Newborn surrendered to Safe Haven Baby Box installed less than 4 months ago

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (Gray News) – A newborn was safely surrendered to a Safe Haven Baby Box in Indiana that was installed less than four months ago.

This makes it the fourth baby in Indiana to have been placed in a Safe Haven Baby Box this year. It was surrendered last week at Monroe Fire Protection District.

“I am so thankful this parent chose a safe option for their child. We may never know the reason they used this baby box, but we do know how much they loved their infant,” founder Monica Kelsey said.

Kelsey, who was abandoned as an infant, is making it her life’s mission to end infant abandonment and advocate for the Safe Haven Law.

The Baby Box has heating and cooling elements to provide comfort for the infant, along with silent alarms to notify first responders.

The newborn is attended to within five minutes, medically evaluated at the hospital and adopted within 30 to 45 days.

According to the organization, a total of six infants have been surrendered so far in 2023, and a total of 28 have been surrendered since the inception of Safe Haven Baby Boxes in 2017.

“Women in crisis are trusting the organization that removes shame from a complicated decision to lovingly surrender an infant,” Safe Haven Baby Boxes said in a news release.

If you need help finding a Safe Haven location or would like to speak to a licensed counselor, call the National Safe Haven crisis hotline at 1-866-99BABY1.