We’ve all heard the harrowing stories about desperate mothers dumping their unwanted babies in bins or leaving them, simply unable to bear the burden of raising a child. A new trend in Germany is rising to help solve this problem, and provide a better alternative to a trashcan.

The phenomenon is that of the “babywiege”, which roughly translates to “baby cradle”. These heated boxes are located throughout the city, and are monitored by nurses. A mother can place her unwanted child in the box, and the baby will be removed and be placed into the social support system. A little weird, but a lot better than the alternative.

Inside each box is a letter for the mother:

Dear Mother of a foundling,

We realise that taking the step of giving away your child wasn’t easy for you. Please be assured that we will take loving care of your baby to the best of our ability and as such will give him/her a good start in life. Also, the baby should be given a chance to live! Should you change your mind and want your baby back, you can come back to us with full trust. We will gladly help you and are pleased when mother and child are able to be together. Even if you don’t, we will still help you with advice. Rest assured that you don’t need to worry about the police looking for you. Call us. We are there for you.

Remember, one day your child will want to know at the very least the name of his/her mother. If you wish to leave this vital piece of information, we’ll be glad to help.

Germany currently has almost 100 such boxes, a trend that is rising. It is a throwback to medieval times, when mothers could pass a child through a “foundling wheel” to be placed in the care of the church.

Whilst morally a bit of a grey area, surely having these boxes is better than not having them at all? What do you think?

[Source: BBC]