Modern adaptation of ancient cradle welcomes unwanted babies in Italy

Published: 2007-03-14

ROME (CNS) --The story of a baby boy, who was abandoned by his mother at a hospital in Rome, has focused attention on a modern adaptation of an old instrument called the foundling wheel. His mother had placed Stefano, who was named after the doctor who found him, in a special crib near the hospital entrance designed specifically for abandoned babies. Stefano received immediate medical attention from hospital staff, unlike other babies who are left in a garbage bin to die. In mid-March, it was announced that an adoptive family also had been found for Stefano. High-tech cradles like the one Stefano was left in have been touted as a way to save unwanted babies. Known as "cradles for life" or the "baby box," they have been installed in hospitals in various major cities in Germany, Belgium and other European countries. India was also planning to install the cradles. They are fitted with heated mattresses, a ventilation system and electronic sensors linked to an alarm and have been called the modern-day version of the foundling wheel.

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