Scotland has sent a baby box to New York’s mayor, Zohran Mamdani, after he cited the Scottish initiative during his election campaign. The box was dispatched by the Scottish government to the Mayor’s Office for International Affairs in Manhattan, a journey of more than 3,000 miles.
Shirley-Anne Somerville, the Scottish social justice secretary, said the gesture was intended to help Mayor Mamdani develop his own “baby basket” proposal, which formed part of his cost-of-living focused campaign. She wrote to the mayor and offered to collaborate on policies to tackle child poverty and address the cost of living.
Scotland’s baby box scheme has been operating since 2017, with more than 360,000 boxes delivered to expectant mothers. Each box contains essentials such as books, clothes and a digital thermometer, and the box itself can serve as a sleeping space for a newborn.
Somerville noted the shared commitment between Scotland and New York to tackling child poverty, adding that the baby box helps reduce the financial burden of early parenthood. Mamdani had previously highlighted Scotland, Chile and Finland as examples of successful baby box initiatives.
