1 pack = 1 vaccine with Tesco and Pampers

Tesco is backing the Pampers UNICEF campaign in the global fight against Maternal and Newborn Tetanus as part of their annual campaign which, for me at least, has become an icon when I look at the labels on the packets of Pampers in my local supermarket over the past few years.

From October to December, Pampers and UNICEF, the world’s leading children’s organisation, come together for the eighth year to launch the “1 pack = 1 vaccine” campaign. This year, Tesco has upped the stakes and set the challenge to its shoppers to help raise the cost of one vaccine every second of the campaign period – that’s nine million life-saving vaccines helping to protect the lives of 3 million women and their newborns! 

A team from Tesco and Pampers visited Senegal, West Africa, to see the success of the UNICEF vaccination programme and meet those who have witnessed the devastating effects of MNT first-hand:

Ami Seck tragically lost her first baby boy to tetanus;
“After a few days, we noticed the child was trembling excessively,” Mame Touty, Ami’s mother-in-law says, “We spent nine days in hospital, but the boy died on the tenth day. When it happened we were very dejected. After the regretful incident, Ami became pregnant again, but we learnt lessons, we had an antenatal care package, and everything went smoothly. Everyone knew that our baby boy died but we are a living example of how you can get out of the maze.”

Moussa Pouye is the Chief Nurse at Dabaly Health Post, Nioro District, Senegal talk about dealing with a case of tetanus;
“I had to deal with a case of tetanus where the lady had no antenatal care or tetanus vaccinations. I met with the Supervisor of the Health Centre and he gave me 200 doses of tetanus to do an immediate campaign in the area to avoid another case. We made sure all other women in the village were protected. The village, Touba Saloum, now has its own Health Hut and all the women are subscribing.”


Visit your local Tesco today and pick up your pack of Pampers or buy online at Tesco.com:

1 Pack = 1 Vaccine

During October – December 2013, for each Pampers®- UNICEF pack purchased, Pampers® will donate the cost of one tetanus vaccine to support UNICEF in the fight against Maternal and Newborn Tetanus.
                     

UNICEF Pledge Donations

By becoming a monthly donor to UNICEF today you can join thousands of other parents who donate every month to improve the lives of these vulnerable children. Visit www.supportunicef.org/Pampers to see the difference that you can make.

Disclosure:  This post was written in conjunction with Pampers

Top Tips for a Mellow Christmas from Pampers

This year Lara really 'GETS' Christmas. There has already been chocolate, cakes, visits to Father Christmas and magical adventures and I can say right now that she has got somewhat over-excited at times. With an excited terrible two-year-old and the total lack of a routine over the festive holidays, I cannot see this Christmas being the relaxing, homely one that my pregnant body is longing for! The Pampers Village Parenting Panel experts have compiled their ultimate tips for an enjoyable festive season with baby to try and make things that little bit more mellow.



Pregnancy advice from Midwife, Mary Steen-Greaves:

• Take a relaxing bath with some lavender drops added to help you de-stress and a warm milky drink to help you have a good night’s sleep.


• Try not to over eat, especially late at night. Eat small meals frequently to help your digestion and keep spicy and fatty foods to a minimum.


• You will still need to wrap up to keep warm when outdoors even though you will feel warmer than usual due to your increased blood. Wear comfortable, sensible footwear to help you maintain a good posture and reduce the risk of slipping in the cold (possibly icy) weather.

Image: Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Skin health advice from Dr David Atherton:
Winter is tough on everyone's skin, but especially in the case of babies with naturally sensitive or dry skin. Consider the following:

• You can use a humidifier in baby’s bedroom – if you can, make sure it incorporates a hygrometer to shut it down when the humidity is optimal to prevent dampness.


• Apply a protective moisturiser to baby’s face and hands before leaving the house, and re-apply on your return (this one can apply to mum too!)


• Cover the skin when outside. Use gloves, a scarf and a hat to help keep baby’s skin protected and warm.


• Make sure your home isn't too hot and dry, especially in baby’s bedroom. Turn down the boiler setting, make sure it is off at night and, if you can, get some house plants to help increase the humidity.

Baby Development advice from Dr Maggie Redshaw:

• The first Christmas stocking is really exciting – bubbles to blow, finger puppets and small picture books are great for babies and parents. Interacting through play helps to facilitate conversation through facial expression, sounds and movement.


• Babies really enjoy wrapping paper and boxes at Christmas, and play with them as they would expensive toys so there is no need to spend a lot, but just take care about items that might not be so good to put in the mouth. A box can be a boat, car or den so use your imagination to bring games to life – this will help baby develop through social and make-believe play.


• Christmas is usually a time for lots of indoor play, but make the most of it when it’s bright and crisp to get out to the park to try a kick around with a ball or play in the leaves/snow – this will help baby to develop physically while having fun.

For more information and tips on caring for your baby, visit the Pampers Village, www.pampers.co.uk or connect with other mums and log onto the new Pampers UK & Ireland Facebook page.

Pampers – The Dry Max Adventure Continues

You may have seen me vent about disposable nappies and my guilty conscience earlier this week. Now that I have got that off my chest, let me share with you the fascinating parts of my trip to the Pampers research and development centre in Schwalbach, Germany.

Upon arrival we were greeted by Űber-Scientist, Frank Wiesemann who has worked for Pampers for 15 years. I was slightly disappointed that Frank didn't have a long scientist's beard or a pristine white coat (although we did see him slip is lab coat on later in the day!). In his own wonderful German way, Frank gave us a brief run-through of the history of Pampers disposable nappies and the key technological milestones that have shaped their development.

Keen to show us the research and development centre where the new Pampers with Dry Max were developed, Frank took us on a tour of the building. First we visited the play room where several hundred local babies are invited to come and do what babies do best – play! The Pampers researchers patiently observe them to see the ways that babies move and how the nappies behave in real-life situations.

Next we entered the cool climate of the skin lab where important measurements are taken from the children after set periods of time to find out how much moisture is lingering on their skin with the potential to cause nappy rash.

Moving swiftly on, Frank rushed us through the top secret development lab where (seemingly) grannies in hairnets were knitting hand-made Pampers prototypes much like the Shreddies advert. We could see scissors and glue and rulers. It looked like a school project!

Next we got to experience the noise and wonder of the machines that make the nappies. At Schwalbach they have a small number of machines with which to manufacture prototype nappies. The machines filled the room and the sound filled our ears. Every few seconds a small, perfectly-shaped nappy would plop off the end of the line to be examined by the workmen for its suitability for test.

The next part of the tour took us to the 'Sensory Room'. Here the Proctor & Gamble guests and employees get to experience what it is like to be a baby. First, a giant cot with a mattress I could fall in to and a bear that dwarfed me – on the ceiling was a blurry picture of my 'mummy', barely visible to a baby's developing eyes. Next a super-size room with a coffee table at eye-height full of tempting things for me to grab. And finally, a garden full of toys and flowers for me to run and play with.

Our last stop before our environmental debrief was the development laboratory. Here, the science kicked in. Frank showed us the poly-acrolyte gel which they call the 'Super Absorber'. The new Pampers Active Fit nappies are packed full of the stuff which means that they are absorbent enough to hold over 12 hours worth of urine. It's a fine powder which transforms slowly into jellied blobs when it comes in contact with moisture.

The new Dry Max nappies differ from the old nappies in that they don't contain a cellulose core to hold the Super Absorber. The cellulose core was the bulky, fluffy bit but now that it is no longer needed (thanks to a magic cobweb of glue???), the nappies are a lot thinner and can hold a lot more moisture. The Super Absorber is fascinating stuff but I can't help thinking that the old nappies may have absorbed less and held it in worse, but that their absorbency was quicker. I've spoken to several other mummies who have found that the Dry Max nappies seem to take some time to suck the moisture up, but once they do, it stays drier for longer.

If you want to find out more about Pampers with Dry Max, visit the Pampers Village website at www.pampers.co.uk

My day at the Pampers R&D department was a unique opportunity to learn about the thought and effort that goes into developing a Pampers nappy – I shall never look at a disposable nappy in quite the same way ever again. The hospitality was brilliant and the R&D centre was fascinating. Thank-you!