Hello!

I'm pregnant (first child) right now but I don't have access to anything similar to a baby box where I will give birth, unless I pay for fancy versions of the box.

However, I am going to follow the DIY route and will put together my own baby box out of thrifted and second-hand finds, as much as possible.

I am thinking of using the list of contents of the latest Finnish baby box to guide my purchases and gift requests, but I had a few questions for Finnish parents first:

  1. The Kela website doesn't have the quantities of each item of clothing. I found this website featuring the 2018 box, though. Are the quantities the same in the latest box?
    https://firewaterspace.com/2018/10/30/whats-inside-the-finnish-baby-box-for-2018/

  2. Did anything in your baby box go unused?

  3. Did anything in your baby box run out too quickly?

  4. Do the proportions and fabrics of winter and summer clothes change depending on when your baby is due? For example, if your baby is due in the heart of winter, do you get a lot more newborn wool clothes than a baby due in the peak of summer?

  5. Would you add anything else to your baby box?

Thanks in advance! 🙏 any other advice welcome, I'm completely new at this!

by Fun-Scene-8677

4 comments

  1. Content of this year’s package: https://www.kela.fi/maternitypackage

  2. I would say look at the Kela page (in English) to see what they have listed, and choose things in sizes that will fit your baby for that season.

    My daughter is a November baby, and was very small, so a lot of the clothes that were meant for winter didn’t fit her that year and were too small for her the following winter. Same with the summer clothes, they were never the right size for when she needed them (if that makes sense).

    The items I found most useful were the box itself for her bed, the sleeping bag, duvet and duvet cover (which she still uses now 3 years later) and finally the hygiene products. The personal hygiene products were also a nice bonus.

  3. 5: “Baby wipes” we spent a plenty. Especially when going anywhere. Took a while to find the perfect brand, they’re surprisingly different, in feel and, err, capability. I think we used Pampers wipes.

    The sanitary wipes in the kela box this year look like women’s panty covers, or what’s the correct word those..

  4. The quantities have significantly reduced since then, as the budget was not adjusted for inflation.

    My understanding is that the contents of the box are adjusted for the season. In practice you will need quite a few more copies of the clothes, and having many more muslin cloths is very useful. A large blanket, preferably stretchy, will be a very useful addition for swaddling. 

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