Kidsafe Victoria E-News February 2021

February 23, 2021

CATEGORY:newsletters

It has been a challenging few weeks for many of us, including a short stint trying to juggle working from home, home schooling and entertaining the kids when COVID-19 lockdowns were reintroduced.

Sadly, the number of children who have died from preventable injuries have continued to be significantly higher than average. We have written to the Health Minister and are meeting with a number of Members of Parliament this week to further emphasise the importance of investing in prevention. If you want to help promote the importance of injury prevention, please email us at info@kidsafevic.com.au

If you missed the most recent episode of Australian Story, do yourself a favour, grab your tissues and take half an hour to watch it now. Allison, Bella’s Mum, and two other parents, Andrea and Lorraine, bravely share their stories of losing their 3 angels from button battery ingestions, as well as their efforts to stop other families experiencing their heartache.

We have a lot of other important articles to share with you this month; enjoy, stay safe and don’t forget to follow our Facebook page to keep up to date with our latest tips and advice.

Choking – What to look out for and how you can prevent it

Whether it is sand, toys, other peoples fingers, dirt or random things that they find on the floor, toddlers love to put anything they find into their mouths. For them, this is the way that they explore all of the new and exciting (and yes, sometimes disgusting) things in their environment.

While you may find that this leaves your household items covered in drool, there is a bigger hazard to be aware of – items that they could choke on.

Read more in this month’s blog where we provide you with information about the most common food items involved in toddler choking incidents, and some practical tips on what you can do to prevent this happening to your little one.

Read this month’s blog

Do You Know Basic First Aid?

According to the Red Cross, Australia has the lowest rate of first-aid training in the world.

Are you in the 95% of people who don’t know how to handle an emergency situation?

If your child was choking, suffered a burn, had a fever, was bitten by a snake or swallowed a poisonous substance……would you know what to do?

While prevention is always best, we recommend that all parents and carers, including grandparents, undertake a first aid course and regularly update their skills.

You never know when you might need to use your first aid skills. We all hope it’s never, however, undertaking a course will equip you to be able to respond in the event that something does go wrong. In an emergency situation it can be hard to think calmly and rationally, so prior training can be vital to help a child in need before an Ambulance arrives.

There are a range of courses available, including those that run face to face and online. Look into some of the courses available in your area. You could undertake one with a group of friends, your family or even purchase a spot at a course for an expectant parent or grandparent that you know.

You can also find some first aid tips for different injuries or illnesses on the St John Ambulance Australia website.

‘Reducing Harm on the Farm’ 2020 Competition Winners

We recently wrapped up the first year of our Farm Safety Creative Competition where students from across Victoria were invited to create a video, illustrated story, poster, infographic or a radio ad centred around the theme ‘Reducing Harm on the Farm’.

Kidsafe received many wonderful and creative entries including tips on creating safe play areas, keeping kids safe around animals and machinery, locking poisons away and a very important reminder – “don’t forget to shut the gate mate!”

We’ve been featuring the winners on our Facebook page with the children’s messages being used to help educate parents and carers on a range of farm safety issues.

Keep your eyes peeled over the next few weeks for details on our 2021 competition and how you can get involved. With a new and improved theme for this year, we look forward to the creative entries that your students and children will come up with!

To see a full list of the 2020 winners and their entries, please visit: https://www.kidsafevic.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/2020-Farm-Safety-Competition-Winners.pdf

Please click here, if you would like to receive updates on the 2021 competition.

Warning on Face Masks for Children Under 2 Years of Age

Many of us are becoming used to wearing face masks nowadays. They have become a non-negotiable safety item when you leave the house – keys, wallet……face mask.
However, did you know that babies and young children under the age of two should never wear a mask?

Face masks or coverings can pose a suffocation and strangulation risk for a number of reasons:

Children’s smaller airways can make it difficult for them to inhale and exhale when their face is covered
Infants cannot alert an adult if they are experiencing difficulty breathing
Masks can slip down over the neck when a baby moves and ear loops / strings can get tangled up around their neck

For further information or requirements regarding the wearing of face masks, please visit the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) website.

What would you like to read in our E-News?

This month, we’d like to hear from you! What type of stories and information would you like to read in our monthly E-newsletters?

We exist to Make a Safer World for Kids at home, on the road, around water and at play. We are here to help keep kids safe. So, please tell us:

What topics do you want to know more (or less) about?
What section do you find most interesting – the news articles / product recalls / real life stories / general safety tips….?
What type of safety concerns do you have for your children, or the children you look after?

Please send us an email to info@kidsafevic.com.au