Tuscaloosa Gets A Baby Box

A non-profit group known as "Kids To Love" is behind the efforts that would bring a baby box to Tuscaloosa.

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Each baby box comes with a price tag of almost $20,000, and according to a report from WBRC-TV, a donor has offered to cover costs for Tuscaloosa.

What is a "baby box"?

It's sometimes referred to as a "baby hatch" and it serves as a safe place where mothers and/or fathers can abandon a child anonymously knowing the child will be found and cared for.

This type of arrangement was very common in the Middle Ages and in the 18th and 19th centuries when it was known as a foundling wheel.

According to WBRC-TV, the boxes can be described as incubators, that remain cool on warm days and warm on cool days.

Kids To Love says that babies are not in the box for long periods of time and on average just a few minutes.

Proponents claim that baby boxes save lives in the cities that have them. The Tuscaloosa baby box had to be approved by the city council. WBRC-TV reports that the Tuscaloosa City Council approved this box late last week.

The Tuscaloosa Thread will have more on this developing story.