You may have recently seen in the news a child was saved by their quick thinking mum as they choked on a piece of food. They were having breakfast – an everyday occurrence – and if not for the mum’s close supervision and knowledge of first aid, it could have been a life changing moment for the 13-month-old toddler and her family.

In these difficult times – even harder with early childhood services now closed to many families – it’s important to remain vigilant about safety, including hazards which may seem innocuous. You can read more in this recent publication here. Some tips include:

• Check your house for items like buckets of water which can fill up if left out in the rain and pose a drowning hazard.
• Create a safe play area for your child so that if you do need some time to yourself – and we all do – then you can do this safely.
• With children of different ages now home 24/7, make sure that the older kids don’t leave choking hazards around for younger ones.
• To help with assessing other potential hazards, please download a copy of our home safety and farm safety checklists.

Be kind to yourselves and others in this difficult time, and if we can help you, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

If you have lost a child to a preventable injury, we have started a peer support group with the help of our friends at The Compassionate Friends Victoria – for more information, please contact alex@kidsafevic.com.au

Take care, stay safe, and don’t forget to follow our Facebook page to keep up to date with our latest tips and advice.

 

Kidsafe partners with Bella’s Footprints

We are thrilled to announce that we are working with Bella’s Footprints to raise awareness of the dangers posed by button batteries.

Bella tragically passed away at 14 months old after swallowing a button battery – with 20 children a week across Australia presenting to an emergency department with a button battery related injury, we are determined to do all we can to save future lives. Keep your eyes out for our billboard campaign coming soon!

Read more about how to prevent button battery injuries in your home.

Learn more about Bella and the Bella’s Footprints Foundation.

 

How do I know when it is safe for my child to move to the next stage of child car restraint?

Sometimes it feels like you only blinked your eyes and your child just grew another centimetre – those pants are not fully covering their ankles, and the long sleeves on that top look more like a three-quarter sleeve! As signs appear that your child needs the next size up in clothes, it’s an important reminder to regularly check that their child car restraint is still adjusted to fit them properly, to help ensure they are travelling safely in the car.

Find the answers to frequently asked questions in this month’s blog, including: how do I check that my child still fits safely in their child car restraint and how do I know when they are ready to transition into the next size / type of restraint.

Read our blog

 

Stronger Together – Kidsafe Peer Support Group

You might expect when bereaved parents get together it’s just tears and sadness … and yes, that certainly plays a part. But at the launch of our online Kidsafe Victoria and The Compassionate Friends Victoria Inc. Bereaved Peer Support Group last month – “Stronger Together” – the overriding feeling was that of “I’m so glad I found you.”

“Bereaved parents have an unspoken bond that is hard to describe. It’s a look in our eyes that says we understand how it feels to say goodbye to your child. These connections reinforce the feeling of I’m not alone,” said Alex Hamilton, our Engagement and Relationship Manager, Peer Support Facilitator and bereaved Mum to River.

If you are bereaved of a child from an unintentional incident and would like to join our online support group, please email alex@kidsafevic.com.au

You are not alone.

 

Thank you for your E-News feedback!

Thank you to our readers who shared their thoughts and opinions on our E-Newsletter – your insights have been extremely helpful and also encouraging to hear such positive feedback.

General safety tips and the latest news about child safety concerns were reported to be the most popular sections of our E-Newsletter. By far, the featured stories that most strongly resonated with our readers were about families who have experienced the loss of a child, especially Bella’s Button Battery story.

“Stories about injuries and deaths from battery ingestion always strike me with fear and horror. We are surrounded in life with items that need batteries and often such small ones. Once my son’s toys with batteries stop working I don’t replace the battery, I just tell him it no longer works.”

We’re also always heartened to hear that we are helping parents and carers make safety improvements in their homes to keep their kids safe – whether it be a change made around the home or other environments, a general increase in awareness, or just providing reassurance.

“As a result of articles we have read, we have discussed button battery safety in our home and devised a plan for these, enrolled our son in swimming lessons, discussed how to keep him safe when visiting his grandparent’s farm, and secured furniture to the wall.”

Thank you all again for your help, and we look forward to seeing your feedback reflected in our upcoming E-Newsletter editions!

 

Kidsafe in the News

Encouraging kids to get creative about farm safety
Melbourne mum saves baby’s life after child chokes on toast
Running festival to help out swimming program
In the running to prevent dam drownings
Treehouse felled as councils wield the axe on guerilla playgrounds
How you can keep children safe during periods of lockdown

 

 

Product Recalls

Toplite Trading Pty Ltd – Kangaroo Soft Toy

These toys do not comply with mandatory toy safety standards – the corks on the hat may break off and pose a choking hazard to children.

For more information please click here

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pixie’s Fidgets – Magnet Dots

The product contains many small, high powered magnets that exceed the maximum allowable strength. If a child swallows more than one magnet they could stick together, which can lead to serious or fatal internal injuries. They may also pose a choking hazard for children.

For more information please click here.

 

 

 

Little Ones Collective – Montessori Wooden Rattles

These rattles do not meet mandatory toy safety standards and may break into small parts that can pose a choking hazard to children.

For more information please click here.

 

Other product recalls this month include:

Little Ones Collective Wooden Rattles Toy – Choking Hazard
Sunrise Medical Zippie Voyage Early Intervention Stroller – Fall risk
Mighty Ape Australia Doona Liki Foldable Trike – Roll and fall risk

To keep up to date with all product recalls, please follow ACCC Product Safety on Facebook.