'Baby Boxes,' Other Essentials For Parents Handed Out

DENVER (CBS4) - Denver Public Health is supporting a campaign aimed at saving the lives of newborn babies.

The department helped hand out 1,000 "baby boxes" to new parents at the National Western Complex on Saturday. They were packed with essentials such as diapers, but the box itself doubles as a crib.

Inside is a firm mattress, a fitted sheet, and the kind of uncluttered environment doctors recommend for sleep. It's crucial to prevent sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

"The fact that they're giving it away for free is really amazing because I think that SIDS is not something that everybody wants to talk about," said new mother Tonyal Shelton. "It's really cool that they're actually raising awareness for it."

A cardboard crib may seem a little strange, but Finland's government has actually been giving out baby boxes for nearly 80 years. Finland has the lowest infant mortality rate in the world.