November e-news

Welcome to the November edition of Kidsafe Victoria’s e-news! This month we have an update on our ‘Do Not Leave Children in Cars’ campaign, some Christmas shopping tips and some information about swimming lessons for summer. Thanks for reading and stay safe!

Leos Club Benella joins the Do Not Leave Children in Cars Campaign

With summer just around the corner, the Leos Club Benalla have taken the initiative to prevent children left unattended in car incidents in their community.

The Leos Club (which is open to 12 to 30 year olds), fundraised the money to purchase and install 20 of Kidsafe Victoria’s Do Not Leave Children in Car signs in car parks around Benalla. The Leos Club President, Jazzy Bourke said that their efforts were ‘all about safeguarding the future generation of our town and protecting children who cannot protect themselves’.

5,000 children were rescued from hot cars in Australia last year. The inside of a parked car can reach dangerous temperatures in a matter of minutes, often reaching 20 – 30 degrees hotter than the outside temperature.

Kidsafe Victoria commends the Leos Club for their efforts in preventing these incidents from occurring in Benalla!

For further information on Kidsafe Victoria’s car park signs and how you can join the campaign, please click here.

Choosing Christmas Presents

Christmas is fast approaching and for many of us, that means we will soon be braving stores for the Christmas shopping!

If you are buying for young children this Christmas, it is important to keep safety at the top of mind when choosing gifts. Here are some of our top tips for Christmas shopping for kids:

• Select toys that meet the Australian Standard AS/NZS ISO 8124
• Check the recommended age on the label to make sure the toy is suitable for the child – keep in mind that younger children might play with their older sibling’s toys
• Avoid toys with small parts for children under three. Toy parts should be larger than a 20 cent piece to avoid any chance of choking
• Be aware of button batteries. Some toys, Christmas decorations and singing greeting cards contain lithium button batteries. If swallowed, these batteries can cause severe internal burns in as little as two hours. Keep objects containing button batteries out of reach of young children
• If you are buying a bike, scooter, skateboard or rollerblades for a child, remember to get them a helmet as well. That way they can begin riding their new toy straight away!

For more information on toy safety, please click here.

Enrolments for VICSWIM’s Summer Kidz Program are now open!

Victoria’s longest running learn to swim and water safety education program, VICSWIM, has opened enrolments for the 2017 ‘Summer Kidz’ program.

VICSWIM will be held at more than 130 public pools and coastal locations across Victoria from the 3rd to 20th January 2017.

VICSWIM is a great program for country kids living in areas in which there are no swim teachers, or where there’s limited or no access to public pools. It’s also perfect for city kids and families that otherwise can’t attend standard swimming lessons.

Bombing your mate’s backyard pool, ‘dropping in’ on a boogie board and entering the 100m freestyle event in the school sports are all experiences that every Victorian kid deserves. Since 1976, VICSWIM has delivered on that promise to over 700,000 Victorian kids, through engendering confidence in the water and a lifetime’s passport to swimming fun and safety.

For more information, please visit www.vicswim.com.au

Product Recalls

Educational Colours Pty Ltd — GIOTTO BE-BE: Finger Paint Set

The finger paint set is labelled 2+, however the sponges could rip and pose a choking hazard for young children. Consumers can return products to stores for a full refund or dispose of all the sponges and continue to use the paint. For more information, please visit the Product Safety site.

CS Global Pty Ltd — Flashing Duck with LED Light

The device underneath the duck/s containing alkaline button batteries and LED light may become dislodged. If ingested, the batteries can cause serious internal damage. The ducks can be returned to any Priceline store for a full refund. For more information, please visit the Product Safety site.