Combining Baby Boxes with Education Reduced Bed Sharing by 25%

​Providing parents with cardboard bassinettes known as "baby boxes" and personalized instructions for sleep safety reduced bed sharing in the first eight days of life by 25% at a large urban hospital in Philadelphia, according to a story published May 22, 2017, in the Philadelphia Inquirer. Bed sharing has been linked to sleep-related deaths in infants, including sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and suffocation, the article said. There exists debate about whether boxes, which have been credited by some for reducing infant mortality in Finland, are effective. The hospital, which is located in a low-income area with a high infant mortality rate, began providing mothers with free baby boxes in May 2016.