John Lewis baby boxes are NOT SAFE

I would be very cautious of making a sweeping accusation and naming a company on a public site.
I googled four key words and the OPs post came up on the first hit.
Should the OPs claims be groundless this could be construed as libel.
Personally I would not relish the prospect of JL v sparkly in a court case.

My brother born four years after me, spent his first few days in my dolly cot, I can remember how thrilled I was with that arrangement

I don't see anything inherently wrong with putting your baby to sleep in a box. I used an old cardboard box once when we were away from home for a few days. They are not unsafe, and for many parents may be safer than an other options available to them. The instructions are common sense and would apply to using a carricot as well.

I do, sort of, object to EVERY baby in Scotland getting one, I feel it would be much better to use the funds to help those parents who really are struggling. But there may be a good reason behind the decision.

Suedonim if your daughter didn't NEED the baby box or thought it wasn't worth having she should have refused it,not taken it just to moan about it .Some people !!

Me too - though I suspect the reason my mum says I never cried much as a baby is that maybe my drawer was pushed in a time or two.

Another one here who spent the first few months of my life in a drawer (I don't think it was pushed in and out of the chest with me in it though...!)

The Finnish box seems very like the Scottish one, and is full of other baby items like the Scottish one. Kitting out a new baby is an expensive and time-consuming business and this starts them off with all the essentials. I don't think many babies will sleep in it but it is the same size and shape as a carrycot, which was the first bed for my babies. The carrycot was put in the cot, and was far cosier for a few weeks for a tiny newborn than a full-size cot, and more useful than a Moses basket as it could be attached to a chassis and wheeled about.

The John Lewis one has no contents. By the time it is filled up by loving grandparents it would be an expensive gift!

it may not be a requirement but it makes it easier to keep track of new mums when they have booked a baby box.Over 50,000 have been given out and I haven't heard of any complaints about them...or people selling them .Its not compulsory to have one ,if you dont need it dont fill in the form ,simple.

Yes, in Finland the boxes are linked to the mothers accessing regular antenatal care. That's not a requirement in Scotland.

This is an interesting article from five years ago about baby boxes in Finland.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-22751415

My daughter received one of the first baby boxes in Scotland, last year. It really wasn't much use as a place to sleep. She didn't want the baby to sleep in it on the floor, as it was a bitterly cold winter and it seemed too cold and drafty. You're not supposed to put it on a stand, though. She also has a cat, plus she was worried about the baby not being near eye level, so it has just been used for storage.

It's a nice idea and all that but there is no evidence that boxes makes any difference to outcomes for babies.

Baby boxes are commmon in Norway. I bought a British one for my baby granddaughter to sleep in in my house. She was perfectly safe. The mattress complied with safety standards. Bay boxes are now offered to new mothers in some health authorities in England too.

Think you're right Maw, this OP title does sound libellous. Wonder what JLP would make of it?

In Finland parents are given a baby box www.finnishbabybox.com/en/
And I think that they would be considered a great help to many young couples here, especially for those on a tight budget.

I remember my late mum saying that when my eldest brother (now 71) was born, he slept in a drawer for a few months!

I don't know why I couldn't find it, thank you Elegran.

Lucky Scottish parents to be given one free! Why should parents in the rest of the UK be deprived of one - they would make a lovely gift.
And, in fact, they don't look dissimilar to the type of carrycot in which my DD slept downstairs; she had a crib upstairs which was not transportable. Obviously, when a baby is old enough to pull itself up, the parents wouldn't use that any more.

And if they are, as you claim, “not safe” should you not be agitating for their removal in Scotland?
Absolutely - perhaps lobby the Scottish Government as a matter of urgency?

Someone in Scotland pays for them. If it isn't the parent it is the state, using tax payers money.

John Lewis are not pretending to be Scottish new mothers to garner free boxes which they then sell. They are probably going to the same supplier as the Scottish government and paying a similar price for the boxes they buy and, as a commercial retail operation then sell them on at a price that covers their costs and overheads plus a reasonable profit.

I confess, I am another puzzled by the OP

The only associated scandal as far as I can tell is that they are sold by JL

So if you order online as a gift, by the time they arrive (after weeks of chasing up) the child will be crawling and even then it may be missing the gift tag and gift wrapping you ordered with it...

... at least in my experience of ordering gifts via JL....

Other than that I see no issue with their sale. You can prob buy em cheaper online but JL doesn't claim to be a budget store so...

Given what you have posted Elegran (and I checked it out too!) I too fail to see OP’s point.
Why is it scandalous to sell these boxes, particularly if intended as a gift? TBH as they are not given free in the rest of the U.K. how else could anybody procure one? In the same way tat Paracetamol is available free on prescription is it then similarly scandalous for chemists or supermarkets to sell that too?
The boxes appear to meet all the safety requirements and standards which exist so is your thread title not libellous?
And if they are, as you claim, “not safe” should you not be agitating for their removal in Scotland?
It seems to me an unnecessary clutching of pearls plus an oppo to have a pop at good old JLP

Why is it scandalous to sell something which is available free from a different government in another country? I assume that John Lewis sells stuff in England, Wales and NI or online to people anywhere?

There is this, Jalima www.johnlewis.com/british-baby-box/p3356023

The boxes on sale comply with the only existing standard that does exist, that for the mattress. ^"Foam mattress covered wit a removable, machine washable Corovin cover (complies with BS1877 Part 10:2011+ A1: 2012 and BS7177:2008 + A1: 2011)^" This does not mean that they are unsafe, more that there is no official standard to apply to them. There is no official standard for a baby asleep on a sofa either, which is potentially far more dangerous, with no sides at all to keep them in.

The rest of the advice given on the John Lewis page is essentially the same as that given in Pollaidhs link, some of it in the exact same words.

"WARNING - please read:

Always use in a child safe and supervised environment.
The Baby Box is suitable from birth to 5 months. This product is only suitable for a child who cannot sit up unaided. When a child begins to sit, kneel or to pull themselves up (this may occur before you baby is 5 months), the Baby Box should not be used anymore for this baby
Only use a firm, horizontal level and dry surface to place the Baby Box on.
Do not put the lid on the box if your baby is in it. The Baby Box is not designed for use with a stand.
The Baby Box is not made for carrying babies around, always ensure your baby is removed from the Baby Box before transporting the baby from room to room.
Do not use if any part of the baby box is damaged, damp, wet, torn or missing.
^ BABY BOX IS A SINGLE USE ITEM - DO NOT USE FOR A SECOND CHILD "^

In Scotland boxes are given free to new mothers so it is scandalous to charge for them
If they are not recommended as safe sleeping spaces for babies, why oh why is the Scottish Government funding them and giving them out!

My DS slept in a wicker laundry basket for the first few months. Elf and safety would be apoplectic if a new mum did that now.

I have looked online and, as far as I can tell, JL is not selling these boxes.

I can't find a link to any for sale in John Lewis, although I can find a link to something that says 'British Baby Box - as seen in John Lewis'

Are you sure this company is not using the JL name when JL is not, in fact selling these boxes?

My DB slept in a drawer.