Our Finnish Baby Box!

We got our Finnish Baby Box in the mail the day I hit 21 weeks!  

Shortly before moving to Sweden we saw this article about Finnish Baby Boxes posted on Facebook.  In Finland, as an incentive to get prenatal care they give you a box of baby clothes and supplies for free if you go to a doctor within the first 3 or 4 months of your pregnancy.  I think you can choose a boy, girl or gender neutral box.  The box itself can be used as a crib because it comes with a mattress.  Having babies sleep in a box seemed strange but infant mortality went down significantly after they introduced the boxes.  We can't get one for free but there are some companies that make them to sell so Jake found one and gave me the box as a Christmas gift.  We are actually thinking about using the box as the crib for a while since we will only be in Stockholm for a few months before moving back and we don't have a lot of space.

Here is what came in our box!

This is what I opened on Christmas morning.  The picture on the right has a small pillow at the bottom of the box representing the mattress and the Finnish flag is attached to a list of the things that come in the baby box.

 Finally opening my Christmas present.

 Here is the letter that was on the top.

 These zippered pajamas are 4-6 months.  All of the baby clothes are sized in centimeters but I took a picture at a store the other day to help me figure out the conversion to months like we use in the United States.

 These are long sleeved onesies.  The white circus one is 3 months, yellow stripe is 6 months (This is the only piece of clothing I really don't like.  It feels very plasticky.), grey bunnies is 7-9 months, brown and cream stripe is 6 months, and the green monster one is 4-6 months.

 These are like overalls or tank tops with feet.  Not sure what you call them actually, maybe a jumper?  The white circus one is 3 months, grey and white stripe is 4-6 months, brown with the bear is 4-6 months and the purple and green stripe one is 0-3 months.

 The brown and cream pants are 6-9 months, orange pants with feet are 3 months, grey pants with feet are 3 months, white pants are 6 months and grey fuzzy pants are 4-6 months.

 We also got a balaclava, white stocking cap, grey hat with a tie, white hat with a tie, a few pairs of socks, one pair of leggings and booties.

 Cream long sleeve onesie is 1-2 months and the white long sleeve top is 3 months.

 Two diapers, a teether, brush, nail clippers, washable breast pads, pads, bathtub thermometer and condoms.

 Two burp clothes, hooded towel and a bib.

 Duvet, duvet cover, mattress cover and flat sheet to cover the mattress (this would be tucked in).

 The duvet cover has a squirrel on it!

This cream outfit is very thick and feels like long underwear.  It is size 6 months.

This tan fleece outfit is super soft!  It is 7-9 months which should be perfect timing and size for Baker next winter! 

 Snow suit!

There are two box choices for the Finnish Baby Box Jake ordered.  One is for a cold weather climate and the other is for a mild weather climate.  The mild weather climate is for if your area doesn't get below 40 degrees in the winter which isn't true for Kansas or Stockholm so we opted for the cold weather climate box.  Plus, the snowsuit is covered in monkeys!  It is 7-9 months as well which should be perfect for a fun winter in Kansas when we are finally home!

 The strap at the bottom of the pants leg is the standard practice here.  Lots of kids wear these snowsuits in the winter while walking around Stockholm even to and from school, not just to play in the snow.  They hook the strap under their snow boots and walk to school or ride in a stroller.  I'm not sure how often the strap wears out but it keeps their pant legs down. 

 The bed/crib/bassinet aka a box.  The mattress is at the bottom but it blends in.  We are both a little curious about what might happen if the baby spits up or gets the sides of the box wet in some way because it is just cardboard.

 The mattress is 16.75 inches wide, 27.5 inches long and 1.5 inches deep.  We are trying to think of a way to safely elevate the box so we don't have the baby on the ground.  We are looking for a stand or I might try to encourage Jake to build something (which could be difficult considering he doesn't have any tools or space to work here but I'm sure we will figure something out).

Last but not least a sleeping bag.  Lots of strollers have footmuffs or sleeping bags that kids sit in to help keep them warm in the winter.  Not sure how we will use this but it would be nice to use on our floor while we are planning with the baby since we have wood floors and could use some padding.

I can't wait to see our little baby sleeping in that box and wearing the clothes.  This was such a neat and thoughtful gift.  I can't wait to use it!