Bureau of Social Welfare and Public Health

Beating COVID-19 with “Baby First”

Have you ever heard of Baby First, a childbirth support project that supports families having and raising children amid the COVID-19 pandemic? It provides those who apply through a dedicated website with the equivalent to 100,000 yen per newborn child through services such as desired childcare supplies and child-rearing support.
A card with a unique ID is given through municipalities within three months of the birth of children. The two-dimensional code on the card is used to access the dedicated site and register for use, including questionnaires.
It has more than 700 services and items, such as housekeeping, diapers, strollers, and miscellaneous items. While there were about 200 items at first, feedback from users was used to add many more.
A person in charge said, “With no opportunity for face-to-face consultations or exchanges due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many people are likely worried about future childcare. We want to send the message that we are supporting child-rearing throughout society, and to provide financial support.” Some users said that they were really thankful for Baby First because they were feeling anxious about parenting.

The Baby First catalog is full of products that are useful for raising children.

Target households are those falling under any of the following categories:

• Households with a child born between January 1 and March 31, 2021, and being registered as residents of any city in Tokyo as of both the date of the child’s birth and April 1, 2021
• Households with a child born between April 1, 2021 and March 31, 2023, and being registered as residents of any city in Tokyo as of the date of the child’s birth

Please see the website for details.