Amazing...simply amazing

I love how the box can be used as a crib. :)

See what socialism gets you?

Looks cute, but I'd rather have the US's child tax credit every year. And our much lower tax rate in general.

Um, I'd gladly give up my 2-child tax credit and low taxes to have Finland's much more progressive parental leave policies. This cute box of baby crap is just one example of a much more family-friendly country. Also I'm impressed that the box includes cloth diapers and no formula!

People are more able to pull themselves up with their own bootstraps if, indeed, they begin life with them. Way to go, Finland, for giving everybody a fairer start in life!

Wow. I could definitely get on board with this!

I first read about this box in the almost gone "Mila's Daydreams" blog, which Ohdedoh reviewed last year. Do you remember it? The owner took down the lovely pictures of the girl because she hated seeing them stolen and used for commercial purposes, and turned it into (just another) mom's blog. Great for sharing with the family, not so interesting for strangers.

But the box... yep, I think it's great the government gives you that cute box. It's a compilation of tried and trues for life in Finland, and I wish someone had given me such list even though I never set foot there.
I imagine that parents with a few kids may prefer the money, and that's neat too.

As for the people mentioning higher taxes here, I'm not against high taxes if I see my money translated into good healthcare / education / infrastructure / arts and culture / etc. Which, from what I've heard, is the case in Finland.

Yeah, it never ceases to amaze me how much more humane the European countries can be when it comes to health care, child care and education. I just wish I'd known back when I could have feasibly moved there! (Of course, now they're going to h-e-double-hockey-sticks in a handbag...) >shrug<

Rebecca_South:
In case you did not knew, Finland is not socialist country. It's one of the most developed and wealthiest North European countries. And is best country to raise kids due to enormous government support (first year after birth mother gets 100% of her highest annual salary, second - 70%). Use wikipedia sometime, it helps, and don't embarrass yourself.

megtayann, your child credit and tax rate don't come close to the amazing benefits you'd get in Finland.

For example: http://pre20090115.stm.fi/hm1161607115538/passthru.pdf

This box is amazing, and would be invaluable for so many here in the U.S. I applaud Finland for providing these necessities for their mothers.

wow MLaura, thanks for the public scolding. I wasn't criticizing Finland for providing benefits to its citizens, I was pointing out that it's awesome. Reading comprehension and not jumping down strangers' throats is awesome too.
I guess I should have said "See what a social democratic economy in the Nordic model with a significant safety net, collective risk sharing and equality for all gets you?" I'll try not to embarrass myself again.

UMMMMMM, that's a super awesome package!

That? rocks!! We get baby boxes in Switzerland from the doctor's office and hospital (3x - pregnancy box, baby boxy, and young child box), only they are filled with products from companies (free samples and the like) or are things like socks with heathcare logos on them. I thought it was great because it was free. Sheesh...not so great now! Thanks Finland! ;)

THIS IS WITHOUT A DOUBT, THE COOLEST THING I'VE EVER HEARD OF IN MY LIFE! Finland. Wow. So darn awesome!

Megtayann, you must be one of those billionaires who gets the lower tax rate. Middle class people get taxed pretty much the same in Europe and the U.S. The difference is that (Western) Europeans get free health care, and decent schools. Of course, if non-wealthy Americans had better public education, or weren't so busy working two jobs in order to pay for their prescription drugs that they don't have time to read books, they wouldn't vote for politicians who favor the super-rich. Lack of knowledge about the rest of the world explains why many U.S, citizens don't realize they're getting shafted, instead of getting a box of goodies in the mail.

Super cute! Yeah, you just know if the US even considered something like that (not that it ever would, but IF it did), the box would be full of Enfamil and Pampers and cheap Gerber onesies and such.

to MLaura - don't try to be a silly moma. What Rebecca was pointing out was that Finland is a democracy with a social conscience. To us americans in the media we are constantly told that socialism is a BAD thing, and scandinavian countries are labeled as socialist countries, as they are more socially aware than a lot of other parts of the developed world. So don't take offense on such a think, Rebecca was just trying to emphasize on smth that the american public is told day in and day out = that democracies with a social conscience are against personal freedom...
oh and I checked before posting here and Finland is in Scandinavia - correct?! Hope I have not offended you with that...

I received a smaller but similar box of stuff from a local church organization when I found out I was pregnant with my first. (We were, and still are, pretty low income.) Definitely made me feel more supported by the community, perhaps there should be more churches or organizations doing similar acts of charity to new mamas. (Not sure if the US government could be as rad as Finland, the boxes would probably just end up being more like corporate sample boxes if the US did something like this.)

Lobster - couldn't have said it better. Keep them under by keeping them uneducated...

For those wondering about tax rates... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_tax_revenue_as_percentage_of_GDP

I like to decide what happens to the majority of my income, not have the government do it for me. Perhaps it's just a personal preference.

My husband was born in Moscow. Russia does a similar baby box, and both he and his sister spent their first year or so sleeping in their baby box.

The clothes are cute, and some are funny to this Arizona mom. (Snow suits!) But the funniest part of the contents? Six condoms. Congratulations on having your baby - now here's how you can keep from having another one right away. ;)

When I was a teenager, our church made similar packages for low-income expectant mothers who went to our sister church (we partnered with an inner city church and helped support their food bank, Christmas toy drives, etc). I was never able to help deliver them, but those who did said that they were very appreciated, and it was fun to put those packages together.

I think it's wonderful that Finland does the same, but on a much broader scale (and for all mothers). I agree that it seems like the US has very little regard for new mothers (for instance, I'm lucky enough that I will be able to get 60% pay for up to 5 weeks of maternity leave [after the first week is sick leave or unpaid leave], and I pay for short term disability insurance for the pleasure).

Bravo Finland! I would love a free snowsuit. I'm expecting and I live in Canada. Those snowsuits are not cheap.

The US is sorely behind the rest of the world in how we treat our mothers, especially working mothers. Most women in the US don't qualify for paid maternity leave, and some don't even get unpaid maternity leave. It's pathetic.

megtayann,
Here's a real question and I'm not being snarky. I'm curious. If you could choose what to do with 100% of your income and the government had no input at all on how you spent your tax money...I'm assuming you would choose to pay for fire stations, police, schools, libraries. Would you choose to pay for roads? Buses? Courts? Parks? Workforce development? Economic development? Consumer protection? Natural resource protection? What else?

What would make your cut and what wouldn't? Would it change significantly depending on who was in office and would be spending your money?

I've given this alot of thought and can't see a system working in which all of our individual taxes are spent according to individual choice. What do you think? Is the elected official serving as "middle man" necessary?

The boxes are lovely, especially the aspect of providing baby a sleeping space! While I agree that American families could be better supported in terms of leave and so on it is interesting to compare numbers such as Finland population, female 2,736,860 - USA population, female 156,533,988... that's like 57 times greater right? Obviously not all are expecting at the same time however the scope of such an endeavour is more feasible in a country the size of Finland. Of course someone mentioned Russia does something similar but this comment is too long already!

Amazing! And I love that the box includes condoms.

This is touching on a day that I read a post on a message board about a family that was looking for baby clothes (and clothes for their older child) because they had both been unemployed for a couple years, and she had thought she was infertile after trying for years to have a second child when she had a job. I'm sure there are many people in the same boat with a new baby.

Am I the only one who doesn't think the government should provide you with a gift package for your baby? Complaining that Finland's government provides a maternity box and ours's doesn't might be one of the most insane things I've heard all year. Get pregnant buy your own stuff. Who would have thought?

wow after birth all my baby got was a $1500 hospital bill addressed to him.

This makes my heart swell.

That is so amazingly thoughtful. I think the symbolism of the nation welcoming a new child is even far more important than its monetary worth.

I'm expecting for the first time, and I'll admit the idea of a country doing this makes me a little teary eyed. What kind, good-intentioned people.

So proud! :) I'm Finnish, though I live in the States. I love that they do this. And I second the comment by Kaete — what's great is the idea behind it, of your country recognizing and welcoming your baby, a new little citizen. Aww.

check out the australian baby bonus.
plus there are added perks for stay-at-home parents.
its not much, but it sure feels like someone is on your side, wanting to help.

@dawnsf -

Seriously???
I mean, I think I understand where the anti-big-goverment/liberaterian/"starve-the-beast" viewpoint is coming from, but I never expected it (or its denizens) would want to be seen as "the Grinch Who Stole Babyboxes."

(PS @Everyone -
Aww.. cute sweet little things for babies! ...They're so sweet! ...They're so cute! ...They're so political!)

(2nd PS @Everyone -
I'm just glad the babybox doesn't include a cowhide rug :)

I'm a Finnish mum with a 1,5 year-old and I have to say that the baby box is a nice start to all the ways our society supports families with small children! I'm all for a slightly higher tax rate to bring equality to children especially.

The way the system is built makes it possible for ALL mothers (and/or fathers) to stay at home for at least 10 months after the birth on a combined maternity and family leave (it's split up into sections - as the baby grows a bit older, if the family desires, mum can return to work and dad can stay at home, and there is also a "father leave" allocated only for the dads!).

For example, in our family, I left work six weeks before our son was born. On the day he was born my husband began his father's leave and we stayed together at the hospital in a family room for the first three days.
After three weeks my husband returned to work and I stayed at home on maternity leave until our son was 8 months old.
As I returned to work my husband continued our family leave and was at home with our son for another six months, and then we switched again, me being the parent currently at home. We have no plans of putting our son to daycare before he's at least 2 years old.
All of this is made financially possible by government subsidies.

The employers also contribute: as eventually both of us will be working, it will be possible for one of us to do a short week - 50-80% of usual hours, so that the days at the daycare don't stretch too long.

I'm not a very political person, but I'll just say this: Yes. Our tax rate is heavily progressive. And so are our government subsidies - those with a lower income receive a higher percentage of their wages as subsidies during family leave. And I think it's all good because every child deserves their parents. And yes, I'm at the higher income end, my tax rate is around 30% and I find it completely fair. I believe that when a society thrives as a whole, everyone profits.

I don't know why google reader decided to recommend this page to me (I usually read political, science & technology news), but I'll just have to give my view on this.

I'm a finn and a father of an 18 month old girl. We had that package and it has been a nice addition, but the best part of being a parent in Finland is definitely the vacations.

Maternal leave is 4 months, during which the mother gets (IIRC) 80% of her pay from the government. After that the mother of the father can stay at home on parental allowance (some of these are really hard to translate!), which is 60% of the pay for 6 months.

If the father uses at least one month of the parental allowance and stays home with the child, he is granted one more month with 60% of his pay.

After that ends, the care-leave starts. Basically it is money that the town pays to the parent for not bringing the child to burden the public daycare system. It is paid as long as at least one child is under 3 years. Depends on the town, but in our town it is 260€/month. Add to that the child benefit (108€/month) and you'll get 368€/month.

You can switch twice with your spouse who stays at home and who goes to work. You'll have to announce it two months beforehand to your employer, who doesn't have any other choice than to agree.

For the employer laying off, demoting or otherwise harassing someone who is on/is going to/is returning from one of these leaves is like playing with matches, with almost certain legal mess and almost no chance to win.

Basic health services work relatively well, with yearly cost capped at 200€. This means that when my wife had our baby, we paid only 200€ for the procedure, for the three days my wife spent at the hospital, and for the ten days our daughter was at the intensive care unit.

But there is a serious downside to all this. Taxes are extremely high. Finland is a country of five million residents. We have 900 000 people below the powerty line and the number has been increasing since the early 90's. Unemployment is very high. Prices are one of the highest in the world and our puchasing power is one of the lowest in the EU.

Because of high taxes and relatively high unemployment benefits, low income jobs are not worth the trouble. What makes the situation even worse is that the taxes are so high that the employer has to pay the government three euros for each euro he pays to the employee.

So if an employee has to have 1200€/month to pay his rent and food, he has to be able to produce 4800€/month worth of services/goods to be worth hiring. Many can not and therefore are not.

And about the "death panels" I hear you talking (I watch The Daily Show), they really do exist here. An elderly person, who has paid high taxes for his entire life, is routinely denied specialized care if he is deemed "not worth the effort". Thanks to high taxes, he doesn't have the money to get treatment from the private sector.

In elderly care centers seniors are left to starve if they are too old, demented or weak to eat themselves. Because of lack of staff the nurses don't have the time to feed them. Horrible conditions leave the patients so stressed that the nurses have to keep them drugged-up and asleep. When I'm old I'd rather die than go into one of those institutions.

Socialism works if you have unlimited money. We don't, that's why socialism is failing in Finland. You really need to try something else.

For a long time, I have been thinking that if I had kids, the country I would prefer to raise them in is Finland - and that's without knowing about this baby care package!

Finland must be the most awesome country for families, and I don't just mean support from the government to families. The way children are cared for and educated at school (they eat from real dishes and learn to wash their own dishes at school quite young), the values they are taught in Finnish society, the way everything is intertwined and the human condition is center stage...

I would gladly pay more taxes to be part of such a caring society. And I don't even think I would be paying more, as I live in Quebec, one of the most overtaxed places in the world. It isn't how much tax you pay that matters, it is how much return you get for it, and in Finland, it really is a whole lot.

@ FortWattNV

I am not sure your assumption that the smaller a country, the better its chances of pulling off free baby goods to expectant mothers. After all, the bigger a country, the more taxes it collects as well.

I just think that Finland has much sounder ideas as to where that tax money is best invested. They seem to be on the right track as to what really matters to families but also to their economy. Families and education is the most important thing because everything else is based upon them. I am sure these are investments that Finland and its people get a much better return on in many areas than what little benefit is provided from North American policies, to society and individual families.

@TheOneFromFinland
Thank you for that detailed and authentic point of view. I am sure most readers only see the silver lining.

While the boxes are beautiful and helpful, sending baby boxes out to a population of 300 million here in the US seems a little far fetched. That's why we have baby showers! The U.S.A. will never function like Finland so lets just all try to help each other when we can. I am looking forward to a box of gently used hand-me-downs from a good friend after the birth of my second baby in January. So see, we get boxes here too.

My comment was undeveloped because this really is a good topic for an economics/politics/sociology major to use for a graduate paper but generally I think in a country smaller than a number of US cities it is much easier to agree how taxes are spent... and even then as TheOneFromFinland elaborated, there is still disagreement.

Well done!

I'm a Finn living in California, and I pay a lot more taxes total than I did in Finland. And I get **** all for them!

It's good to look at the actual numbers of what you pay and what you get. Americans basically have their tax money stolen from them. It all goes to support corporations.

CLOTH NAPPIES and BREASTPADS. wooohooooo.
lets get back to basics, like the Fins <3

How wonderful to feel the support of your government and community as you welcome your child into the world.

I wish our society would value the things that truly matter and that our government would spend our taxes accordingly.

That said, I'd move to Finland in a heartbeat if given the opportunity.

This used to be a common gift in the US. When I and every subsequent baby was born, my grandfather sent a layette (what you call a baby box). He was from TX, and definitely not Finnish. And from what I was told, it wasn't unusual during the Great Depression to keep a newborn in a dresser drawer if you lacked a bassinet or crib. I'm trying to figure out why anyone thinks the government should give this stuff to anyone at all? It's just stuff young mothers used to do for one another by sharing baby gear back and forth as needed. A better question would be why mothers are isolating themselves from one another?

I was super jealous of this and mulling my Finnish heritage until I started thinking about it-- a big box of free stuff! But it's not truly free. My tax money would be paying for it. And if they let me keep my tax money, I could buy things I knew I needed and would use, not just taking having this box of stuff I may or may not use.

Let me keep my money, I'll decide what to buy with it myself.

wow. how freakin' beautiful. :)

Elisha, you're not keeping your money. You're paying the same tax rates as people in Finland. Only very rich people in the U.S. have the lower tax rates.

The difference is, you don't GET anything for the taxes you pay.

Sussu, Lobster, Anusha73, jme718: seconded!

To be more specific: my income went down and tax rate went up when I moved from Finland to California.

I moved here for love, and that's worked out great, so I consider it worth it. But financially it's a disaster: I am no longer eligible for free health care, plus the Finnish private healthcare system where I can get an appointment the SAME DAY for any doctor I want and pay 1/3 of what it costs here - the whole thing is seriously so luxurious compared to here it's hard to even describe. And I'm not paying into the retirement system, where I could earn a 3X retirement compared to U.S. No free university education for my kid. No free best-schools-in-the-world.

Even private, fancy U.S. schools do not reach the quality of education that is offered in Finland and other countries for free. Can you believe it? People shell out tens of thousands per year for a sub par education compared to, say, Korea.

I do not understand why Americans are not rioting. I feel so sorry for everyone, sincerely.

I can always go back if I develop a serious illness or something. You guys are stuck here.

(The sleight of hand of comparing the federal tax rate to the national tax rate in Finland masks the reality of what people pay; nobody escapes paying state taxes in the U.S. that I am aware of. Maybe if you happent to bema corporation. There is minimal local taxation in Finland.)

Dear people that don't understand math. Please know, that a government can certainly send out things like baby clothes to expectant mothers or give an unfathomable amount of maternity leave. However, it is most certainly NOT FREE. If you'd bothered to read the link someone else provided, you would see that Finland's tax rate is significantly higher than ours here in the U.S. And as a matter of fact, their entire way of living is significantly different from ours here in the U.S. So unless you are willing to give up your lattes, your multiple cars, and your big houses, then those of you criticizing should probably just stop.

Or you can move to Finland. Which is a beautiful country with a significantly different culture than here.

Good word "moeyknight".

And for the one who stated that keeping Americans under-educated is what's keeping them down...tis true. However, pull your children out of Caesar's school and educate them yourselves. If that is not possible, certainly you can take the time to add to their education. Public Libraries are a great resources...free material to read. Parents should take the time to ENSURE their children are properly educated and not just leave it to the "professionals" who continually fail to do their jobs adequately. Especially teach your children to THINK and QUESTION, not just take everything like a spoon-fed baby.

These boxes are great, but definitely not FREE.

moeyknight, if you think there is no latte in Europe, I am not surprised that you are confused about the tax rate.

This is very easy for you to research. The math is, the European deal is a better deal.

Plenty of cars, plenty of design housing, plenty of latte, and free education. This is not propaganda, this is fact.

"Box (can be used as crib)" - LOVE THIS

@AmoCoquo...
Public libraries are not free either.....they are paid for by the community through taxes.

@JDRod

Yes, I understand that libraries are paid for by our tax dollars, but you pay for that whether you use them or not, just like I pay school taxes whether I use them or not. Maybe I should have said the materials are no extra cost to those who choose to use them, unlike purchasing curriculum, which can be costly.

How did I miss this post?! My husband spent two years living in Finland (and speaks Finnish). He has been offered a post-doc in Finland, and I am all on board for taking it. It would be a limited time span - 2 or 3 years - but if I understand things correctly, it would be long enough to plug into the social system there. I would LOVE to have my two kids go to school there for a bit, to experience the culture, experience the shortened work weeks...and maybe, as my job, make a baby or two, haha!!

In Belgium we get 1,100 euro when your baby is born, then 86 euro a month until they are 18. Add a second baby and that goes up to almost 150 (?). Maternity and paternity leave are quite generous. We also get a box of stuff but nowhere near this cute! All sponsored stuff. This Finnish box is pretty amazing!

Oh and taxes here are almost 49%... much higher than the US although worth it mainly due to healthcare, in my opinion.

ALTHOUGH... your employer pays your taxes here, so what you earn is what you get (at least in our case, and I'm pretty sure thats the norm). Thats huge!

Good grief y'all. Wake up - the taxpayers bought that lame box of crap! Not some benevolent, baby-loving spirit known as "the government." I've got six kids and I buy their stuff, thank you. Local, state and federal government can mind their own business.
And anyone who thinks our taxes pay just for societal needs like police, fire, roads etc. needs to wake up. Ever heard of Solyndra? That's just one teeny tiny example.

This is awesome. However, I think if it were to ever get going in the States, we'd see lots of Ronald MacDonald, Elmo, et al themes on the donations. I like the simplicity of the Finnish styles.

I think it's a nice gesture. Finland and the other Scandinavian countries seem to be the place to raise kids. For those of you saying that the boxes are not free, you are correct. However maybe you didn't read the part where the mother has a choice to take money instead. So in essence you are getting the miniscule amount of your tax dollars back that would be spent on the box. Then if you don't want the gift, you get to choose what to spend the money on. I'd much rather get that box or take the money over getting free Nestle crap here in N. America!

Serena Edwards:
I never received a box of hand me downs or useful gifts (I didn't need 10 baby blankets) when I had my first here in the US. It doesn't help to be the first of your friends and relatives to have a baby (at the ripe old age of 29).

i don't understand why some ppl are being so hostile about this.

it's a nice program, that does have options built into it.

I'm a father of an 22-month-old daughter in Finland. We were quite satisfied in receiving the box, as most parents are. Everyone I know has taken it with their first child, usually you don't need it with the second child anymore as you can reuse the stuff that you got with the first baby. The boxes are updated according to feedback, but mostly the items stay the same. They are made in large batches always with a neutral color to suit both sexes, and because of the quantity, they can maintain good quality items and put the prize down. A good indicator of the good value is that you can order it if you want to buy it without being entitled to it (ge. Finn's living abroad arent), it costs 280€ plus shipping. If you take the money instead of the box, it is only half.

I would like to point out that I see a bit of truth in most comments above. State is selfish in that sense, that it invests to new citizens which it needs to survive and compete in this world. Although some comment that they'd rather spend the money themselves (they can if they choose to take the money), none has noticed that also citizen who have no kids will pay taxes that are spent on child allowances and these boxes. Just hold that thought for a minute before judging that to be wrong.

Finnish president Tarja Halonen sent out a box to Chilean president Michelle Bachelet in 2007 (both females, latter is a phycisian, too) because she was interested in the idea. In 2009, Chile established a similar policy, adapting it to the national preferences (I think they give out a plastic and metal foldable travel crib with nets). It is given on a precondition that the expecting mother takes routinely checks during her pregnancy and gives birth at a clinic and not at home. With this they want to bring down infant mortality, which is a key factor in poverty and costs society a lot more than a health check or two. The program is called Chile Crece Contigo, if you want to check it out. The original idea in Finland in 1940's was to minimize infant deaths.

My personal favourite is the ease of financial situation and parental leaves. I got 3 weeks leave of full pay when I chose to have it, and nowadays it has been even increased, and my wife could stay at home until our daughter was 13-months old. Now she's in kindergarten which is wonderful as well, and it costs us the maximum (we make money more than USD 5 000 a month) of EUR 250. With less income, the kindergarten costs less. I have heard of our friends in the US that they are postponing getting the child because they cannot afford it now, and that just breaks my heart. It is not something that you can choose to get whenever it suits you, and society should wake up to this fact when our expecting mothers are getting older every year.

I want to move to Scandanavia!! They are so good to their parents there!

(In Sweden, I have heard mothers and fathers get paid time off, and paid day care.)

Hmm, I understand welfare programs are necessary sometimes. I think a government program that assisted low income families expecting a baby would be a good idea. But I do not agree with sending everybody a box. As some of the other (dissenting) commenters have pointed out, this boxes must be paid for through tax dollars. So everybody who pays taxes is forced to help buy baby items (as taxes are not optional). In most cases, parents can provide the necessities for their babies themselves... and I think they should. Those who need or want to economize can buy used items (except for the car seat and crib), look for sales, buy in multi- packs/ sets, choose less expensive brands, shop at discount stores, etc.

I'm not crazy about some of the items in the box, either. First of all, the bath thermometer and baby towel and washcloth are not necessary. You can check the water temp with your wrist or elbow. Regular towels and washcloths-- which the parents probably already have-- are fine for a baby. The condoms, cloth diapers and breast pads may or may not be used, depending on the family's preferences and/or situation. Also, it could be seen as the government taking a stance on these issues-- decisions that should be left up to the parents, in my opinion. Perhaps there could be options for diaper type and feeding method and condoms or not. Or these items could be requested separately. I'm torn about the idea of a standard box. On one hand, the government could get great prices buying in such large quantities. But a families vary so much it would be hard to design a box that would work for everyone.

I'm also concerned about the impact of this program on the baby products industry. Whichever company wins the contract for the year sells enough items for everybody who has a baby and opts for the box (instead of the stipend, which is well below the retail value for the boxes' contents.) It's not hard to see how their competitors could suffer. If the same company won the contract for several years in a row, it could drive everyone else out of business, creating a monopoly. (People would then have a limited selection of baby products, and the surviving company would not longer have to be cost-competitive.)

In closing, I don't particularly like the Finnish baby box. Perhaps poor pregnant women could receive a stipend based on a sliding scale (the lower the income, the larger the check.) to offset the cost of baby items instead.

Hi, I am an American currently living in Oulu, Finland, and had a daughter here last February who received this box. I wanted to clear up a couple of misconceptions I've read in these comments:

1. Finland is not a socialist country.

2. Tax rates: Yes, tax rates may be higher here, but I'm not quite sure that's a good starting point for understanding the question. First, at the end of the day, Finn's may end up paying *less* taxes than Americans because of the deductible system. Secondly, and more importantly, people here see their taxes dollars at work. In a sense, I can understand the frustration people in the US have about being taxed at their current rates because most people don't see a return. Why? Because most US tax dollars go to the military budget ($687 Billion for FY 2012). To put things in perspective, $20 Billion a year could send every incoming US student to college with tuition, room and board paid.... and the military would still have $667 Billion. That's how Finn's spend their tax dollars: on their citizens, and not on abstractions. (In case you were wondering, college is free here too)

3. Somebody posted inaccurate maternity leave figures. Mothers get 9 months of paid maternity leave (6 months full salary, 3 months 75%). Fathers get 3 weeks within the mothers maternity leave, and then a 6 week "Daddy Month" after the mother's maternity leave ends, both at full salary. Essentially, the baby gets full parental attention for their first year.

4. The primary purpose of the baby box, aside from helping new parents get on their feet, is pedagogical; that is, it helps new parents know what to buy. So, its not a replacement for buying new onesies, etc. Rather, as any new parent knows, the first couple of months can be confusing, especially if you don't have family around (like us). For example, the box "taught" us what kind of coat to buy for the winter. The secondary purpose of the box, and its the same with the education system, is to ensure that all kids start out more or less on equal footing.

Finland is a great place, and its not outside the realm of possibility for the United States to learn from it... after all, the US is the richest country in the world and could easily do something like a baby box. The rhetoric in the US talks about the importance of the middle class, but Finland is the only place I've ever lived that actually has a thriving middle class: construction workers can buy Volvos and own houses. There is a real animus and allergy here to wealth inequality. That's not to say that there are not rich people or income inbalances: there are. Rather, its that Finn's realize that wealth is social and something that should not be hoarded by very few people. Concepts like the baby box are a small instance of Finn's saying "welcome to society! even if you are an immigrant" (like us).

Also, two more small things:

1. Each new child gets a monthly allowance of 108e (adjusted for inflation) until they're 18.

2. You cannot send your child to day care until they are at least 9 months old. After that, day care costs 100e per month. Day care is one reason why we have a hard time contemplating moving back to the States, because any new salary that we would get would automatically get reduced by $10,000 by virtue of the fact that day care costs on average $1,000/month in the US.

where can i find this package of baby clothes etc. I'm interested can someone help me out?