The town of Lestijärvi has decided to grant the sum of 10,000 euros paid out over 10 years to each child born locally. Parents will receive the baby bonus in annual 1,000-euro installments.
Currently about 70 Finnish towns and cities offer some kind of newborn incentive scheme to attract families – or young people considering building families.
Lestijärvi officials believe that the baby bonus will help shore up the local birth rate and help preserve local services such as schools.
Lestijärvi plans to pay the baby bounty to all mothers registered as resident in the town by the end of the year.
Funds for diapers and groceries
Mother of four Kaija Vilponen-Liimatainen is the first Lestijärvi mom to have received the parent payout. For her the funds are a boon.
“I can buy any amount of diapers with it and even a car seat for use in the car,” she said.
“The money can also pay for a quarter of our groceries,” calculated family man Risto Liimatainen.
Apart from baby bonuses towns are attempting to lure families to settle with services and goods. In Imatra, new babies are blessed with an apple tree, while a newborn in Urjala might receive a baptismal font.
Clothing is on offer in Raahe, while other cities provide lambs’ wool blankets or even pay for hospital confinements.