Illustration by Sarai Richards
Whether it is a Safe Haven box or a newborn care kit, “baby boxes” show the same truth: motherhood in America can begin in crisis. But compassion can still fit in a box.
In the past few months, different states have come up with their own ideas for what a “baby box” is. In Alabama, Safe Haven’s baby boxes offer mothers in crises an anonymous and humane method to surrender their newborns. New York City hospitals offer “baby box” care packages filled with diapers, wipes and onesies to ease new mothers’ transition from the hospital to home with baby.
The idea originated in Indiana around 2016, inspired by similar programs in Europe. The initiatives provide crucial support for women at opposite ends of the motherhood spectrum. However, whether new mothers take their babies home or are compelled by their circumstances to surrender them, they address the same truth: being a mother in this country is much harder than it needs to be.
Today, Safe Haven’s surrendering boxes are available in 23 states. All throughout the United States, stigma, fear and financial instability can make motherhood seem impossible.
These boxes are built directly into the walls of fire stations or hospitals, heated and alarmed to alert first responders equipped with the appropriate equipment as soon as a baby is placed inside. It’s a last resort, but a compassionate one. Rather than leaving an infant in unsafe conditions, the box offers anonymity and safety. It gives mothers peace knowing their children will be cared for.
While this conversation stirs pro-choice versus pro-life debates, I believe both sides can support Safe Haven laws. For those who value the sanctity of life, this system literally saves it. For those who value choice, it preserves a woman’s agency in deciding what is best for her and her child in moments of crisis.
In my opinion, Safe Haven’s initiative with baby boxes is one of the safest and humane options that the US currently has for infants 90 days or younger. The existence of these boxes serve as a stark reminder of the struggle of motherhood, but they offer a vital solution for mothers who see no other way out.
This is where compassion should transcend politics.
Across the country, child abandonment is a growing concern – and not just in the way it sounds.
It’s not always a mother leaving a baby at a fire station. It’s also mothers abandoned by systems meant to support them. Many women don’t receive adequate prenatal care, emotional support or affordable childcare options. The foster care system, while essential, is notorious for neglecting older children and overburdening families. It’s often the safety net we hope to never use, but it’s not safe enough to catch everyone.
When mothers have no support system before birth, Safe Haven boxes become their only way out. That’s not a reflection of failure on their part – it’s a reflection of society’s. Every baby left in a box is also a cry for better mental health care, maternal leave policies and affordable housing.
That’s where New York’s version of “baby boxes” comes in – a completely different, yet equally vital, initiative. This October, four New York City hospitals joined this Safe Haven initiative. These hospitals will send new mothers home with “NYC Baby Boxes” containing diapers, wipes, a baby carrier, nail clippers, shampoo and other childcare essentials. It’s a small gesture, but it symbolizes something much bigger: support.
Mayor Eric Adams also announced a pilot program called “Creating Real Impact at Birth,” or CRIB, which connects pregnant women applying for shelter with housing vouchers. It’s expected to help at least 300 pregnant residents avoid giving birth in homelessness.
“No child should ever be born in a shelter,” Adams said and I agree. Preventing desperation is far better than responding to it.
Programs like CRIB give mothers something Safe Haven boxes can’t. By addressing poverty and housing, New York acknowledges that surrender shouldn’t be the only humane option. It’s an investment in both the mother and the child’s future.
New Jersey and the tri-state area adopts versions of both approaches. The Safe Haven Infant Protection Act allows parents to anonymously surrender newborns at hospitals, police stations or fire stations. We also have family support programs, from WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) to the Family Success Centers that help with housing, healthcare and childcare guidance. These programs are good, but often lack access and funding.
What needs to change is awareness and accessibility. Women shouldn’t have to dig through websites or paperwork to access resources while pregnant and scared. We need stronger outreach in schools, clinics and community centers. It shouldn’t take a crisis to find compassion.
When you look at Alabama’s Safe Haven boxes and New York’s baby care boxes side by side, they tell one story: the lengths we go to protect new life and the women behind it. One box offers safety in surrender, the other stability in survival. Both matter.
I believe we can hold both truths. Surrendering a baby doesn’t mean failure, and needing help to raise one doesn’t mean weakness. Whether a baby is left in a fire station box or taking home a care package, both represent love.
