We are soooooo excited this month to launch our new Baby Safety Guide! We are launching just to you, our subscribers at this stage and would love your feedback. This project has been a long time in the making and is designed to make life easier for first time parents and carers. You can find out more in the article below.
As we wrap up another National Burns Awareness Month, we are very grateful to Milla, Gracie and Daisy’s families for sharing their stories to assist others. Please do take the time to complete our burns safety checklist for your home.
We were also thrilled to see the new Button Battery Standards come into place on June 22nd, and want to give Allison Rees, Bella’s mum, a shout out for her staunch advocacy in making this happen. Find out what this means for you here.
Finally, we are going to be at the Pregnancy, Baby and Children Expo again at the Melbourne Exhibition Buildings over 8th-10th July – please come down and see us for all of your child safety information!
As always – take care, stay safe, and please follow our Facebook and Instagram pages to keep up to date with our latest tips and advice.
New! Baby Safety Guide
We know that preparing for the arrival of a new baby can be an overwhelming process – that’s why we’re pleased to launch our new Baby Safety Guide, a free e-learning tool designed to support new and expectant parents with important information on keeping baby safe.
The Guide takes the guesswork out of your parenting journey by providing information and advice on products such as cots, prams and high chairs, including what to look for when purchasing these products and how to use them safely.
The second module covers other important information on home, road, water and play safety to help keep your baby safe as they grow.
To access the free Baby Safety Guide, please visit https://www.kidsafevic.com.au/new-parent-hub/baby-safety-guide/
Donate to Help Us Save Lives
Every week across Australia 3 children die due to preventable injuries – that’s over 150 families every year whose lives were changed in a split second.
Being ‘The One’ changes lives forever – it’s a journey no parent or carer should ever have to go through.
At Kidsafe Victoria, we walk with these families, driving change, helping to educate and inform, and empowering others to make a difference.
We exist to prevent these types of tragedies and together, with your help, we can keep kids safe.
Kidsafe Victoria is registered as a Deductible Gift Recipient, which means all donations $2 and above are tax deductible.
Be ‘The One’ to make the change and help us save the lives of our precious children
National Burns Awareness Month
June marks National Burns Awareness Month, an initiative run by Kidsafe Australia in partnership with the Australian and New Zealand Burns Association (ANZBA), to drive greater awareness among the community of the prevention and the correct first aid treatment for burns. The campaign is held each year at the beginning of winter due to a significantly increased risk of burns during this time.
Data shows that in 2020/2021, 1,009 children aged under 15 were admitted to burns units across Australia and New Zealand – that’s over 19 kids per week. The large majority of these incidents (76%) occurred in the home.
With the cold winter weather here to stay for a few more months and everyone looking to keep toasty and warm, it’s important to remain vigilant of burn and scald hazards in our homes.
From hot drinks, hot food, open fireplaces, irons, even vehicle exhausts and treadmills, burn injuries can occur in a split second. Our free Home Burns Safety Checklist can help you to reduce the risk and keep your family safe.
Correct first aid treatment for a burn can make a big difference in the severity of the injury. If your child sustains a burn or scald, it’s important that you follow these steps:
- Remove – any clothing and jewellery from the burn area unless well stuck to the skin.
- Cool – Immediately place the burn or scald under cool running water for 20 minutes. This is useful for up to 3 hours after the injury occurs.
- Cover – the burn with a clean, non-stick dressing. Do not apply ice, oil, butter or ointments on the burn as these can make it worse.
- Seek – medical help immediately if the burn is on the face, hands, feet or genitals, is larger than a 20-cent coin or has blisters.
For more information about burns prevention and National Burns Awareness Month, please visit: https://www.kidsafevic.com.au/home-safety/fire-safety-burns-and-scalds/
Gracie’s Recovery
Last June we shared the story of Gracie’s burn incident – this month we checked in with her Mum, Jess, to see how her recovery is going.
“Everyday is still a struggle – more emotionally now. But we soldier on.”
Gracie has come a long way in 12 months, but her surgeries will continue for many years.
Read our update on Gracie here
Wrapping Up National Kidsafe Day and The Night of Hope Gala Ball
We’ve recently held a few exciting events, with celebrations for National Kidsafe Day and our inaugural Night of Hope Gala Ball taking place last month.
Our theme for National Kidsafe Day this year was ‘The One’ – we were joined by a number of parents who have been the ‘The One’ to lose a child due to a preventable injury, as they bravely shared their story to help ensure no other families ever have to experience what theirs are.
If you haven’t had the chance, please head over to our website to view the stories and learn more about how you can be ‘The One’ to make the change.
To coincide with our National Kidsafe Day celebrations, we hosted our first ever Night of Hope Gala Ball in collaboration with The Compassionate Friends Victoria at Melbourne Town Hall. The night was made incredibly special and magical by everyone who attended, bid in the auctions, donated, and danced with us.
If you weren’t able to join us on the night, don’t worry – Enhance Photography Studios kindly donated their services and you can check out all of the fabulous photos on our Facebook page. Enhance Studios is Melbourne’s leading Family Photography Studio’s who specialise in capturing photographs, memories and creating custom artwork for your home. Not only did the owner, Karina, donate her time on the night she also donated a $2,000 package for our live auction to support our fundraising.
A big thank you to all who participated in some way – the funds raised from the night will go towards developing and growing our support programs for the future. A special thanks to event sponsors – Britax, Newborn Baby, Love to Dream, QEC and Monash University Accident Research Centre.
Upcoming Courses
Accredited Child Car Restraint Training Courses – Book Here
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- Next available:
- 27th – 28th July (Niddrie)
- 11th – 12th August (Notting Hill)
- 24th – 25th August (Niddrie)
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Paediatric or Perinatal First Aid Training Courses – Book Here
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- 16th July – Paediatric First Aid – Mornington Peninsula (Somerville)
- 16th July – Paediatric First Aid – Geelong (Novotel Hotel)
- 16th July – Perinatal First Aid (New and Expectant Parents) – Geelong (Novotel Hotel)
- 23rd July – Paediatric First Aid – Melbourne (Royal Children’s Hospital – Parkville)
- 30th July – Paediatric First Aid – Ballarat (Sovereign Park Motor Inn)
- 30th July – Perinatal First Aid (New and Expectant Parents) – Ballarat (Sovereign Park Motor Inn)
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12th July – Live Zoom Sessions (Paediatric First Aid)
If you’re a professional interested in booking an accredited first aid training session, please visit: https://www.growthtraininggroup.com.au/kidsafe-victoria/
Kidsafe In the News
Kidsafe – New button battery laws set to come into place after Melbourne mum’s campaign
Kidsafe – Are second-hand child car seats safe, and should you buy one?
Kidsafe – Protect your kids from hot water burns
Kidsafe – Teaching safer road use for all
Perth Now – Tapping e-scooter crash: Teen suffers multiple fractures after colliding with car
ABC News – Child dies in hospital, driver presents to police after hit-and-run in Melbourne’s west
9 News – “Utter panic”: Sydney mum describes discovering baby’s room was on fire
9 News – The hidden dangers of trampoline centres
Product Recall News
Each month we highlight recent product recalls for all things related to kids. This month there is some BIG news that we want to put a spotlight on for a product that can be extremely dangerous to children if ingested.
New rules and regulations for the supply of button batteries and products containing them have taken effect as of 22nd June, with these world-first standards being a critical step in helping to prevent potentially life-threatening injuries to children.
As part of the regulations, products now must have:
- Secure battery compartments to prevent children from gaining access to the batteries
- All packaging must be child-resistant and only permit access to one battery at a time
- Suppliers must undertake compliance testing
- Additional warnings and emergency advice must be included on packaging and instructions
When purchasing products make sure that they now have the necessary safety features and, as always, keep any button batteries or items containing them in your home well out of reach and dispose of them safely – learn more here.
We encourage you to keep up to date with products recalled due to any recalled children’s items or products on the ACCC’s website.
Product Recalls
Myer Pty Ltd – Jack & Milly Koala Sippy Cup
The silicone on the sippy cup may tear and detach, and may pose a choking or ingestion hazard to small children which can lead to serious injury or death.
For more information please click here
Russell Corporation Australia Pty Ltd — Spalding Momentous Ez Assembly Acrylic Portable Basketball Hoop System
Due to a manufacturing defect, the backboard may not have been welded to the supporting pole properly, and may cause serious injury if the backboard were to break off and fall.
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.
