New York’s new mayor, Zohran Mamdani, has received a baby box from the Scottish government after modelling part of his election campaign on Edinburgh’s example of providing each expectant mother with a set of essentials.
Scotland’s social justice secretary, Shirley-Anne Somerville, said it would help the city’s leader develop his own plans for a “baby basket”.
She said: “I read with interest that mayor Mamdani was considering a baby basket scheme in New York and hope that, by sending a Scottish example, it will provide inspiration to help him to refine and develop his exciting policy.
“Scots share much in common with the people of New York; not least our history and heritage – as celebrated every year during New York Tartan Week.
“I’m proud that we can also share a commitment to tackling child poverty and addressing the cost of living for the people that we serve. Scotland’s baby box provides much-needed essentials for when a child enters the world, and it recognises the financial burden of those first few months of parenthood.”
The “baby basket” proposal formed part of Mamdani’s mayoral campaign, which focused on the cost of living. He has previously mentioned Scotland, Chile and Finland as examples of where the policy has been introduced.
More than 360,000 baby boxes have been given out to Scottish parents since the launch of the scheme in 2017. Every new mother is entitled to a box, which is delivered a few weeks before her due date and includes items such as books, clothes and a digital thermometer. The box itself can be used as a sleeping space.
This week, Somerville wrote to the mayor of New York City and had the baby box sent to the Mayor’s Office for International Affairs in Manhattan – a journey of more than 3,000 miles (4,828km).
The Scottish government offered to work with the administration in New York City on child poverty and cost-of-living policies.
