Background Drowning accounts for 43% of childhood mortality among 1–4 years old in Bangladesh. The Saving of Lives from Drowning (SoLiD) project is being implemented in seven rural sub-districts of Bangladesh to assess the effectiveness of two child drowning prevention interventions – playpen and crèche. Nearly 78,000 children are receiving either playpen (plastic or wooden) or are enrolled in crèche or are receiving both. To our knowledge no study has explored the acceptability of crèche intervention for childhood drowning prevention. A previous study from Bangladesh has studied acceptability of metal playpen for childhood drowning prevention. The overall goal of this study is to explore and gain an in-depth understanding of the acceptability and perceptions of different stakeholders about crèche and playpen interventions.

Methods Qualitative research methods including 16 focus group discussions (FGDs) and 16 in-depth interviews (IDIs) will be conducted with parents of children who are receiving interventions, community-level workers who are involved in delivering these interventions and community leaders. Interview/FGD guide are developed for this. Grounded theory approach would be used for data collection and data analysis. Respondents will be recruited purposively. FGDs and IDIs will be audio-recorded, transcribed, translated, coded and thematically analysed.

Results Findings would explore stakeholder’s perception and opinion about crèche and playpen; acceptability and utilisation; perceived advantages and disadvantages; challenges in using these interventions; and their relevance for child drowning prevention. Findings would also focus on stakeholder’s recommendations for improving these interventions, and explore issues related to sustainability.

Conclusions This study is expected to provide inputs on the implementation and scale-up of playpen and crèche interventions for child drowning prevention in Bangladesh and other low- and middle-income countries.