Subscribe | UPI Odd Newsletter Subscribe LESTIJARVI, Finland, Jan. 3 (UPI) -- A Finnish municipality announced a record 14 babies were born in 2013, the first year the local government offered a $13,605 baby bonus to parents. Officials in Lestijarvi, a municipality of more than 800 residents, said an average six babies are born in the municipality each year, and the baby bonus was announced after only one infant was born during 2012, the Helsingin Sanomat reported Friday. Advertisement Mayor Esko Ahonen said a record 14 newborns arrived during 2013, and the parents will receive $1,360.50 per year for 10 years. Ahonen said the bonus was likely not the sole reason for the baby boom, as the municipality also put effort into offering first-rate education and child health services.
