Seriously Scotland – Let’s Talk Baby Boxes!

As an independence supporter I like the idea of a baby box.

Some will see it as a waste of tax payers money, others, like me will see it as tax payers money well spent.

According to the Scottish Government the cost of the baby boxes will be £8 million for the first year and then £7 million per year thereafter.

There are approximately 2.1 million tax payers in Scotland so the baby box scheme costs the average tax payer approximately £4 per year.  I would say on that basis alone, its money well spent.

Each baby box which can be used as a sleeping place for the baby contains:

  • Scratch mittens
  • Short-sleeved vests
  • Long-sleeved vests
  • Long-sleeved sleepsuits
  • Cotton hat
  • Socks
  • All-in-one day suit
  • Jersey trousers
  • Long-sleeved sleepsuits
  • Fleece jacket with hood
  • Mattress
  • Mattress protector
  • Fitted sheet
  • Cellular blanket
  • Baby wrap
  • Hooded bath towel
  • Digital ear thermometer
  • Bath sponge
  • Bath and room baby thermometer
  • Teething ring soother
  • Baby books
  • PlayTalkRead play mat
  • Emery boards
  • Bib
  • Muslin cloth squares
  • Comforter toy
  • Travel changing mat
  • Pack of disposable nursing pads
  • Pack of 12 maternity towels
  • Condoms

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Many people out there don’t see the need, they would rather spend money on other things we didn’t vote for like the DUP Deal, Westminster refurbishment, Trident and of course Brexit.

For those of you with children who agree with this, I really have nothing to say to you, but for those of you who either have or do not have children but disagree with this, I have much to say to you – particularly to those of you who disagree with it but have children…but I will bite my tongue as I may very well offend you!

Children are the life-blood of humanity.  Each and every child deserves the right to an equal start in life.  Whether giving parents a safe place for a baby to sleep, or clothes and nappies for their new born.  Whether or not it is able to reduce infant mortality is really not the sole aim of the baby box.  This is about equality, fairness and inclusion.

Scotland to me is a fair, equal and caring country and the baby box scheme illustrates this very well.

£4 per tax payer in Scotland per year to make sure every child has the option of a safe bed and clothes for their first few weeks and months is nothing short of fantastic and should NEVER be tarnished by the media and the public the way it is just now.

We could of course use that £4 per tax payer per year in other ‘better’ ways.  Some comparative figures are below.

Scheme Total Cost (*Per Year if applicable) Cost to Scotlands 2.1 million Tax Payer Per Year
Baby Box £8 Million * (Scotland Only) £4
Trident £6.8 Billion * (UK Cost) £269
Brexit £11.2 Billion * (UK Cost) £5,333
HS2 £55.7 Billion (UK Cost) £2,201
Westminster Refurbishment £7 Billion (UK Cost) £276
General Election 2017 £143 Million (UK Cost) £5.65
DUP Deal £1.5 Billion (UK Cost) £59

I know what I would rather spend it on.

Children do not get to choose their parents, nor do they choose to be born.  But for those children out there who are unfortunately born into poverty, I am grateful to the Scottish Government for enacting this policy as a way of me being able to help them.

For those of you who misunderstand the policy I say to you…

It is optional, and you register at your midwifes appointment to get one.  Those of you well off enough to afford everything, you just have to say no and the cost to the Scottish Taxpayer comes down.

To those of you who do need the baby box to care for your little one, I say…

I hope my £4 helps keep your bundle of joy safe.

8 thoughts on “Seriously Scotland – Let’s Talk Baby Boxes!”

  1. If this doesn’t touch your heart then you’re simply not human. I’m sure that if necessary the scheme would be oversubscribed by voluntary contributions, except the cost of collection etc. would probably be several times more that of the existing scheme, so please just take it out of the tax stream. Even from a purely financial POV this must be a good investment, perhaps the best there is!

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  5. How come Brexit is £11.2bn and cost per tax payer is £5333 and HST is £55.7bn but only £2201 per tax payer. Can you explain your maths?

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    1. £11.2 billion is projected cost to Scottish Economy (not UK economy). £55.7billion is projected cost to UK. Scotland, of course, wouldnt pay for all of HS2, but its population share (8.3%) translates to a per taxpayer cost of £2201. Hope this clarifies.

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    1. Apologies, i tried to simplify it as best i could. For figures that confuse you, bear in mind that where it states UK cost, this means only 8.3% of that cost is tranferred to Scotland as a population share within the UK. Within that 8.3% population share, we have approximately 2.1 million taxpayers.

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