A THOUSAND CHILDREN HELPED UNDER MAYOR’S BEDS FOR BABIES PROJECT

Published 20 November 2024 at 10:15am

As we mark UNICEF’s World Children’s Day today (Wednesday 20 November) a scheme that guarantees children under five a bed to sleep in if they need one has helped nearly 1,000 children in South Yorkshire in its first five months.

Beds for Babies was set up earlier this year to tackle bed poverty, backed by £2.2 million over four years from South Yorkshire’s Mayor, Oliver Coppard. The project provides moses baskets, cots, cot beds and beds as well as age-appropriate bedding bundles.

South Yorkshire has some of the worst health inequalities in the UK. Last year, 1 in 10 newborn babies in Sheffield alone needed a moses basket for a safe place to sleep, and it is why making South Yorkshire one of the healthiest regions in the UK is a priority for the Mayor, with a particular focus on early-years development. 

Beds for Babies is part of a wider Safe Space to Sleep Programme to improve health outcomes in communities and involves a range of partners working with the Mayor including the charity Baby Basics UK, Sheffield Hallam University and Ikea.

The Beds for Babies project is being delivered by Baby Basics UK, headquartered in Sheffield. The charity 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 ensure they are identifying those who need help and support.

The first bed funded through Beds for Babies was delivered in June by Baby Basics UK, to a mum in Sheffield for her 11 week old daughter.  

Mum, Mary, said at the time: "For me, having a perfect place for a baby to sleep gives me confidence as a mum. 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." 

Since then, more than 800 beds of all types have been sent to families across the region. The greatest need has been for moses baskets, with 434 of these given to parents with newborn babies, along with 171 new mattresses, 169 cot-beds, 98 cots and 96 toddler beds provided to hundreds of families in South Yorkshire.

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 further support with the supply of a cot or cot bed when their baby is four months old. 

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. 

“Today we’re marking World Children’s Day which this year focuses on the challenges that are threatening children’s futures.

“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.”

Another partner involved in the project is the housing and homelessness charity, Shelter, which is one of the local referral partners.

Jane Miles, an advisor at Shelter, said: “It's lovely that babies can sleep in a safe space by having these cots. 

“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.”

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, please email:  Sstsp@baby-basics.org.uk, 

Baby Basics Sheffield - Sheffield@baby-basics.org.uk, 

Baby Basics Doncaster – babybasics@s-m-c.co.uk 

Families First Rotherham - ann.familiesfirst@gmail.com