Four city hospitals will start sending newborns and their families home with boxes full of “essential” supplies, officials said Tuesday.

NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi, NYC Health + Hospitals/Lincoln, NYC Health + Hospitals/Kings County and NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst will begin distributing “NYC Baby Boxes” later this month, Mayor Eric Adams said in a press release.

What You Need To Know

Four city hospitals will start sending newborns and their families home with boxes full of “essential” supplies, Mayor Eric Adams said Tuesday

Each box will contain postpartum and newborn supplies, including diapers, wipes, a baby carrier, baby nail clippers and shampoo, diaper rash cream, a baby thermometer, a “NYC Loves Me” onesie, footie pajamas and a copy of “Goodnight Moon,” the release said

Adams on Tuesday also unveiled details about a new pilot program called “Creating Real Impact at Birth,” or CRIB, which will connect pregnant New Yorkers applying for shelter with housing vouchers in an effort to reduce the number of babies born in the shelter system

Each box will contain postpartum and newborn supplies, including diapers, wipes, a baby carrier, baby nail clippers and shampoo, diaper rash cream, a baby thermometer, a “NYC Loves Me” onesie, footie pajamas and a copy of “Goodnight Moon,” the release said.

Boxes will also include a guide that explains “what to expect after childbirth and when to contact a doctor,” according to the release.

“Bringing home a child from the hospital is a beautiful, exciting time for any family, but it is not without challenges,” Dr. Mitchell Katz, president and CEO of NYC Health + Hospitals, said in a statement. “The ‘NYC Baby Boxes’ will help families have the information and tools to care for mother and child in those early days after giving birth.”

Adams on Tuesday also unveiled details about a new pilot program called “Creating Real Impact at Birth,” or CRIB, which will connect pregnant New Yorkers applying for shelter with housing vouchers in an effort to reduce the number of babies born in the shelter system.

An investment of $8.5 million will initially assist more than 300 pregnant city residents, the mayor’s release said, with the pilot program expected to last at least 15 months.

“Put simply: No child should ever be born in a shelter,” Adams said in a statement. “We must do everything we can to stop the cycle of poverty and housing instability before it ever begins by ensuring mothers and babies do not go to a shelter after leaving the hospital and that they have the resources they need to thrive.”

The initiative, run by the city’s Department of Social Services, will connect low-income New Yorkers applying for shelter with existing housing programs, the release said, including CityFHEPS — the country’s largest city-funded rental assistance program — and Pathway Home, which provides monthly payments to families hosting relatives or friends moving out of shelters.

In the 2024 fiscal year, more than 2,000 babies were born to families living in city shelters, according to the release — a statistic the Adams administration says underscores the urgency of addressing infant homelessness.

City Hall said research has shown that babies born into homelessness face higher risks of health complications, including low birthweight and asthma.

“‘CRIB’ is an important and groundbreaking program that will allow pregnant New Yorkers to raise their child in the comfort of a stable home,” DSS Commissioner Molly Wasow Park said in a statement. “As a proud mother, I am so excited for this new initiative and the lifeline that will be extended to people experiencing homelessness who will be connected to permanent housing at this profound milestone in their lives.”