A baby in Kentucky has become the first in the state to be left in a 'baby box' after a 2021 change in the law.
The tot was left in the box at Bowling Green Fire Department on Friday. According to Monica Kelsey, the CEO and founder of Safe Haven Baby Boxes, the infant was retrieved by fire department staff in less than 90 seconds.
Kelsey said: "This baby is healthy. This baby is beautiful. This baby is perfect.
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"This child that was surrendered here was not abandoned. This child was legally, safely, anonymously and lovingly placed inside of the Safe Haven Baby Box. And that speaks volumes about the parents.
“This child was left safely and legally in this baby box so that the baby could be pulled from the other side by the firefighter.
"The fire department did exactly what they were trained to do, and it worked flawlessly."
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Officials are now searching for the child's 'forever home'.
Since last year, parents in Kentucky are permitted to leave children younger than 30 days in baby boxes which can be placed at fire stations, police stations or hospitals which are staffed around the clock.
The baby boxes are installed in the exterior wall and automatically lock once the newborn is placed inside.
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Once the child is inside the box, a notification system alerts staff at the site to the baby's presence.
There are currently 16 baby box locations within the state of Kentucky - the box at Bowling Green Fire Department had been operational for less than two months.
State Representative Nancy Tate, who spearheaded the bill to allow baby boxes to come to fruition, spoke positively of the initiative to a local news outlet.
Speaking to NBC, Tate said: "It’s great to have 16 boxes here in Kentucky. There are 120 counties.
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"My goal is to have at least one box in every county and I don’t see any reason why we can’t do that."
The bill, signed into law by Governor Andy Beshear in 2021, received broad support from both Democrats and Republicans.
Tate, who is a Republican, said: "For there to be a piece of legislation that is accepted bipartisan way and to pass through both chambers the House and the Senate with no ‘no’ votes, that’s basically unheard of.
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"It makes my heart full to know how supportive this project is."
Baby boxes are in operation in several states across the US, with one in Ocala, Florida remaining unused for up to two years after it was installed.
Ben Thompson