Morris Plains, NJ, April 4, 2005 – Before TVs, DVDs, home computers and video games, kids spent most of their free time playing outside. But today, according to the new NEOSPORIN® 50 Years of Healing Survey, 50 percent of moms say their children typically play outside fewer than five hours a week. The nationwide survey of moms also reveals that not only would more than half prefer that their kids play outside the majority of the time, but 53 percent state that kids themselves would prefer to play outside the majority of the time – although fewer than one-quarter do.
So what’s stopping children from getting outside for playtime? One reason may be that they are overscheduled in structured activities: in the survey, only one-third (34%) of mothers report that the activities most often engaged in by their child include unstructured outdoor play, such as bicycle riding or rollerblading.
A second reason is a lack of time: busy moms, time-pressed kids, and even motivated families find that it’s sometimes a challenge to come up with new outdoor activities that are affordable, practical and most of all, fun. To help moms and families increase kids’ “fresh air time,” and to celebrate more than half a century of healing, the makers of the NEOSPORIN® family of healing products has developed “50 Ways to Play,” a comprehensive list of ideas for outdoor free play that moms can use as a resource – and kids are sure to enjoy. And because the tips are from the makers of NEOSPORIN® products, the number-one over-the-counter, doctor-recommended brand of antibiotic ointment, the focus is on safe-to-play activities.

The survey also points to a third barrier to outdoor play: moms’ worries. Two out of five moms say they worry about minor injuries such as cuts, scrapes and bruises, when their children play outside — and only half of all moms say they are aware of the basic steps for proper wound care.

“As a mother of two, I want my children to have the freedom to play outside, but I’m also concerned about minor injuries that may put a damper on playtime,” said Stacy DeBroff, founder of Mom Central, Inc., a company that provides advice to busy families, and author of The Mom Book: 4,278 Tips for Moms. “To reduce the risk, I always keep a first-aid kit on hand stocked with basics, including bandages, aspirin and an antibiotic ointment like NEOSPORIN®.”
Scrapes and cuts are a natural part of playing outside, but moms can protect their kids by learning the “3 Cs of Wound Care”:

• Clean: Wash hands carefully before treating the wound. Rinse the wound thoroughly with lukewarm water to remove germs, dirt and small stones.
• Coat: Apply an antibiotic ointment, such as NEOSPORIN® Antibiotic Ointment, to the wound one to three times a day to help prevent infection and to minimize the appearance of scars.
• Cover: Keep the wound site covered with a sterile bandage to create a moist healing environment. Check the wound daily to monitor healing.

50 Ways to Play
Now that daylight savings time has begun, kids have an extra hour to play outdoors. Moms can get the fun started with these suggestions from “50 Ways to Play”.

• Have a blast from your past: Everyone has a favorite playground or backyard game they loved growing up. Why not get outside and introduce the kids to an “oldie but goodie”? Chances are they’ll have as much fun with Red Light Green Light, Kick the Can or Flashlight Hide and Seek as you did.
• Dripping Dodgeball: Ramp up this childhood favorite by using water balloons instead of balls. Remember, the less full the balloons are, the less likely they are to break, so be sure to fill them up to the MAX!
• Track and field day: Invite neighborhood kids to compete in events like relay races, sprints and long jumps. (Be sure to race on grass only to avoid serious injury, and bring along some Neo to Go®, pocket-sized packets of NEOSPORIN® Antibiotic Ointment in case someone falls.)
• Scavenger Hunt! Create a list of ten things that can be found outside with a little bit of concentration, such as specific leaves, feathers or bottle caps. The first child to return with all ten things wins.

Moms can visit www.Neosporin.com to get the complete list of tips, access information about NEOSPORIN® products, and download coupons for product discounts.

About NEOSPORIN®
As the number one doctor recommended brand, NEOSPORIN® Antibiotic Ointment helps minimize the appearance of scars while preventing infection and is suitable for the whole family. No other triple antibiotic ointment kills more types of bacteria. NEOSPORIN® covers your entire family’s first aid needs – wherever they play – with products like: NEOSPORIN® + Pain Relief Antibiotic Ointment, helps prevent infection and provides temporary relief of pain or discomfort in minor cuts, scrapes, and burns; Neo to Go®, portable pocket-sized packets of the original first aid antibiotic ointment; NEOSPORIN® LT® Lip Treatment, lip protectant and moisturizer with maximum strength pain reliever; NEOSPORIN® AF™ Antifungal, for effective relief of itching, scaling, burning and discomfort associated with athlete's foot, jock itch and ringworm; and, NEOSPORIN® SCAR SOLUTION® Silicone Scar Sheets which use silicone sheet technology that is clinically proven to significantly improve the appearance of scars and has been used by burn centers and plastic surgeons for years. NEOSPORIN® SCAR SOLUTION utilizes Silon® technology. Silon is a registered trademark of Bio Med Sciences, Inc.

About the NEOSPORIN® 50 Years of Healing Survey
StrategyOne, a full service market research and consulting firm, conducted a nationwide telephone omnibus survey from February 17-22, 2005 of 309 mothers of children under 18 regarding their perceptions of play. The survey, which has a margin of error of plus or minus 5.6 percent, was conducted using the field services of ORC (Opinion Research Corporation).