is pitch-perfect. It helps vulnerable women feel valued, and creates a sense of social cohesion. Some of the goods the boxes contain – such as nursing pads and ear thermometers – foster good parenting. |
| Yet the truth is that even before the pilots were launched, the SNP was overstating their benefits. Comparisons to Finland, which pioneered the concept, were misleading. Sure, it is possible to chart the dramatic drop in Finland’s infant mortality (from 65 per 1,000 live births in 1935 – the decade the boxes were launched – to below two per 1,000 in 2015), but infant mortality has declined across the west, with or without a free parcel of goodies. In Scotland it now stands at about 3.7 per 1,000 live births, with 40 deaths a year from Sids. Rash promises that baby boxes could further reduce that figure were always going to be a hostage to fortune. | Yet the truth is that even before the pilots were launched, the SNP was overstating their benefits. Comparisons to Finland, which pioneered the concept, were misleading. Sure, it is possible to chart the dramatic drop in Finland’s infant mortality (from 65 per 1,000 live births in 1935 – the decade the boxes were launched – to below two per 1,000 in 2015), but infant mortality has declined across the west, with or without a free parcel of goodies. In Scotland it now stands at about 3.7 per 1,000 live births, with 40 deaths a year from Sids. Rash promises that baby boxes could further reduce that figure were always going to be a hostage to fortune. |
| Finland disputes Scotland's baby box claims after expert warning | Finland disputes Scotland's baby box claims after expert warning |
| In as much as the baby boxes improved infant welfare in Finland, they did so not in isolation, but by connecting parents to a pioneering maternity and early years service. It would be unfair to suggest the SNP has not invested in such services, but, while in Finland receiving a box is tied to attending antenatal and other classes, in Scotland the SNP decided against attaching preconditions and so missed an opportunity to encourage hard-to-reach women to engage. | In as much as the baby boxes improved infant welfare in Finland, they did so not in isolation, but by connecting parents to a pioneering maternity and early years service. It would be unfair to suggest the SNP has not invested in such services, but, while in Finland receiving a box is tied to attending antenatal and other classes, in Scotland the SNP decided against attaching preconditions and so missed an opportunity to encourage hard-to-reach women to engage. |
| It is the Scottish government’s decision to promote the boxes as safe sleeping spaces, however, that has caused its biggest headache. It is one thing to suggest the cardboard containers are preferable to co-sleeping (which is linked to Sids) and quite another to encourage parents to choose them over other cribs. | It is the Scottish government’s decision to promote the boxes as safe sleeping spaces, however, that has caused its biggest headache. It is one thing to suggest the cardboard containers are preferable to co-sleeping (which is linked to Sids) and quite another to encourage parents to choose them over other cribs. |
| For all the ire he has attracted, Blair never suggested the boxes were actively dangerous. In fact, he clearly stated babies would be better off lying there than on a sofa. What he challenged was the assertion that they were as safe or safer than cots or Moses baskets. The SNP’s knee-jerk rejection of his concerns as “nonsense” and its failure to engage with him on an intellectual level reflect badly on it and on the general state of public discourse. It demonstrates that even putatively progressive parties are prey to anti-expert sentiment, and place more stock in appeals to emotion than dispassionate assessments and cold, hard facts. | For all the ire he has attracted, Blair never suggested the boxes were actively dangerous. In fact, he clearly stated babies would be better off lying there than on a sofa. What he challenged was the assertion that they were as safe or safer than cots or Moses baskets. The SNP’s knee-jerk rejection of his concerns as “nonsense” and its failure to engage with him on an intellectual level reflect badly on it and on the general state of public discourse. It demonstrates that even putatively progressive parties are prey to anti-expert sentiment, and place more stock in appeals to emotion than dispassionate assessments and cold, hard facts. |
| • Dani Garavelli is a columnist for Scotland on Sunday | • Dani Garavelli is a columnist for Scotland on Sunday |
| Scotland | Scotland |
| Opinion | Opinion |
| Scottish National party (SNP) | Scottish National party (SNP) |
| Parents and parenting | Parents and parenting |
| Family | Family |
| Finland | Finland |
| Infant and child mortality | Infant and child mortality |
| Health | Health |
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