The Women’s Specialists of Plano is the first OBGYN group in North Texas to offer expecting and new parents a free Baby Box. The goal of the Baby Box program is to improve family healthcare outcomes, decrease infant mortality and provide families with free quality resources and access to education to ensure a safe and supported start to each baby’s life. Before receiving the Baby Box, parents must participate in a community education program, developed by local health experts on prenatal health, breastfeeding, safe sleep practices and newborn care.
The Baby Box was originally started in Finland 80 years ago with the goal of providing every expecting mother in the country a free Baby Box along with prenatal support to help decrease Finland’s infant mortality rate. According to the World Health Organization, the infant mortality rate was 65 deaths for each 1,000 children in 1938 and in 2013, the rate dropped to 1.3 deaths per 1,000 births. As a new concept to the United States, Texas is the 4th state to adopt the universal Baby Box program, and the Women’s Specialists of Plano are the first Plano OBGYN group to provide Baby Boxes on site in North Texas.
How to get a Baby Box
To get a Baby Box please follow these five easy steps
- Register for free online at babyboxuniversity.com as a Texas resident. Be sure to include your correct information, including mailing address.
- Watch the 10-15 minute Texas syllabus at babyboxuniversity.com.
- After taking the short quiz, you will receive a certificate of completion and be able to select local pick-up or direct delivery of your Baby Box.
- Print your certificate and bring it with you to the event. We will also have tablets available to take the course at the event.
- If you can’t make the event, you can select direct delivery, and Baby Box will ship to the address you provided when you registered on Baby Box University. If you select local pick up, bring your Baby Box University certificate to the closest participating distribution partner to collect your Baby Box.
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Approximately 3,500 infants die annually in the United States from sleep-related deaths, including sudden unexpected infant death (SIDS), ill-defined deaths and accidental suffocation and strangulation. The Baby Box Co. has developed Baby Boxes made from a durable cardboard that can be used as a baby’s bed for the first few months of life. Baby Boxes have been extensively tested for water resistance, air flow, flammability, and durability as well as standard bassinet structural compliances.
The Baby Box contents include:
- Mattress
- Waterproof mattress protector
- Fitted sheet
- Vroom brain-building activity cards from The Bezos Family Foundation
- Pampers baby wipes
- Pampers Swaddlers diapers
- Lansinoh breast pads and nipple cream
- Onesie
- Baby lotion
- Waterproof diaper tote bag
To receive the quality care products that the Baby Box offers, families are required to complete the Texas Syllabus at Baby Box University before receiving the Baby Box. The localized content through Baby Box University provides valuable, trustworthy information to new and expecting parents about a range of topics including safe sleep, pre-natal nutrition, infant nutrition, what to expect during pregnancy and more. By combining the Baby Box itself with the educational course, the initiative helps decrease the infant mortality rate through increased parental engagement.