BBC London must really hate the Scottish Government. They are dredging up the entrails of a non-story that died months ago. Yes folks, it’s time for baby box bashing again. The same critics saying the same things, elevated to the status of experts by the increasingly irrelevant media.

The BBC “health reporter” Alex Therrien’s first line is revealing: “Baby boxes are being promoted as a safe alternative to standard cots, bassinets and Moses baskets despite a lack of evidence on their safety.” No they’re not. It is not compulsory to have a baby box or use it as a cot. Equally there is no evidence the box is harmful to babies.

It’s a sloppy rehash that is of course meticulously well-balanced, but people don’t read stories, all they are interested in is the damaging headline. It is exactly the same tired old story from the same critics shouting there is no evidence that baby boxes save lives. They totally miss the point. In the real world there is plenty of evidence that there are increasing numbers of desperate people in poverty who cannot afford alternatives like cots, bassinets and Moses baskets. They have to rely on whatever is available. For them the baby box is a life-saver.

Mike Herd
Highland