Around 500 expectant parents will receive a free bundle of supplies worth €500 from the State this autumn when their babies are born.
Children’s Minister Roderic O’Gorman announced details of the plan to pilot the Little Baby Bundle with 500 expectant parents and newborns.
The pilot will be undertaken in collaboration with the Rotunda Hospital, Dublin and University Hospital, Waterford.
The Little Baby Bundle – an initiative under First 5, A Whole-of -Government Strategy for Babies, Young Children and their Families 2019-2028 – is a welcome gift from the State for a new arrival to a family – acknowledging this very significant and special moment for parents.
Families will be given a “welcome gift” which will include a blanket, a hooded bath towel, a digital thermometer, a bath sponge, a babygro, a vest, muslin cloths, socks, mittens, nappies and cream, wipes, nursing and maternity pads, nipple cream, a breast pump, a sling, a changing mat, and a baby monitor.
The pilot is expected to begin this Autumn.
Designed to promote the health and well-being of newborns and help parents in the first days and weeks of a baby’s life, the Little Baby Bundles is inspired by similar successful initiatives in Scotland and Finland.