Plante promises a ‘Welcome Baby’ box for all Montreal newborns

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A “Welcome Baby” box filled with baby clothes, blankets and books will be sent to every newborn in Montreal, Projet Montréal leader Valérie Plante promised on Thursday if her party wins the next election.

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The contents of the boxes would be worth around $ 100 and would be shipped to all newborns with an address in the city of Montreal. Approximately 20,000 babies are born each year in the city.

“We know that the arrival of a baby is, of course, a source of joy, but it also brings expenses,” Plante said. “This will help all Montreal children, regardless of their economic background, to start their lives on a more equitable basis.”

The idea of ​​the baby box originated in Finland in the late 1930s and has been popular there for decades, providing new families with much-needed resources. It is credited with reducing the infant mortality rate there, in part because many parents used the boxes as cribs, reducing the number of infant deaths related to babies sleeping in the same bed as their parents. Other countries have recently adopted the model, including Scotland and France, where it has been called “Caja Bébé”. (Montreal decided to opt for a more French term than France, Plante said: Boîte welcomeue bébé).

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The box will include items such as pajamas with the Montreal city logo, as well as baby fabrics and tucks. Also included are baby books, thermometers, washable diapers and a guide to the services offered to parents of newborns, as well as coupons for the Montreal metro system and museums such as the Biodôme or the Botanical Garden.

The boxes would be distributed at the beginning of the party’s mandate. The total cost is estimated at $ 2 million. For parents who do not want the box, a donation of an equivalent amount will be awarded to a charity that supports families. The idea was inspired in part by the parent’s guide From Tiny Tot to Toddler (Mieux vivre avec notre enfant), a comprehensive and much-loved guide to newborn care that has been given to parents of newborns in Quebec. during decades.

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“The box certainly won’t solve all the inequalities, but it will help level the playing field a little so that parents have fewer worries,” said Will Prosper, mayoral candidate for the North Montreal district.

Plante said the program also sends the message that the city is happy to welcome new parents and wants them to stay, as it deals with an exodus of residents to the suburbs.

The incumbent mayor responded to a new CROP poll for Radio-Canada that found her running side by side with Denis Coderre, with 25 percent support for Plante and 26 percent for Coderre. Balarama Holness got five percent and 27 percent said they were still undecided.

Plante said Coderre’s poll numbers have fallen dramatically since the start of the elections, while his party has been steadily rising. Montréal residents will respond to Projet Montréal’s strong platform and track record of the past four years, he said. Polls showed Coderre with a 10-point lead before the campaign began in May, but the two main opponents had about the same support in a poll conducted in late September.

On the subject of the Côte-des-Neiges incumbent’s proposal, Notre-Dame-de-Grâce Mayor Sue Montgomery’s recommendation that the city’s largest district be divided into two entities to better serve the communities, Plante said that was not the kind of idea that is needed right now.

“The people of that municipality need services, not division,” he said.

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