First infant surrendered anonymously at Kentucky ‘baby box’

A Kentucky infant was the first in the state to be dropped off at a “baby box” last week, following the passage of a state law permitting the anonymous surrender of newborns.

The infant was surrendered within the last seven days at a “baby box” located at the Bowling Green Fire Department, said Safe Haven Baby Boxes founder and CEO Monica Kelsey on Friday.

The Bowling Green box had been in operation for a little under two months before the first infant was received.

Fire department staff retrieved and tended to the child in less than 90 seconds, Kelsey said.

“This baby is healthy. This baby is beautiful. This baby is perfect,” said Kelsey, who added that officials will now be searching for the child’s “forever home.”

The boxes, created by Safe Haven Baby Boxes, are intended to give distressed parents a safe place to drop off their newborns while remaining anonymous. The boxes — installed into exterior walls of hospitals or other public safety buildings — lock after a newborn is placed inside and notify staff inside that a baby has been dropped off.

Silent alarms are triggered that alert staff inside that a baby has been placed inside the box, prompting staff to quickly bring the baby inside and provide it care.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear signed a law in 2021 that permits the use of baby boxes for children less than 30 days old. The law requires boxes to be placed at police stations, fire departments or hospitals that are staffed 24/7.

“This child that was surrendered here was not abandoned. This child was legally, safely, anonymously, and lovingly placed inside of the Safe Haven Baby Box. And that speaks volumes about the parents,” Kelsey said.

The child was the 24th in the country to be surrendered at one of the over 130 baby box locations established across nine states.

“This child was left safely and legally in this baby box so that the baby could be pulled from the other side by the firefighter,” Kelsey added. “The fire department did exactly what they were trained to do, and it worked flawlessly.”

With Post wires.