A US labor and delivery nurse filmed her shocked reactions as she watched a pregnant Scottish woman open a government-donated ‘baby box’ containing abundant supplies for the newborn.
North Carolina native Jen Hamilton, 33, looked impressed in a new TikTok as she watched mom blogger Rachel Clenaghan, 28, unpack the contents of the “baby box” she received for free during her 36 weeks of pregnancy.
“Today we received our Scottish Baby Box, which every family in Scotland is entitled to when expecting a baby,” Rachel began.
‘And it’s free from the Scottish Government. So I thought I’d unpack it with you and show you what’s inside,” she continued.
Scottish mum blogger Rachel Clenaghan, 28, unpacked the contents of her ‘baby box’ – which she received for free from the government when she was 36 weeks pregnant
The outside of the ‘baby box’ is decorated with child-friendly line drawings that can be colored
She further emphasized that the playpen itself also doubles as a mini crib, complete with mattress
Also included are baby clothes, a blanket, towel, shawl, toys, books, two types of thermometers (body and ‘bath and room’), toiletries, fitted sheets for the inbox mattress – and even a ‘sweet poem’
Rachel, who also previously received a box before the birth of her first child – now 13 months old – then explained how the box itself is ‘beautifully illustrated’ with black outlines of various child-friendly images, adding that she thinks ‘ the box The whole point is so that the younger family(members) can decorate it for the new arrival.
“But in my case, I might just grab my coloring pens and do it myself because it’s just so tempting to color in,” she admitted.
She further emphasized that the playpen itself also doubles as a mini crib, complete with mattress.
In addition, the ‘baby box’ comes with various instruction manuals, including about breastfeeding and ‘safe sleeping’.
Also included are baby clothes, a blanket, towel, shawl, toys, books, two types of thermometers (body and ‘bath and room’), toiletries, fitted sheets for the mattress in the box – and even a ‘sweet poem’.
Over the course of the clip, Jen’s expressions fluctuated between escalating levels of surprise and admiration at the scope of the free services, aimed at relieving stress for new parents and establishing a universal standard for the first months of life.
All the while, the text “(Cries in American)” floated beneath Jen’s TikTok on double screen.
‘Honestly I can’t believe it, we are so lucky to receive something like this. I think it should be available everywhere,” Rachel concluded.
Many took to the comments to reflect Jen’s disbelief at the breadth of products offered in the ‘baby box’ – especially since the US government offers none
Many took the comments as a reflection of Jen’s disbelief at the breadth of products offered in the ‘baby box’ – especially since the US government offers none.
“The USA Baby Box contains nothing but thoughts and prayers,” one lamented. For a moment it sounded: ‘our “baby box” consisted of a $13,000 bill… ‘MERICA!!’
“Wow, it’s almost like they care about the child after it’s born! Astonishing!’ came a third.
‘So every baby has the same start’… that’s absolutely amazing,’ said one of the logic behind the government policy.
‘Meanwhile in America… ‘I know you just gave birth last week, but are you coming to your shift tomorrow?’
“The more I learn about other countries, the more I hate it here,” another American hissed jealously.
Scotland’s official website explains the logic behind providing the Baby Starter Pack to every new parent: ‘In Scotland we believe that parenthood is one of the most important jobs in the world… With that in mind, we want to ensure that Scotland has the best place in the world to grow up.
“That’s why we launched the Baby Box initiative in 2017, designed to give every baby in Scotland an equal start in life.” began a statement which explains the origins of the ‘baby box’.