Welcome to the first edition of our e-newsletter for 2021 – we hope that you and your family have had a fun, safe and relaxing start to the new year after a tough 2020.
With the hectic back to school and kinder time quickly approaching, this month we bring you some essential tips to help keep everyone safe on their journeys, whether that be walking, riding, scooting or driving.
Before school recommences, many of us will be taking a long weekend for the Australia Day public holiday and maybe even planning one last getaway with the family.
If you are going to be spending time in and around water, please read our article on the importance of active adult supervision and the tragic number of childhood drownings seen across the State in the past 6 months.
We also have some updates on recent activities in the world of injury prevention, including the announcement of a new button battery safety standard and the launch of the State Government’s Heat Health campaigns.
Stay safe and don’t forget to follow our Facebook page to keep up to date with our latest tips and advice.
Never Leave Kids in Cars
Earlier in January this year, we were pleased to join the Minister for Health, Martin Foley, and Ambulance Victoria to launch the ‘Never Leave Kids in Cars’, ‘Look Before you Lock’ and ‘Survive the Heat’ campaigns.
Since the end of September 2020, paramedics have responded to 380 callouts to people locked in cars – most of them children and toddlers.
The temperature inside a parked car can reach up to 20-30 degrees hotter than outside, with the majority of the temperature rise occurring in the first 5 minutes. On a typical summer’s day, that is hot enough to cook a piece of lamb, slow-cook cupcakes or create paint out of a packet of crayons.
To help keep your children safe:
- Never leave your child in the car. Even if you are ‘quickly’ running an errand such as going into the post office or supermarket, you can’t control how long the queue will be
- Always lock vehicles – even when at home
- Keep keys out of the sight and reach of little fingers
- If a child goes missing, always check nearby vehicles to make sure the child isn’t hiding inside
Please click here for more information on why it is vital never to leave children unattended in cars
Keep Watch Around Water
Drowning is quick and silent. It’s not like what you see on TV, there is often no warning, alarm or cry for help.
It only takes a few centimetres of water for a toddler to drown. This means that any water – no matter whether it is a pool, pond, dam, bathtub, esky or even a pet’s water bowl – can pose a drowning hazard.
Distractions leading to a lack of supervision are common in childhood drowning incidents. Research from the University of NSW, James Cook University and the Royal Life Saving Society of Australia shows that the leading cause of distraction is something many of us do every day – household chores.
In the time it takes to hang up a load of washing or stir a pot of food on the stove, a child can drown.
Active adult supervision is a vital part of keeping children safe when in and around water, but what does this actually mean? For toddlers, this means ensuring they are always within arm’s reach and focusing all of your attention on them all of the time.
While the summer season is typically the peak of drowning incidents, in the last six months 12 Victorian children (0-14 years) have drowned – the highest number of fatalities seen in this age group in two decades.
This summer, if your children are around any body of water, please make sure there is a dedicated adult actively supervising them at all times. If you are at a party, share around the responsibility so everyone has a chance to relax, but make sure there is always at least one adult responsible for actively keeping watch over any children.
For more information on safety around water, please click here.
Top 5 Tips for a Safe Start to School in 2021
Parenting can be hard work, however, mixed in with all of the hard work are many moments of joy.
After a long year of home schooling in 2020, one of those moments of joy that many parents will be looking forward to is the kids going back to school after the holidays!
There are only a few more days you need to get through until your child starts (or returns) to kinder or ‘big’ school for the new year.
You may have read a lot of articles around this time of year with fast lunchbox filler ideas to keep your kids healthy, but what about ways to keep them safe while travelling to and from school?
Here are our Top 5 Tips for a Safe Start to School in 2021:
- If your child is going to be walking to school with you or a ‘buddy’, help keep them safe around roads by teaching them how to follow the safe road crossing procedure – STOP🛑, LOOK, 👀 LISTEN 👂and THINK🤔
- If your child is going to be riding or scooting to school, always ensure they are wearing safety gear including a helmet, and know how to safely cross the road (i.e. walking and not riding across)
- Keep an eye on your speed, as school speed zones will re-commence on Thursday 28th January between 8-9.30am and 2.30-4pm
- Always make sure to Supervise, Separate and See before leaving (or entering) a driveway. Most driveway incidents occur when the driver does not know the child is close by and thinks they are inside or being looked after by someone else.
- Check your child car restraint is still installed correctly AND check it is properly adjusted to fit your child before every trip.
New Button Battery Safety Standards Announced
New mandatory safety standards were announced by Assistant Treasurer, the Hon. Michael Sukkar, in December 2020 to improve button battery safety.
The new standards will require:
- Secure battery compartments for consumer goods that contain button batteries
- Comprehensive compliance testing
- Warnings and information to alert consumers that the product contains a button battery
- Child-resistant packaging for button batteries
The new regulations position Australia as a global leader on button battery safety.
Kidsafe Victoria was thrilled to hear about this commitment to child safety after significant work and lobbying from a number of groups including Kidsafe Australia, Choice, Bella’s Footprints, and Product Safety Solutions. Thank you especially to Allison and Kirra who have been brave enough to share the life-changing impact that button batteries have had for their families.
On average in Australia, 20 children a week present to an emergency department with a button battery related injury – that’s over 1,000 children every year.
Please click here for more information on the dangers of button batteries and what you can do to help protect your family
Exciting Opportunity to join the Kidsafe Team
Do you have proven experience in business development?
Are you a self-starter who thinks outside the box?
Are you passionate about preventing child injuries?
We are seeking an experienced, driven and solutions-focused Business Development Manager to join our small team.
The primary purpose of the Business Development Manager is to lead the development and implementation of commercial opportunities for growth that are aligned to Kidsafe Victoria’s mission of child injury prevention.
Applications close on Friday 12th February.
Please click here to find out more information and instructions on how to apply.
What’s In The News
The Minister for Health Martin Foley and President of Kidsafe Erica Edmands on Heat Health
Water Safety Urged after After Spike in Victorian Drowning Deaths
Girl, 4, dies after being pulled from Melbourne lake on horror day of drownings
Australian Mum’s Viral Video Highlights Hidden Ways Kids Can Drown Inside Your Home
Warning for Parents about Everyday Products
Mum’s Urgent Warning After Toddler Dies from Common Item
Two Year Old Boy Killed in Quad Bike Crash in Northeast Victoria
One Year Old Girl Dies After Being Struck by Car in Driveway
Product Recalls
Hunter Gatherer Co – Montessori Knobbed Cylinders
This puzzle set contains many unsecured small pieces that could pose choking or suffocation hazards.
For more information please click here.
Kaleidoscope Australasia Pty Limited – Kiddie Connect Carry Around Wooden Puzzles
Some of the pieces of these puzzles are small enough to pose a choking or suffocation risk.
For more information please click here.
D & S Moda t/as HipKids – White HipKids Maracas
These maracas don’t comply with shape and size requirements for children up to 36 months of age, and could cause choking or suffocation.
For more information please click here.
Beckingsale Design Pty Ltd – Personalised Wooden Rattle
These wooden rattles contain small parts that may pose choking or suffocation hazards.
For more information please click here.
