Rather than put baby in a corner, Finland puts baby in a box
Finland
Expectant parents all over the world considered moving to
Finland last week after the BBC’s report Why Finnish babies sleep in
cardboard boxes went viral. What new mother wouldn’t want this care package:
A cardboard box that doubles as a bassinet, and comes packed with bodysuits, a
sleeping bag, outdoor gear, bathing products, diapers, and bedding — all care of
the Finnish government. And that’s not all Finnish mothers get. Perks of having
a pikkuvauva (little baby, in Finnish) include 105 days of paid maternity leave,
158 days of parental leave that can be shared between new parents, and then
shortened hours until the child is two. Plus, paid child-care leave and free
daycare. OK, sure, Finns pay pretty high taxes that can reach beyond 50% in some
instances. It’s still little wonder Finland is the 9th happiest
country in the world.
— By Barbara Kollmeyer, Jonnelle Marte and Quentin Fottrell
Image: The contents of the Finnish Baby Box (left) that also works as a
bassinet for new babies.
China
There are no boxes for babies in China, which is probably best known for its
one-child policy, but new mothers in this country do have a little perk called
zuo yuezi, or sitting the month. During this 30-day period after birth, the
mother rests at home and recovers from childbirth at the mother-in-law’s house,
NPR
reports. Western mothers might be horrified at the prospect of not going
outside for a month, not being allowed a cold drink, and being offered a steady
diet of pig’s-feet-and-peanut soup or carp soup (which supposedly increases milk
production). Some of these traditions have reportedly been modernized, with more
affluent Chinese mothers sitting the month at luxury postpartum recovery
centers. Also, working mothers in China get 98 days of maternity leave, which
was just increased last year according to Catalyst, a nonprofit that researches
working conditions for women worldwide.
Image: A mother looks at her baby in the Antai Hospital in Beijing in this
photo taken Nov. 28, 2012.
United Kingdom
English moms were among those tweeting with envy over the Finnish baby boxes
last week. Kate Middleton, whose husband is a potential king of England,
reportedly will be giving birth in a private wing at St. Mary’s Hospital in
London. After childbirth, she — like other British moms and dads — will be able
to take her time at home with the baby. In the U.K., parents are entitled to 280
days of paid maternity and paternity leave, according to the International
Labour Organization. Moms receive 90% of pay for six weeks with no upper limit
before switching to a standard rate.
Image: Prince William and his pregnant Duchess of Cambridge.
Iceland
Iceland has one of the most generous parental leave systems in the world,
experts say. In 2000, Iceland passed a law providing equal parental leave for
mothers and fathers. Parents get nine months paid leave at up to 80% of their
salary. Three months is set aside for the mother, three months can be taken by
the father, and the couple can share the remaining three months. The three
allowances are nontransferable between mother and father. However, this will be
extended to 10 months in 2014, 11 months in 2015 and 12 months in 2016, with
five months to be taken by each parent and two months to be decided between
them. One stipulation: Parents must have been working or studying for six months
prior to taking the leave. The two-parent leave system has been well received by
the public, with over 90% of fathers opting in, according to Icelandic
sociologists Guðný Björk Eydal and Ingólfur V. Gíslason.
Image: Mother pushing a stroller in Reykjavik.
Canada
Depending on the length of employment and the number of hours worked in the
preceding year, new moms in Canada can take 17 to 52 weeks of unpaid leave from
their jobs. Some parents are also eligible for leave through Canada’s employment
insurance plan, which offers 15 weeks for moms, plus 35 additional weeks for
either parent, at 55% pay, up to a maximum payment of about $500 a week.
Employers are also required to take parents back at the same rate of pay, with
the same employment benefits. To qualify for employment insurance, parents must
have 600 hours of insured income during the previous 52 weeks, or since their
last leave.
Australia
Australia is ranked as one of the top 10 countries for mothers by Save the
Children, a London-based non-governmental organization. Parents raising children
there get 126 days of paid maternity and paternity leave, according to the
International Labour Organization. Parents can also get up to a year of unpaid
parental leave if they adopt. And low income families who have a baby or adopt a
child can qualify for a “baby bonus” of 13 biweekly payments meant to help with
the costs of a newborn baby.
How the U.S. compares
The gift hospitals give to new moms in the U.S. has tended to be a little bag
with formula, coupons, and literature, but that tradition is fading. At the BabyCenter
blog, over 100 new mothers wrote in about a year ago discussing their
postbirth hospital perks. From the amazing (a one-hour facial, crocheted
booties, blankets and a stroller) to the disappointing (a cheap plastic bag with
formula and leaflets, lousy service and — as one reader wrote — an enormous
bill). Depending on what kind of insurance you have and what kind of hospital
you go to, the experience can be great or just bearable. As Catalyst points out,
the U.S. is one of the few industrialized nations that doesn’t require paid
family leave for new moms and dads. The Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993
entitles certain employees to unpaid, job-protected leave, but most parents end
up cobbling together time off using short-term disability, sick leave, vacation
days, personal days and unpaid family leave.
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