In case you missed it, J and I are expecting a baby! I’m 16 weeks along and have already started snooping out where to get cool baby things. Bonus points if those cool baby things are free, like this Baby Box!

I spotted a flyer for this initiative in my doctors office and registered online for a free box from a location in Nanaimo. It’s a really neat project promoting infant safety by educating expectant parents and family members about safe sleeping and proper early care for babies. The purpose of the project is to help reduce infant mortality rates (there’s some data on infant deaths in Canada in this article) and give infants their best chance at early life.

To get the box you have to attend Baby Box University, which is essentially watching a series of short, educational videos on their website and printing out your certificate of completion. Pretty straightforward and it gets you $90 worth of stuff for free, and your baby’s first bed! If you are in the Nanaimo area these beds are offered free from Island Health in a number of locations on the Island (check out the list here!).

Included in the box is a firm mattress, fitted sheet, sleeping onesie, some samples including diapers, milk storage bags and lotion, plus a couple of books and a whole lot of information for new parents. This is a pretty great program, and it is available province wide! Check out the information for residents of British Columbia right here and take advantage of this excellent initiative.