Baby Box Scotland: What's in It and How to Get One

Every baby born in Scotland receives a Baby Box — a large cardboard box containing clothing, bedding, healthcare items and books, delivered to your home in the 4 weeks before your due date. It's completely free, regardless of income, and comes with a mattress so the box can be used as a safe sleeping space for a newborn.

What's in the Baby Box?

The contents are refreshed periodically by the Scottish Government, and Parent Club notes that some items may vary. Its current list includes:

Clothing (newborn to 6 months)

• Vests, sleepsuits, an all-in-one day suit, jersey trousers and socks in newborn, 0–3 month and 3–6 month sizes
• Scratch mittens
• Cotton hat
• Fleece jacket with hood (3–6 months)

Bedding and sleep

• Mattress with mattress protector, sized to fit the box
• Two fitted sheets
• Cellular blanket

Bath, changing and care

• Bath and room thermometer
• Hooded bath towel and bath sponge
• Travel changing mat
• Muslin squares and a bib
• Emery boards
• Maternity towels and disposable nursing pads
• A chance to try reusable nappies

Health

• Digital underarm thermometer
• Childsmile toothbrush and a teething ring

Play and development

• Baby books from the Scottish Book Trust, plus a buggy book
• Play mat, comforter toy and a baby wrap
• A poem, "Welcome Wee One", by Jackie Kay

How to register

Registration is through your midwife. To get a box you need to be registered with a midwife and living in Scotland. Your midwife fills in a Baby Box registration card with you at your 18–20 week or 28 week appointment and sends it away — there is no online application and nothing else for you to do.

1. 1

   Register at your 18–20 or 28 week appointment

   Your midwife fills in the Baby Box registration card with you and sends it away. Keep the leaflet with your registration number.
2. 2

   Get a dispatch notice

   You'll get a text, email or letter — whichever you chose — the week before your box is dispatched. The carrier then sends tracking details and a delivery slot.
3. 3

   Delivery to your home

   The box goes to the address on your registration card, between 4 weeks before your due date and your due date. It can't be sent earlier.
4. 4

   Receive your box

   A large box (55cm wide and 77.5cm long) arrives by courier. Sign for it, open it up, and put the mattress inside — it's ready to use as a sleep space straight away.

What the Baby Box doesn't include

The Baby Box is a starter kit, not a complete baby equipment list. You'll still need:

• A pram or pushchair
• A car seat (required to take your baby home from hospital)
• A cot or Moses basket for when the box becomes too small (usually 3–4 months)
• Feeding equipment (bottles, steriliser if bottle feeding; nursing pillow if breastfeeding)
• Nappies and nappy cream

Other Scottish benefits for new parents

The Baby Box is one part of a wider package of support for new families in Scotland. You may also be entitled to:

Best Start Grant — Pregnancy & Baby Payment A one-off payment of £796.65 for a first child or £398.35 for subsequent children, available to families receiving qualifying benefits (such as Universal Credit). Apply from 24 weeks pregnant. Full guide →

Best Start Foods A prepaid card loaded with £22.40 every four weeks during pregnancy, rising to £44.80 every four weeks once the baby is born (under 1). Used to buy milk, formula, fruit, vegetables, pulses and eggs. Means-tested on qualifying benefits. Full guide →

Scottish Child Payment £28.20 per week per child under 16, for families receiving qualifying benefits. Apply as soon as your child is born. Full guide →

Delivery and timing

The box is delivered between 4 weeks before your due date and your due date, depending on when you registered — it can't be delivered earlier, because delivery is linked to your due date. If your baby arrives early and the box hasn't come, contact APS Group on 0800 030 8003 quoting your registration number.

Twins and multiples receive one box per baby.

For the full picture of what Scottish families can claim when a baby arrives, use our benefits wizard or read the Best Start Grant guide.

What to do if items are missing or damaged

Baby Boxes are inspected before dispatch, but occasionally items arrive missing, damaged, or not as described. If this happens, contact APS Group, who pack and send out the boxes, as soon as possible after delivery, quoting the registration number on the leaflet from your midwife appointment:

• Phone: 0800 030 8003
• Email: scotlandsbabybox@theapsgroup.com

Keep the original packaging if you can, as the team may ask for a photograph of the damaged item. Replacements for missing or faulty items are sent out at no charge. If a clothing item arrived in the wrong size or a book was substituted, the helpline can advise on whether a replacement is available from the current stock.

The Baby Box as a sleeping space: safe sleep guidance

The Baby Box is designed and tested as a safe sleeping space for newborns. It comes with a foam mattress, a mattress protector and two fitted sheets made to fit it. Babies can usually sleep in it for the first 3 or 4 months, or until they can roll over, sit, kneel or pull themselves up — after that it should no longer be used for sleeping.

Current NHS safe sleep guidance (2026)

The core NHS guidance on reducing the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) applies equally whether your baby sleeps in the Baby Box, a Moses basket, or a cot:

• Back to sleep, every time. Always place your baby on their back to sleep — not on their side or front. This is the single most effective thing you can do to reduce SIDS risk.
• Feet to foot. Position your baby with their feet touching the foot of the sleep space so they cannot wriggle under any bedding.
• Room temperature 16–20°C. Overheating is a known SIDS risk factor. A room thermometer is included in the Baby Box. Aim for 16–20°C and dress your baby in light layers rather than heavy tog sleeping bags in warm weather.
• Keep the sleep space clear. No pillows, bumpers, loose blankets, or soft toys in the sleep space. The cellular blanket in the Baby Box can be used tucked firmly under the mattress — or use a well-fitted infant sleeping bag instead once your baby is large enough.
• Same room for the first six months. NHS guidance recommends your baby sleeps in the same room as you for at least the first six months, whether day or night naps.

Does the Baby Box mattress meet current standards?

Yes. Parent Club states the mattress is made of combustion-modified high-resilience foam to comply with BS 1877-10:2011 + A1:2012, and its construction complies with BS 7177:2008 + A1:2011; the box's test report against BS 11130:2021 is published on Parent Club. It is 700 × 428 × 40mm, made to fit the box. Only use the mattress that comes with the box, and do not add another on top.

SIDS in context

SIDS affects fewer than 200 babies per year in the UK — a rate of around 0.25 per 1,000 live births, down more than 80% since the Back to Sleep campaign launched in 1991. That reduction is directly attributed to changes in sleeping position and sleeping environment. Following current NHS safe sleep guidance with the Baby Box is safe and evidence-based.

Baby Box for parents who move to Scotland during pregnancy

The Baby Box is available to any baby born in Scotland. If you move to Scotland during your pregnancy, you are entitled to a Baby Box provided you are living in Scotland and registered with a midwife here.

Registering with a Scottish GP

Register with a GP in your new area as soon as possible after moving. GP registration in Scotland is free and you do not need to provide proof of address — a letter or utility bill can help but is not always required. Once registered, your GP will refer you to community midwifery services and your midwife can then register you for the Baby Box.

Timing of registration

Midwives normally complete the Baby Box registration card at the 18–20 week or 28 week appointment. If you move to Scotland later in pregnancy, ask your new midwife to register you as soon as they are in place — boxes are delivered between 4 weeks before your due date and the due date, so prompt registration gives the best chance of the box arriving in time.

If you move after claiming but before delivery

If you have already registered for a Baby Box in Scotland but then move address before delivery, contact APS Group (0800 030 8003 or scotlandsbabybox@theapsgroup.com), quoting the registration number from your midwife leaflet, to update your delivery address. The box is dispatched to the address on record, so an outdated address will cause a failed delivery.