The Baby Box Co. Partners with Chico Public Library to Launch Universal Safe Sleep Program in Wise County

Chico, TX: July 31, 2017 – Today the Chico Public Library, in partnership with The Baby Box Co., announced the launch of the Baby Box University program that will provide Wise County with 600 Baby Boxes within the course of a year. The program is free and focuses on providing new and expecting parents with the education and resources vital for new-born and maternal care.

This program is focused on reducing the infant mortality rate in the U.S. which is at a staggering 6.5 percent in 2015 which is worse than all EU countries, Japan, South Korea, Australia and even Cuba. The innovative new program combines the Baby Box University information platform for new parents along with the proven safety of the Baby Box. Empowering parents and families with essential information for them to properly care for newborns is the heart of this new initiative.

Michelle Slonaker, Chico Public Library Director, says “In keeping with our role as a certified Family Place Library, the Chico Public Library is excited to partner with the Baby Box Company to connect parents and caregivers to services and resources that promote the importance of prenatal care, safe sleep, healthy feeding practices, and community-based support systems for new and expecting families.”

Jennifer Clary, CEO of The Baby Box Co. said, “We’re delighted to partner with the Chico Public Library to support families with the trusted Baby Box and free access to health and education materials through Baby Box University. Every child deserves a safe and nurturing start in life so we are supporting mothers and fathers with the tools they need to keep babies safe and healthy when they are most vulnerable.”

The use of Baby Boxes has been associated with helping Finland achieve one of the world’s lowest infant mortality rates. The Finnish initiative, which enables every expecting woman in the country to claim a free Baby Box once she receives prenatal care and parenting information from a healthcare professional, is credited with helping to decrease Finland’s infant mortality rate from 65 deaths for each 1,000 children born in 1938 to 2.26 deaths per 1,000 births in 2015.

In addition to the Baby Box, the American founders of The Baby Box Co. went a step further by creating an enhanced multi-media parenting curriculum called Baby Box University. The Baby Box University is a comprehensive maternal and childcare education platform, available from pregnancy onwards. Developed with leading medical experts from around the world, Baby Box University enables each of its healthcare partners to customize the educational content to suit local need. Available via video in a variety of languages, the content transcends the literacy and language barriers that can be challenging in diverse populations. It is available online at www.babyboxuniversity.com.

The Baby Boxes themselves, which are made from durable cardboard and come with a firm mattress, waterproof mattress cover and fitted cotton sheet, are traditionally used in Finland as a baby’s bed for the first months of life. The Baby Boxes also come filled with additional childcare resources like Pampers Swaddlers diapers, Pampers baby wipes, Lansinoh breast pads and nipple cream, onesie, and waterproof diaper tote bag.

The universal safe sleep Baby Box program was launched in Texas in April. The company already has made significant progress internationally, with national Baby Box program roll-outs well under way in Canada, UK, and Ireland. This program is made possible for Wise County residents through the leadership of The Baby Box Co. and its partnership with the Chico Public Library. The universal safe sleep program is accessible to all expecting and new Wise County parents regardless of socioeconomic status, and the Baby Boxes are available for pick up from the Chico Public Library.

Participants in the Texas safe sleep program receive a Baby Box that contains the following items:

Baby Box Contents: Mattress Waterproof mattress protector

Fitted sheet Pampers baby wipes Pampers Swaddlers diapers Lansinoh breast pads and nipple cream Onesie Baby lotion Waterproof diaper tote bag

About The Baby Box Co. The Baby Box Co. is an innovative, integrated program supporting parents and improving maternal and infant healthcare outcomes globally. The Baby Box Co. partners with hospitals, government agencies and non-profit organizations to provide Baby Boxes, quality products, resources and ongoing education to families on a large scale. The Baby Boxes, which are made from a durable cardboard and are proactively certified to meet the highest level of available safety standards by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), as well as Health Canada and EN Standard regulations for bassinets, can be used as a baby’s bed for the first months of life. While parents appreciate the Baby Boxes and quality care products included, it is the educational component and closer communication with local healthcare providers that is at the center of the Baby Box University distribution model. Families are required to view their community’s online curriculum before receiving a free Baby Box. Serving families in 52 countries, The Baby Box Co. has offices in the USA, UK, and Canada. For more information, please visit www.babyboxco.com and www.babyboxuniversity.com.

For more information about The Baby Box Co. and the Chico Baby Box program please contact:

Lindsey Henn

Lindsey@thebabyboxco.com

Michelle Slonaker

chicopublib1@gmail.com