Pepi-pods for more vulnerable babies

We have developed the pepi-pod package as support for families and protection for their babies. We hope it will help put an end to sudden infant deaths in New Zealand. The  Canterbury earthquakes of 2011 made the pepi-pod project urgent and famous. Now other regions are looking to offer pepi-pods, too.

Using Pepi-pods: the first report (22/2/2012)

We have prepared a report of feedback from 100 parents who have used pepi-pods. It describes their perspectives of receiving and using pods in the months following the Christchurch earthquake. Findings are discussed in the light of international recommendations for preventing sudden infant death. Click 'Using Pepi-pods' to download the pdf verion.    

Regions with pepi-pod services

Health-funded pepi-pod services are well established in Hawkes Bay, developing in the Waikato, being trialled in South Auckland and beginning discussions are happening in Northland, Rotorua, Whanganui, Wellington and Nelson-Marlborough. In Canterbury we have scaled back to supplying pepi-pods through agencies who work with more vulnerable babies, such as Smokechange (http://www.smokechange.co.nz/home), and who can commit to funding them.

Close and safe

Babies have a compelling need to be close to a parent, especially when they settle for sleep. Like its sister, the wahakura, the pepi-pod enables babies to be close and safe when in, or on, an adult bed, on a couch, in makeshift settings and when away from home. The pepi-pod is the safe space, but parents must also provide the safe care. This means 'face-up, face clear, smokefree' conditions, and 'in own baby bed if more vulnerable', every time and place a baby sleeps.             

What is a pepi-pod?

Pepi means baby in Maori and pod is symbolic of protection in nature. A pepi-pod is a general purpose storage box that converts to a baby sized bed with the addition of an attractive cover, fitting mattress and bedding. It offers babies a safe space when they sleep in, or on, an adult bed, on a couch, in a makeshift setting, or away from home. These are situations with a higher risk of accidental suffocation for babies.

Who are they for?

Pepi-pods are not for all babies. They are a public health solution to the increased risk of sudden infant death for certain babies in certain conditions. The babies to benefit from pepi-pods are those with a weakened drive to breathe due to smoking in pregnancy, being premature, a low birth weight, formula fed or for some other reason. Such babies have a weakened 'wake-up' response relative to other babies. They are slow to detect danger. 

Pepi-pods are only available from accredited agencies who accept the terms and conditions of distribution to families. They are heavily subsidised and cannot be available to the public generally.

What is the package?

We are currently providing a complete package of: pod, mattress, cover, 2 base sheets, 2 wrap around 'settling' sheets, a double layer merino blanket, a thorough safety briefing for families, an education programme for distributors and coordination tools and implementation support for regions. Click the link to see a range of cover designs.

A whole community approach

The pepi-pod programme is community at its best. There is a chain of participation from people sewing, companies supplying subsidised goods and services, managers seeking funding,  professionals identifying vulnerable babies credentialed distributors briefing parents at pick-up, recipients providing safe sleep conditions for their babies and helping to spread the safe sleep education to others. To learn more about the project, read the 'Using Pepi-pods' report.

From our earthquake times

If you would like to see how this service developed through the earthquake year of 2011 we have saved here the record of updates and photos that tell the story of the amazing support provided by the community to provide safe sleep for babies in a time of crisis.

We need feedback

Pepi-pods are a new idea so we need feedback. If you have been invited to give feedback on using the pepi-pod, then click this link 'Pepi-pod User Feedback' to open the survey and thank you for your time. We will post results here when we have them to hand.