Last month, the Scottish government sent a baby box to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani in support of his proposal to provide every new parent in the city with a “baby basket” filled with essentials like diapers, wipes, and clothes. When Mamdani announced this plan, it immediately struck a chord with many of us who work with underserved families. It’s a simple, compassionate idea that acknowledges what so many parents know firsthand: caring for a newborn is both joyous and materially demanding. However, if we truly want every baby across the country to thrive and every parent to feel confident and supported, material help alone cannot be the end of the story. A baby basket should be only the beginning.
I am the director of people and culture at Room to Grow, a nonprofit with over two decades’ experience helping families raising infants and toddlers in under-resourced communities in New York City and Boston. Every parent who walks through our doors receives not only baby gear, but also the steady partnership of a clinician who helps them navigate the challenges of early parenthood. Our program begins before birth and continues every 3 months until a child’s third birthday. Each visit is two hours long: one hour of one-on-one parenting education and the other selecting items suited to their child’s developmental stage. During that time, clinicians with expertise in infant development, maternal mental health, and family systems help parents strengthen routines, support their child’s learning, and address the stresses that come with raising a baby, particularly in the context of economic insecurity.
What we’ve learned is clear: babies don’t just need things, they need relationships. And parents don’t just need diapers, they need to feel capable, connected, and supported.
The truth is that early parenting can be isolating and overwhelming, especially for families facing housing instability, food insecurity, or postpartum depression. In moments like these, having a consistent relationship with a clinician or home visitor can make a meaningful difference in outcomes. Research backs this up: a randomized-control trial evaluation of Room to Grow found that after one year, participating families had 68 percent more children’s books and learning materials at home, reported 11 percent less parenting stress, and engaged more often in activities that supported their baby’s development, such as reading, talking, and play. These findings align with a broader national body of early childhood research showing that sustained, relationship-based support for parents is more effective than one-time benefits in strengthening children’s longterm well-being.
One of the most powerful aspects of the Room to Grow approach is that parents choose what they need for their child. It’s a simple but radical act of dignity. At each visit, parents use a curated checklist to choose which clothes, toys, and books they want from options that match their child’s age and stage. A parent might pick board books over puzzles, or choose shoes instead of extra jackets they do not need. Instead of being told what to take, parents are treated as experts on their own families and are able to decide what fits their child’s needs and guide their development with confidence. This principle of agency should inform any baby basket or newborn benefit program.
What makes Mamdani’s proposal exciting is its underlying message: that parents deserve help, not judgment. That message is increasingly resonant nationwide, not only in policy discussions but in popular culture as well. Recently, children’s educator and Room to Grow partner Ms. Rachel announced her intention to work with public leaders to distribute books to families, signaling growing cultural and public support for investments in early childhood and parents. It reinforces the critical idea that raising children is essential public work, not a private struggle families should face alone.
Across the country, the need to support parents is urgent. Birth rates are declining and many adults are delaying or forgoing having children in part because of financial uncertainty, high costs, and barriers to affordable child care and housing. . In a nation that depends on young families for its economic and civic vitality, supporting parents is not only compassionate—it is a key long-term investment in the future. Research shows that for every dollar invested in high-quality early childhood programs, society can recoup multiple dollars in improved health, education and economic outcomes. But the greatest return isn’t financial, it’s generational: children enter school ready to learn, grow into productive adults, raise the next generation, and help break cycles of disadvantage.
The United States has an opportunity to lead by treating family support as essential infrastructure. Baby basket proposals should be implemented not as one-time giveaways, but as gateways into something larger. Imagine if every baby basket came with a built-in connection to a local parent coach, home visit program, or community-based resource hub. Instead of an isolated transaction, it would be a doorway into a continuum of care: one where families receive mental health support, parenting guidance, and help navigating early child care and housing. It would shift us from a charity model, where families receive handouts, to a public health model where every family gets the foundation to thrive. Because when parents feel confident, when babies grow up in stable, nurturing homes, and when communities rally around new families, everyone benefits.