Season’s Greetings!

On behalf of Kidsafe NSW, I would like to wish you a fun-filled time with family and friends. Although, you might prefer to take ‘time out’ and relax after a very busy year!

Kidsafe NSW has had a very busy year with staff travelling all over the state meeting wonderful families, community groups and health professionals dedicated to child injury prevention. We have focused on diverse projects ranging from burns prevention, child passenger safety through to inspecting amazing playgrounds.

In time for the holidays, we have endeavoured to highlight important safety campaigns in this newsletter. More information can also be found at www.kidsafensw.org

I would like to thank our Kidsafe NSW staff and expert NSW Council Members who provide very high quality support and information to ensure that carers of our children have access to the latest safety information and prevention strategies.

Thank you also to the Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network, NSW Ministry of Health, Office of Sport, and the NSW Department of Education and Communities for their support both professional and financial.

A copy of our latest Annual Report will be available soon on the Kidsafe NSW website and will showcase a great 2018!

Best wishes for Happy New Year!

Christine Erskine

Executive Officer, Kidsafe NSW

The good news, according to NSW Fair Trading, is that toys sold today are much safer than they were a decade ago!

Toys with small parts are a particular worry. Anything smaller than a ping-pong ball or an Australian 20 cent coin could choke a child under the age of three if swallowed.

You can check for choking hazards by making a DIY safety tool called ‘Choke Check’

To help you have a fun-filled, safe Christmas and holiday season check out the Product Safety Australia site which has great information on toys, button batteries**, portable pools and trampolines.

Visit Product Safety Australia for a great booklet called ‘Keeping Baby Safe’, which includes information about toys and is very helpful for Grandparents, Aunties and Uncles wanting advice on what is best for the newest and youngest members of the family!

Follow these tips when selecting toys for babies and children:

• Look for washable, non-breakable toys for babies
• Check there are no small parts that can be swallowed by children under the age of three
• Examine the toy to check if it contains a button battery that can be easily accessed by a child
• Read labelling on new toys to check they are suitable for a child’s age
• Be sure, if buying or receiving a projectile toy, it has soft, one-piece darts or non-removable suction caps
• Check for ventilation before buying tents, masks, or helmets
• Take off and throw away all the wrapping and packaging. This includes all plastic bags and sharp plastic covers on the package.

**An important note about button batteries.These small, coin-sized batteries can cause significant injury if swallowed.For more information about how to keep children safe from the hazards associated with button batteries, click here.

Look for the NSW Driver Reviver sites to pull over. This allows the driver time to stop and take a break from the road and then the kids are able to run off some energy.   The Driver Reviver sites only operate during school holidays and over some long weekends.  Find the Driver Reviver sites here. 

It is important to travel to be safe once you arrive! 

Why not view the Kidsafe Home Safety Checklist and use it to check for possible hazards like dangling curtain cords, unsecured appliances, poisons (such as household cleaners and medications) and furniture that could topple.  

Doing this at your child’s eye level, will help you see potential hazards that you might not otherwise see. 

Click here to download your own Home Safety Checklist.

Cancer Council NSW recommends these tips to keep your family safe in the sun:

• Apply SPF30+, water-resistant sunscreen regularly throughout the day
• Cover as much skin as possible
• Wear an appropriate hat. Wide brimmed, bucket style or legionnaire hats are good at protecting  the child’s face and neck           
• Play in well-shaded areas or play undercover on excessively hot days. Avoid play during the hottest times of the day (between 11am – 3pm)
• Teach children to always wear a hat and sunscreen

REMEMBER

SLIP – clothing to cover arms and legs

SLOP – on sunscreen

SLAP – on the right hat

SEEK – shade from the sun

SLIDE – on sunglasses

Content source:  Cancer Council NSW

A discussion paper from researchers at University of Sydney (Wilson,2008) say “not to use fabric to drape prams or strollers unless their infants are in direct sunlight and then only use light sheets, muslin wraps or commercially available net covers designed to fit strollers and prams.” 

It is also important to make sure there is plenty of ventilation and that there is no loose bedding that could be pulled onto the infant’s face. 

Furthermore, the Cancer Council recommends minimising children’s exposure to the sun, especially between the hours of 11am – 3pm.  Avoid walking in direct sunlight as babies and children burn and dehydrate much quicker than adults.

Content source:  Mamamia; Cancer Council

Reference:  Wilson, L. (2008). Discussion paper : the great pram cover-up : a cautionary tale. Neonatal, Paediatric and Child Health Nursing, 11(1), 26-28.

You might know of friends or family selling this type of product, or have seen the products in the shops or online.  NSW Poison Information Centre (PIC) report 90 calls this year about exposure to essential oils, which is a significant increase from previous years. 

Are these products safe for children? 

According to experts at NSW PIC, not much is known about the safety of these products.  While some sellers make claims about the health benefits of ingesting the oils or rubbing them directly onto skin, NSW PIC does not recommend consuming essential oils.  Even a small amount of essential oils can cause significant poisoning, if swallowed. 

A recent article in Choice lists some of the symptoms of poisoning from ingesting (or consuming) essential oils:

• Vomiting, nausea or diarrhoea
• Seizures
• Drowsiness

Poisoning from essential oils can also occur from over exposure to the skin (resulting in burns and skin irritation) or inhalation (resulting in trouble breathing).

Health experts agree that if you are concerned about essential oil poisoning phone Poisons Information Centre on 13 11 26 for advice.  If the oils were swallowed, do not try to vomit or have the person drink any fluids and seek medical attention immediately.

If you have questions about how to use essential oils safely, consider talking to your general practitioner or chemist.

Content source:  Choice, Department of Health – Western Australia

In NSW, it is against the law to leave a child alone in a hot car.  This can carry a fine of up to $22,000 under the Children and Young Persons (Care and Protection Act).

Follow these top tips for keeping your children safe on hot days:

• If you have to leave the car, even to run a quick errand, take the children with you
• Lock cars and secure keys when at home to prevent children playing inside the car
• Make “look before you leave” a routine whenever you get out of the car
• Use the pay at the pump petrol stations, get your partner to fill the car, or get petrol only when there are two adults in the vehicle

For more information, view this fantastic video, The Unconventional Oven, with Matt Moran, which has just won an international safety media award.

Like all outdoor play the key to minimising accidents and incidents is active, engaged adult supervision at all times.

Now that summer is here, it is a good time to go through your water safety checklist. Use the list below to help decrease drowning hazards and ensure safe water play for children.

• Ensure constant adult supervision when in or near water and within arm’s reach for children under five
• Remember floatation devices are not lifesaving devices
• Familiarise children with water and teach them to swim
• Learn resuscitation or take a refresher course

Also, if you own a backyard pool or visit one:

• Never leave items against the fence that children can use to climb up
• Always close the pool gate
• Check that the pool fence is in good condition and the gate is self-closing and self-locking
• Keep a CPR chart in the pool area

Did you know that some councils provide swimming programs for adults (including private sessions for women’s groups) and children? Contact your local council for more information.  Alternatively, visit Australian Swim School Association to locate your nearest swim school.

For more information on water safety:

Click here to read about ‘Drowning Prevention’ from Kids Health

Click here to read about ‘Home Water Safety’ from Royal Life Saving Society NSW

Click here to download a copy of the booklet ‘Protect Your Pools, Protect your Kids’.

Click here for Kidsafe NSW Information sheet on Water Safety

Health services are reporting a number of child injuries sustained from accidents at these parks. Many of these injuries result from collisions with more than one person bouncing on the trampoline.

Follow these tips to keep your children safe when using trampolines:

• Choose a park that has comprehensive safety measures in place
• Allow only one child at a time on a trampoline
• Provide constant adult supervision
• Teach your child to jump in the centre of the trampoline
• Watch out for loose balls and stray play items
• Encourage children to ask for help if they are trying something new

For more information:

• Click here to download the Kidsafe NSW infographic Indoor Trampoline Parks.
• Download the ACCC brochure Trampoline Safety - it's flippin' important!

A new report from Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA)  shows that errors are being reduced thanks to a ground breaking project.  This project has improved and enhanced the instructions of installing child car seats, making it easier to understand how to install the child car seat correctly.

Most injuries and deaths for children in vehicle accidents are a result of not using the correct child car seat or using it incorrectly.  The aim of the project is to develop a simplified set of instructions for installing child car seats in line with the manufacturer’s specifications.  Preliminary results indicate correct use has increased 45%.

Neura is expanding this research project and is looking for people to help with the research!  If you are planning to purchase a new child car seat, consider taking part in this study and you will receive $100 reimbursement!  Click here for more information.

Congratulations to Kidsafe NSW Council Member, A/Prof Dr Julie Brown (Neura), for this innovative research into reducing road related injuries in children.

Content and image source:  Neura

There are new tenant laws in place in NSW.  So what does this mean for renters and keeping the house safe for children?  The tenant must ask permission to install such devices as furniture anchors and to make sure that any marks or damage made by the devices are repaired back to original condition upon termination of the lease. However, the property owner ‘agrees not to unreasonably refuse’ to allow this type of change. 

It is the property owner’s responsibilities to provide window safety devices such as window locks for rooms above the ground floor that do not open more than 12.5 cm.

If you are leasing or renting ask your property owner or manager about what safety devices should be installed to ensure that children are safe in the home.

For more information on the responsibilities and rights of tenants and property owners visit NSW Fair Trading.

A recent study from the United States shows that baby walkers are dangerous for children under 15 months old.  The study found that most injuries in children occurred at home, in a location near steps and when the wheels caught on cords, rugs or thresholds.  The injuries ranged from minor scrapes to concussion, and 90% of the injuries were of the head and neck.

The baby walker was first designed to support young children, usually up to a year old, who cannot walk, to move from one place to another.  Baby walkers make children mobile much earlier than normal, enabling them to cross a room in seconds, moving too close to hazards they could not otherwise reach. Children also become “taller” in a walker, allowing them to react higher.

As a result, they can be scalded by pulling a boiling kettle or hot drink down on themselves or they can gain access to open fires, heaters and irons. Walkers increase their risk of being injured and requiring treatment for serious burns.

This study “explain[s] that parents initiate the babies into infant walkers to help their children walk and move around. However studies have shown that use of the walker often delays mental as well as motor development of the babies. They warn that putting babies in walkers give parents a false sense of security when actually the child could be in a dangerous situation.”

Baby walkers are covered under a mandatory safety standards and must clearly depict safety warnings.

For more information on baby walkers see Product Safety Australia.

Kidsafe NSW is a not-for-profit charitable organisation. We rely on NSW Government grants, project funding, sponsorship and donations to deliver quality programs and resources to the community.

It is with this generous support that Kidsafe NSW is able to provide community education and injury prevention programs in the area of playground safety, road safety, home safety, and water safety.  It also allows us to produce newsletters, contribute to research and advocate for child safety.

If you or your organisation is interested in supporting Kidsafe NSW, please click here to donate.

We greatly appreciate your support!