A group of crafty Taranaki women are sewing up a storm to help keep babies safe while sleeping.
The women have been meeting at kaumātua/seniors hub Mahia Mai A Whai Tara in Waitara, armed with sewing machines, scissors and bobbins to upcycle pre-loved cotton sheets into bassinet sheets for Taranaki babies.
The sewing initiative, prompted by a Taranaki Health Foundation need, provides 100 per cent cotton sheets for Wahakura and Pēpi Pods, which are similar to bassinets and enable at-risk babies to co-sleep safely.
Every year, between 40 and 60 babies die from sudden unexpected death in New Zealand and sadly half of those are accidentally suffocated by their parents while sleeping in the same bed. Wahakura and Pēpi Pods enable babies at risk to sleep safely in their own space, Taranaki Health Foundation general manager Bry Kopu-Scott says.
"Once in a wahakura or pod, the next step is to keep baby warm. That's where Taranaki's crafty community can help," Bry says.