I hope you’ve all had a safe and happy holiday and managed to have a well deserved break despite the newest phase of the COVID pandemic being upon us.

Sadly already this summer, 5 children under the age of 15 have drowned in Australia. Please read our important warning for all parents and carers in the article below – particularly if you plan on spending time in and around water with your family.

On a more positive note, our Safe Seats, Safe Kids free child car restraint fitting and checking days are back up and running for 2022. Please follow the links below to book your spot or register your details to be notified when the next day is being held in your area.

We’re also looking forward to being at the Pregnancy, Babies and Children Expo on the 26th & 27th February. You can book your free tickets to the event here.

We have a number of new initiatives we will be launching in the next month – please follow our Facebook and Instagram pages to keep up to date with our latest tips and advice. Take care and stay safe.

 

 

How to choose your first child car restraint for bub

Trying to decide on the ‘right’ child car restraint for you and your new bub may seem overwhelming – there are a number of different choices and lots of information floating around in online reviews, on social media and let’s not forget all of the opinions from your friends and family.

Some common questions many parents have are: what’s the ‘best’ child car restraint to buy for my bub? What is the difference between a capsule or convertible? Is second hand okay? What is ISOFIX?

Ensuring bub’s first trip home – or out and about – in the car is safe is crucial, so we’ve put together an easy-to-follow guide for what are no doubt your burning questions.

 

Hunter Boyle Children’s Swim Program News

It’s been a big start to the year for the Hunter Boyle Children’s Swim Program with the exciting introduction of 10 Swim Instructor Scholarships being offered to Shepparton community members through Aquamoves.

These scholarships are being offered to help address the shortage of swimming teachers within the region and cope with the increased demand for children’s swimming lessons since COVID-19 restrictions have eased.

The scholarship includes a Swim Certification with Life Saving Victoria, First Aid and CPR certification, a Working with Children Check, hands-on training hours with a qualified swim instructor, and co-teaching classes.

The successful applicants will be hired as Aquamoves swimming instructors, which will help open up more spaces for vital swimming lessons and water safety skills for children in the area.

In addition to this, children and educators from Knight Street Multi-Age Learning rolled up their sleeves for the second year in a row to wash cars – raising $1,800 for Hunter’s program! The kids also enjoyed some water play and group discussions about water safety across the week.

A big thank you to everyone in the Shepparton community for their continuous support of this life saving program.

To donate to the Hunter Boyle Children’s Swim Program, please visit: https://www.kidsafevic.com.au/post-injury-support/the-hunter-boyle-childrens-swim-program/

 

 

Water safety warning ahead of gatherings with family and friends

The warm weather continues this summer leaving many of us looking for any way that we can to cool down!

Many Australians love to jump in the water for a swim on a hot day, or even better – have a pool party with friends, enjoy a BBQ and maybe even a pav for dessert.

While being in and around water is a fun and social activity, it can pose a danger to our kids. Already this summer 5 Australian children under the age of 15 have drowned.

At gatherings involving pools it can often seem like there is extra supervision with so many adults around, when in fact, nobody may be actively supervising the kids.

The potential for the attention of adults to be stretched or divided at busy gatherings was recently highlighted as part of the Coroner’s finding into the tragic drowning of a 4 year old boy who was celebrating his brother’s birthday at a Mildura holiday park.

It’s also important to remember that floatation devices are no substitute for active adult supervision – they may be fun to use, however they aren’t designed to prevent drowning. Active adult supervision means eyes on your kids all of the time, without any distractions. No phones or quick trips over to the BBQ to check the snags haven’t been cremated, and toddlers within arm’s reach.

Click here to view some practical tips everyone can follow to help keep kids safe in and around water.

To view our article on the most common distractions which lead to lapses in supervision of children around water, please click here.

 

A New Year of Safe Seats, Safe Kids

The start of a new year calls for new goals, milestones, and just generally getting things done. For us, it marks the start of a brand new year running the Safe Seats, Safe Kids free child car restraint fitting and checking program.

With the start of the school and kinder year already upon us, now’s a great time to book in to have your child car restraint checked or installed for free!

Dates and locations for February are now available to book – if you can’t find a venue in your municipality, you can sign up to be notified when the next free fitting and checking day is added in your local area.

To book your free check or installation today, check out the Safe Seats, Safe Kids website.

 

[Click image to book free tickets]

 

What’s in the News

Kidsafe – Shepparton, Mildura: Swim Lessons Axed Amid Teacher Shortage in Vic
Kidsafe – Warning on Water Safety for Children Ahead of Australia Day
Kidsafe – Distractions Lead to Fatal Danger for Children Around Water
Kidsafe – Safe Barriers Save Lives
ABC News – Campaspe Shire Backflips on Decision to Shut Seven of the Region’s Public Swimming Pools
Kidspot – Melbourne Two-Year Old Dies After Being Pulled From Shallow Pond
News.com.au – Tributes for ‘Beloved’ Perth Baby Girl Crushed by Falling Chest of Drawers
7 News – How Boy Nearly Died in Kmart: ‘It Only Took a Second’

 

Product Recalls

 

Etsy Seller SunnyJacks – Baby Wooden Rattle

This rattle does not comply with mandatory shape and size requirements, and may pose a choking or suffocation risk to children.

For more information, please click here.

 

 

 

 

Inspire Baby Wear – Wooden Rattle Gift Set

This set of rattles do not comply with mandatory shape and size requirements, and may pose a choking or suffocation risk to children.

For more information please click here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Huggies Thick Baby Wipes – Fragrance Free Limited Edition, Tropical (The Little Mermaid and Toy Story’s Rex Dinosaur designs)

The affected batches are contaminated with a type of bacteria that may cause serious infections or health complications in people with weakened immune systems, including young children.

For more information, please click here.

 

 

To keep up to date with all product recalls , you can sign up to receive email notifications on the Product Safety Australia website and follow ACCC Product Safety on Facebook.