Updated maternity package keeps up with trends, meets families' changing needs
The new version of the maternity package was designed with customer feedback in mind. New additions to this year's version are a cuddly toy and an overall that has received many appreciative comments.
The contents of the maternity package are selected yearly by competitive tender. When selecting items, the selection board pays careful attention to the wishes that families have. Nearly 80 years after it was introduced, the maternity package continues to evolve and respond to families' needs and wishes. The new version includes a total of 56 items.
As requested by clients, this year's version includes a larger selection of practical footed leggings alongside onesies. The selection board also heard clients' calls for a cuddly toy. This year, the maternity package contains a soft toy bunny, featuring the Kela-Kerttu ladybug embroidered on the front. Even as clients' wishes change through the years, there are some perennial favourites.
“Feedback from our clients tells us that padded overalls and sleeping bags are popular favourites every year. Also the thermometer and the drooling bib, added last year, have drawn a lot of favourable comments and are included this year as well,” says Johanna Aholainen of Kela.
Deliveries of the new maternity package will begin later this spring once existing stocks have run out. The date of the switchover to the new version varies slightly from year to year because it depends on the number of applications for maternity grant that come in. Each year, Kela awards around 60,000 maternity grants, of which about 40,000 are provided in the form of a maternity package.
Updated kela.fi pages offer a detailed look at individual items and patterns
Coinciding with the announcement of the new maternity package, a new and completely redesigned web page for the maternity package will open as well. It is now possible to zoom in for a detailed look at each item, just as in online stores. This year's version of the maternity package features a lot of playful and colourful patterns and prints that can now be examined closely. The zoom function also allows a closer look at zippers and other fasteners, for instance. The product pages tell the size and material of each item.
Users can also share their favourites with friends. There is a link to Facebook and Twitter with each item. Further, users can upload product photos to Pinterest, making it possible to create different outfits around the clothes included in the maternity package.
Press images of the maternity package will be released on Friday 4 March at 9:30am.
- Pictures of a baby wearing items included in the maternity package: https://www.flickr.com/photos/131345140@N02/albums/72157662900951944
- User ID: kelamedia
- Password: vieras123
- Items of the maternity package photographed individually: www.kela.fi/maternitypackage
- Please credit the original source (Kela / Annika Söderblom).
Media inquiries
Kela, Family Benefits Section
Johanna Aholainen, tel. 040 355 9309
forename.surname@kela.fi
Kela, Advisory Staff Unit
Pipsa Lotta Marjamäki, tel. 040 511 4381
forename.surname@kela.fi
Additional information for customers
www.kela.fi/maternitypackage
www.kela.fi/family
