Finland has not distributed a single 2025 baby box this year, and the reason is simple. The national birth rate has fallen lower than expected. Kela, the country’s Social Insurance Institution, is still handing out leftover maternity packages from 2024. These older boxes are being used first to manage surplus stock and prevent waste.
Veera Petäjä, who helps coordinate the baby box program at Kela, said the switch to the 2025 edition is likely to happen in about a month. But the timeline is not fixed. It depends on how fast the remaining 2024 packages are given out.
New parents have started to ask why they are not getting the latest version. The answer, according to Petäjä, is straightforward. There are still thousands of unopened boxes from last year in storage.
Kela orders these baby boxes about two years in advance. The numbers are based on expected birth rates, but making accurate projections has become harder in recent years. A short-term rise in births in the early 2020s led Kela to overestimate demand. Now those extra boxes are being used far into the following year.
To avoid this kind of overstock in the future, Kela is cutting back on the number of boxes it orders. Another idea being discussed is to stop putting the release year on the boxes altogether. While this has not yet been approved, Petäjä confirmed the conversation is ongoing.
Removing the year could help reduce confusion. Currently, the date stamped on each box makes some parents feel they are receiving something old or outdated. In reality, Petäjä said, the items inside are always new. The contents do not include expired or reused products. Still, many parents believe the newest version must somehow be better, even if the differences are small.
The Finnish baby box has been around since 1938. It is part of the national maternity grant program. Each box includes clothes for newborns, blankets, hygiene items, and a safe place for the baby to sleep. For many families, it is one of the first tangible signs of support from the state.
This year’s delay shows how even long-standing social policies need to adapt when population trends change. Whether the year label stays or goes, Kela is expected to keep offering the baby box as a core part of early childhood care in Finland.
