Baby Basics UK: 800 babies and children receive beds in South Yorkshire under new scheme

Beds for Babies aims to guarantee children under five a bed to sleep in as a way of tackling health inequalities in the region.

The first bed was delivered to a new mum in Sheffield in June, for her 11-week-old baby.

Mary said: “It takes away the worry of ‘how am I going to have a cot for my child and where am I going to get it from?’

“It takes all that away and you can use that energy on something else. It gives me confidence as a mum.”

In 2023, one in 10 babies born in Sheffield received a moses basket from the charity Baby Basics UK which, outside of the project, also supplies nappies, clothes, toiletries and other necessities to those in need.

Since June, 434 moses baskets for newborns, 171 mattresses, 169 cot-beds, 98 cots and 96 toddler beds have been given to families in need across the region.

Beds for Babies is part of a wider ‘Safe Space to Sleep’ programme which will receive £2.2m funding from South Yorkshire’s Mayor Oliver Coppard over the next four years.

South Yorkshire’s Mayor Oliver Coppard said: “Thanks to support from our partners, we have started to raise the living conditions of nearly a thousand children and babies across South Yorkshire, in just a matter of months.”

As well as the 800 beds, the scheme has offered additional families support, for example by facilitating connections with other services.

“Bed poverty and health inequality are two of the biggest challenges facing South Yorkshire. A child born here will have a shorter life than a child born in the South of England.

“I am determined to make South Yorkshire the healthiest region in the country and by creating the Beds for Babies project, we are building the foundation for a better future for children across South Yorkshire so they are given the same start in life and opportunities to become the best they can be.”

Baby Basics UK works through existing referral and delivery routes including pre-natal, post-natal and midwifery services, GPs, Family Hubs, Children’s Centres and existing local voluntary and community sector organisations, in order to identify those who need help and support.

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Jane Miles, an advisor at Shelter, one of the referral partners, said: “The relief on parents faces when you take them donations of cots or bedding says it all.

“The families we support have so little funds to be able to provide even these necessary items.”

Families can ask for the right bed at the different stages of a child’s development where needed, for example, a baby given a moses basket may need a cot or cot bed as they grow.

Chief Executive Officer of Baby Basics UK, Cat Ross, said: “In the run up to Christmas, Baby Basics and baby banks around the region are seeing demand continue to increase.

“This Christmas, we ask those who can to think about making a donation to one of our regions baby banks. This could be anything from a bottle of shampoo for a mum, a blanket for a newborn, a brand-new toy or passing on your own baby’s bed that you no longer need.

“Every item has a real impact on a child and their family ensuring that they feel seen, valued and loved by their community. Most importantly it helps us to ensure that every child in South Yorkshire gets the best start in life possible.”

For more information on what items are needed, email [email protected] or follow your local bank’s Facebook page.