New call from Plunket to always empty the paddling pool

New efforts to build kids’ water intuition this summer include baby swim scholarships and online videos of world-famous swimmer Michael Phelps getting his baby son Boomer water-ready early.

In a survey¹ commissioned by HUGGIES LITTLE SWIMMERS® Swimpants it appears that only 59% of paddling pools are being emptied straight after use, prompting a new call from Plunket to empty them every time.

Giving the new findings context, Water Safety New Zealand data² shows hospitalisations of New Zealand children under the age of five, due to accidental immersion in water, more than doubled in 2016 to a level of 42 children (compared with 20 children hospitalised in 2015).

Fatalities for the same age group were shown in provisional 2017 data from Water Safety New Zealand to have increased since 2016 to seven, falling short of the organisation’s national target of zero drowning fatalities for under-fives.

The new message from Plunket, to empty the paddling pool straight after every use, along with other water safety tips³ for young parents have been printed on the outer wrapper of complimentary swimpants being given to 3000 babies who are attending their first water confidence lesson, safely in the arms of mum, dad or a caregiver, in Term 1 2018.

Plunket, council-run and private swim schools, Parents Centre New Zealand and HUGGIES LITTLE SWIMMERS® Swimpants are working together to encourage parents to take their children along to lessons early.

These are some of the initiatives in place this summer:
A total of 47 Baby Swim Scholarships are being offered by SwimMagic swim schools in Whangarei, Auckland, Palmerston North and Nelson, and also by YMCA swim schools in Auckland, with HUGGIES LITTLE SWIMMERS® Swimpants in support. The scholarships are being offered by the swim schools to parents who enrol their babies (age 6 months to 18 months) for water confidence lessons in Term 1 2018, and they cover one term of fees.
Plunket have teamed up with YMCA swim schools in the Auckland region and are offering half-price water confidence lessons to Plunket families for their babies
Parents Centre New Zealand have set up partnerships with some swim schools offering subsidised rates for parent-and-baby water confidence lessons
3000 pairs of HUGGIES LITTLE SWIMMERS® swimpants carrying Plunket water safety tips are being gifted to 25 partner swim schools for teachers to hand to parents pool-side for their babies’ (age 6 months to 18 months) first lesson in Term 1 2018, while stocks last
Video clips of Olympic Games super-star Michael Phelps giving simple tips about how he and his baby son Boomer get water-ready for summer, are airing on Facebook
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