Birth to One Year
Preparing the Nursery
When a new baby comes into the family it is an exciting and life changing event.
Much care is taken with Mum and bub during the gestation period and through the birth. Setting up the nursery is the beginning of life at home for the new little one.
One in five injuries to ‘under fives’ are associated with nursery furniture.
Most accidents to babies under one year of age are falls.
When choosing furniture and fittings, safety must be a priority to maintain a safe and healthy environment for your baby.
To prevent injuries consider:
The Cot
• Must meet Australian Standards (AS2172)
• Look for spaces between the bars that are 50 – 85 mm apart.
• A mattress that fits snugly all the way around (no gaps wider than your index finger)
• A minimum of 500mm between the top of the mattress and the top of the cot sides (preferable 600mm)
• No knobs or protrusions to snag clothing
• Drop side mechanisms that are secure and easy for an adult to use, but not a child.
• If second hand refer to the list in the ‘Keeping Baby Safe’ guide.
(provide a link to obtaining this}
Safety
• Never set up a cot under a window. As the child grows they can climb out of the cot and fall through the window to the ground outside.
Safe Sleeping
Kidsafe recommends that you contact Sidsandkids on 1300 308 307
Or visit the Sids and Kids website www.sidsandkids.org.
Safety
• Sleep baby on the back from birth, not on the tummy or side
• Sleep baby with face uncovered (no doonas, pillows, lambs wool,
bumpers or soft toys).
• Avoid exposing infants to tobacco smoke before birth and after
• Provide a safe sleeping environment (safe cot, safe mattress, safe
bedding)
• Sleep baby in their own safe sleeping environment next to the
• parents’ bed for the first six to twelve months of life.
• Consider sleeping baby in a Gro bag, without bedding, only a fitted bottom sheet. Available on the Kidsafe web shop
Babies dummies
Dummies are designed to help comfort and settle children, but can be a potential hazard to infants and young toddlers.
Poorly designed or manufactured dummies can break apart into small parts that can be a choking hazard. Children under three are particularly vulnerable to choking as they have not yet developed the reflex action to cough up objects that lodge in their throats.
Dummies attached to children’s clothes by a ribbon or string can be a strangulation hazard if they wrap around a child’s neck.
A mandatory standard for babies dummies (under Trade Practices Act 1974) was introduced in October 2006. The standard prescribes a safe shield size and shape, ventilation holes, secure teat attachment and structural integrity. It also requires product packaging to have a label warning parents not to tie the dummy around their baby’s neck.
When choosing a dummy look for one with a shield and ventilation holes to prevent suffocation if a baby places the whole dummy in their mouth.
Safety
•
Never tie a dummy on a string or ribbon around the baby’s neck or
attach it to the side of the cot – both represent strangulation hazards.
• Never leave a dummy in direct sunlight as this can cause rubber to
perish.
• Check the dummy every time before use by pulling hard on the teat and
tugging on the handle and ring to make sure they will not give way under
pressure.
• Check the teat for wear and tear – if it looks worn or damaged, throw the
dummy away.
• Sterilise or wash the dummy regularly. Wash in hot soapy water, rinse
and air dry.
• As far as possible, supervise you baby – never leave a baby with a dummy
in their mouth if they could not remove it on their own.
Portable Cots
• Look for a model that meets the (voluntary) Standard AS?NZS 2195:1999 for folding cots.
Safety
• When using portable cots, ensure the sides are fully clicked into place and are secure.
• Check mechanisms regularly for wear.
• Use the cot mattress provided. Never put a second mattress on top of the one provided. Ill fitting mattresses may create spaces where a small baby could be trapped.
Change table
Babies are generally injured after rolling to the side and falling off.
Falls occur in children as young as three months, and can result in
concussion or fractures.
• When choosing, ideally the table will have raised sides at least 100mm high and a harness to prevent baby rolling off.
Safety
• Have every thing ready for a bath or change before you put baby on the table.
• You can never be sure when a baby will roll for the first time. If you have to turn around or reach for something keep one hand on baby at all times.
• If you choose a folding table, make sure all the locking devices work so it does not collapse when in use.
Baby Bath Aids
Baby bath aids come in a range of styles from bath rings and seats to bathing cradles. The suitability of these products changes as your infant grows.
Six babies under 13 months have drowned in a bath aid in Australia over 10 years. Many more babies have come close to drowning.
(Royal Life Saving)
These accidents happen when a child is left alone in a bath aid while their carer attends to tasks like answering the phone pr preparing the child’s clothes.
A baby bath aid provides support for you child while leaving your hands free to wash the child.
It is not safe to leave you child in a bath aid while you attend to other duties.
Safety
• 
Never leave your young child alone in a bath.
• Never leave your young child in the bath in the care of an older child.
• Prepare the child’s clothes and towel before running a bath.
• Ignore the telephone and the doorbell – if you need to leave the
bathroom, take your child with you.
• Don’t use a baby bath aid with suction cups in a bath with an uneven or
slip-resistant base, or where the enamel is worn. The suction cups will
not stick to the bath surface.
• Keep water to a minimum depth, using only enough water to wet the
child using your hands.
• Know how to perform resuscitation and CPR for infants.
• Carefully check the bath aid for any broken or worn parts before using.
High Chair
Injuries due to falls often occur after children stand up or attempt to climb out of or into the chair.
Some injuries involve product failure (e.g. the tray falling off or the harness giving way) , or a child becoming entrapped (e.g. a finger getting caught.)
Safety
• Choose a Chair that is a strong stable design, ideally with legs spread to limit tipping over
• If there are wheels make sure they have easy-to-use wheel locks on two wheels either front or back.
• Consider a model with adjustable height, and use the lowest setting.
• Must have a five point harness, use every time your child sits in the chair.
Baby Walkers
Injuries associated with the walker falling down stairs or tipping over (e.g. due to a small change in surface level) or
Involve children getting access to hazards such as hot drinks, heaters, irons and cleaners.
Expert opinion is that walkers do not help in a child’s development and
may even hinder it when used for long periods.
Safety
• Kidsafe advises looking for other options to keep babies amused.
• If you do decide to use a baby walker, choose a newer style built to the American ASTM standard, with wider bases and features to help stop them entering a stair well and tipping on stairs.
• Block access to dangers like steps and heaters.
• Check for hazards like dangling kettle cords, glass inserts in cupboards tables etc
• Always provide close supervision – within an arm’s reach and in sight of baby.
• Lastly think again about the risks to baby’s development in using a baby walker.
Baby Bouncers
Most injuries are the result of babies falling in a bouncer from a table or other high surface.
Safety
• Always use bouncers on the floor.
• Always put baby under the harness not on top.
Baby exercise jumper
Injuries have occurred while using these products when the laces (sewn into the crotch strap and threaded through the eyelets on the waist strap)
snapped under the tension of a bouncing baby, causing the baby to fall. Injuries have also occurred when babies have lurched sideways into the doorway frame, or been pushed by another young child.
Safety
A stationary play centre is a safer alternative.
• Do not leave the baby in the jumper for more than 15 minutes.
• Always supervise your child in the jumper
• Always check that the equipment is securely attached above the doorway,
and that the baby is securely fitted into the harness.
• Cover the spring and chain as it can entrap and pinch little fingers.
• Check the laces regularly to ensure they are in good condition and
securely attached.
Remember: Over use of the jumper and/or baby walkers could lead to developmental delays when the child is learning to walk.
Prams & Strollers
Most injuries that occur when prams are involved are the result of falls.
These commonly involve stairs and steps
A child standing up or falling out
The pram or stroller tipping over
Some injuries involve fingers, toes or limbs getting caught in moving
parts {e.g. when a stroller collapses or is being folded up}.
Entrapment causing suffocation – children have died when left to sleep in
prams and strollers and have become caught in the structure.
New mandatory standard for prams and strollers requires the provision
amongst other things of:
• A tether strap to help carers retain control of prams and strollers
• A restraint harness to prevent falls
• A parking brake.
• Safe-use warning labels and safety requirements to prevent entrapment are also mandatory.
Safety
• Use the harness every time your child sits in the pram/stroller
• Avoid hooking heavy shopping bags over the handles (a common cause of ‘tip over’ injuries).
• Use the harness every time the child is in the pram/stroller
• Always use the tether strap provided with your pram or stroller when the parking brake is not engaged.
• As far as possible, keep the pram or stroller within arm’s reach if a child is in it.
• Never take a pram/stroller on an escalator - use a lift.
Injuries have been caused to the child climbing out of the pram whilst riding on an escalator. Other users of the escalator are at risk if something happens (like the wheel jamming) whilst the escalator is moving.
• Moving walkways are safe to use a pram on.
Children’s Clothing
Baby and children’s wear should always display an Australian Standard warning label warning of the garments fire hazard.
Toddlers and young children can easily catch fire running around where there is a naked flame (BBQ) or wood fire such as a tile fire of open hearth fire. Radiators are also notorious for causing house fires when clothing being ward or standing near by to dry or a blanket falls on top of it.
Changes in design to these types of heating devices have improved greatly and the admission rates for burns from clothing catching alight has dropped to around 30 per year.
Safety
Never buy clothing that is not labelled to the Australian Standard.
If sewing children’s clothing check that the fabric used is fire retardant.
Choose pyjamas with a rib cuff on the wrist and ankle to prevent clothing flaring near a flame.
Put fire guards around tile fires and radiators.
Avoid buttons and ribbons on baby wear.
Avoid hooded sloppy joes and jackets with a string and toggle around the neck – the can cause strangulation particularly on play equipment or near wheels.
Playpens
As your child becomes increasingly mobile and exploratory during their first 12 months a playpen can restrict your child’s play area and help you to supervise your child.
When purchasing check that the playpen folding mechanism latches securely when assembled and that a child cannot release the latches.
Check that the playpen has no sharp fittings or parts that might snag clothing – this can be a strangulation hazard.
Choose heavy playpens over lighter models which may tip over if a child leans against the sides.
As a guide, a playpen should be more that 500mm high and the spaces between the side bars should be between 50mm and 95mm. Larger gaps can trap a child’s head.
Safety
• Do not place objects against or inside the playpen that may help the child to climb over the sides.
• Keep the playpen clear of heaters, stoves and power points.
• Keep the playpen away from dangling cords from blinds and curtains as these may become caught around the baby’s neck.
Safety Gates
There are two types of safety gates:
Pressure mounted – easy to set up and take down. The gate is tightened between two solid wall surfaces. These work well in doorways where there is solid wood construction. However, they cannot withstand as much pressure as hardware-mounted gates.
Hardware (wall) mounted – attached with screws directly into a solid wall or wood post.
They are often made from wood, plastic, metal or mesh.
If you have a difficult spot to anchor a safety gate a joiner or a wrought iron worker may be able to build you a purpose built gate with hardware for your particular circumstance.
Choosing a gate:
Determine where the safety gate is going to be used; for example, it is not recommended that a pressure mounted safety gate be used for the top of a staircase, nor should the gate open out over the stairs. Pressure-mounted gates fit regular-sized door openings with extensions available up to 138 cm, and hardware (wall) mounted gates are available up to about four meters wide.
Check that the gaps between the bars are between 50mm and 85mm to avoid head entrapment.
You may need the convenience and safety of being able to open the safety gate with one hand.
A fixed horizontal bar at the bottom of a gate when opened can be a tripping hazard.
Do not buy the older crisscross diamond – shaped accordion gates, which have been known to entangle clothing and heads.
Safety
• Do not step over a safety gate while carrying a child.
• Ensure the safety gate is securely attached and not overstretched.
• If the gate is not firm the child can push on it and it will collapse.
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