1 - 5 years old

Now that baby is mobile you are presented with a range of new challenges in keeping them safe.

They are keen to explore their world and assert their independence and while this developmental milestone is to be encouraged it is our responsibility to provide a safe environment for them to do so. We are their eyes and ears.

It is important to note that injuries are the most common cause of death in Australian children aged one to fourteen, and more children die of injury than of cancer, asthma and infectious disease put together.

The most common causes of death in this age bracket are:

* Car and road related injury
* Drowning
* House fires

The most common causes of hospitalisations in this age bracket are:

* Falls
* Poisoning
* Scalds
* Choking and dog bites

It is also important to note that the most common place for young children to be injured is in their own home. Three out of four serious injuries happen here.

Please also have a look at our virtual house for more safety tips.

To prevent injury consider:

Traffic Safety

Child Restraints

Must have the Standards Australia Mark
All child restraints sold in Australia must meet the strict requirements of the AS:1754 covering the materials, design, construction performance, testing and labelling of child restraints.
The restraint must be installed correctly. You must get the instructions and if you need help, contact an approved fitting station ( see attachment) ***
Must not be more than 10 years old
Must not be used if it has been in a crash or if it is damaged, like the straps showing signs of weakness or damage and/or the plastic shell or buckle is broken, cracked or split.
Make sure the buckle and adjusters work correctly; it is a good idea to check several times that you can lock and unlock the buckle.

Child restraints and the law

The driver is responsible for the safety of all child passengers up to the age of sixteen and to ensure they are suitably restrained.
The law in most states and territories state that every child less than 12 months must use an appropriate restraint and the restraint must suit your child’s weight and size.
If your child is older than 12 months then you must use a restraint:

1. If the restraint is available; and
2. if the restraint does not already hold another child

Otherwise, your child must use a seatbelt. It’s important to note that a child will have m ore protection in a crash if they are in a suitable restraint for their weight and size. (Australian Transport Safety Bureau)

One to three years

Car Seats – When To Turn Baby Around

There is always great controversy about when to turn your baby forward facing. No two babies are the same in development and the answer to this question is "when the baby is able to sit up supporting its head on its neck and the neck and shoulder muscles are developed sufficiently to hold the baby erect ".

This occurs somewhere between 8 - 12 kilos.
At 8kgs you should organise a child seat. Make sure your child can easily support its head with its neck.
You must continue to use a child seat until:

1. your child weighs 18kgs; or
2. their shoulders are too wide to fit into the child seat; or
3. their eye-level (when seated) is higher than the back of the child seat; or
4. their shoulders are 25cm above the top of the harness.

If your child has a disability you may need a special seat if they do not easily fit into a standard child seat.
Every time you travel in the car no matter how far you go your child must be correctly restrained. Most avoidable injuries suffered by young children happen during short trips when the child is not restrained (RTA Motor Vehicle Authority)
An anchorage bolt kit comes with each new restraint, but is generally missing from second-hand restraints. Kits can be purchased separately. There are two styles:

1. Old Style Keyhole

2. New Style Clip

You will need to use the style of bolt that suits the fittings on your restraint.

Road safety

It’s important to teach your child to get out of the car on the footpath side, avoiding dangerous oncoming traffic.
Make sure you always hold hands with your child when near roads. And where possible always cross on a pedestrian crossing.
Never leave your child alone in the car.

Driveway safety

It’s important to note that children under three are most likely to be injured or killed in home driveways. Children are naturally inquisitive and can move surprisingly quickly. Tests indicate that that there is not a ‘blind spot’ but in fact a large ‘blind space’ behind most cars. Even with rear sensors and cameras you may not notice a small child until it’s too late.

Always supervise children whenever a vehicle is being moved – hold their hand, keep them close. Always know where they are.
If you are the only adult home and need to move a vehicle, even a small distance, place the child securely in the car with you.
Be aware of riskier times of the day.
Don’t be distracted by other things.
A driveway is a small road; discourage children from using as a play area.
Make access to the driveway difficult for the child, possibly using security doors, fencing or gates.

Key Factors

Pre-school children are those most at risk and the majority are under 3 years of age.
The younger the child, the higher the risk of death.
The children who died usually had severe injuries to the head.
Deaths occur in the morning and evening, with the evening being slightly more frequent.
More than a third of pedestrians under 6 years killed in motor vehicle crashes, were killed ‘off road, in yards, car parks and driveways.
Injuries are much more likely to be in the late afternoon or early night (4 to 7 p.m.)
About 1 in 4 children who survive have some ongoing effect.
Four-wheel-drive vehicles and vans are over-represented.
4 out of 5 cases involve reversing.

Kidsafe is undertaking a number of projects to ensure that driveways are separated from play areas. It will continue to highlight this issue to parents, to work with builders and designers and to ask for changes in the building code to improve the safety of new homes. Improvements in the design of vehicles will also help improve the safety of our children. Because the children at risk are too young to properly understand danger, it will always be the responsibility of drivers to ensure that they reverse safely.

If in doubt, always walk around the car and check before moving it.

Further information:

Motor Accident Authority

Kids on bikes

Now that your child is mobile they may be ready for a tricycle or sit down push along bike. Even at this age it is important they begin safe riding habits. The most common injuries associated with bikes are falls and account for a large number of hospital admissions a year.

Road authorities advise that child users of all wheeled toys should be accompanied by an adult until age 9 or 10 depending on the child’s individual development

Safe riding

Ensure the product is the right size for the child.
Ensure that it is stable.
Provide a safe area to use it – away from slopes, stairs and changes in level.
ALWAYS SUPERVISE YOUR CHILD
Use the product in a safe way, see the rules about when and where it can be used
The use of a helmet will reduce the risk of brain injury by between 40% and 90%

Helmets

If your child is pedalling on a tricycle or trainer bike a helmet is essential.

Look for the Australian ‘5 ticks’ certification label.
For younger children, extra neck support is recommended.
Choose a helmet that fits snugly. It should fit closely to the head and not rotate or move to obscure vision.
Ensure the straps form a ‘Y’ shape below the ears and fasten under the chin. (not too tight as it may affect breathing)
Helmets should be removed when the child is climbing on playground equipment or trees, it may get snagged and cause the child to choke.
Make sure to replace helmets when they show obvious signs of wear.
Bright colours will improve visibility.
Adequate venting is necessary to keep your child’s head cool.

Be a Role Model

Set a good example when riding with your children.

Make sure you use a helmet too.

Further information:

Roads and Traffic Authority

Water Safety

Children, particularly toddlers, are attracted to water. They have no fear and little ability to look after themselves in the water and can therefore drown quickly and silently. It is important to note that most children who drown are under 4 years of age.Young children can drown in only a few centimetres of water.

Always stay with our child when they are in or near water, such as the bath, paddle pools and buckets. Remove children from water if the phone rings or there’s a knock at the door.
Keep a lid on nappy buckets and keep them out of reach.
Water can collect in all sorts of things after rain. Empty them.
Always make sure the paddle pool is emptied after use. Every time.
Keep the toilet door closed. Attach a child safe lock on the toilet lid.
Filter boxes are dangerous.
Teach your child pool safety.
Teach your child to swim.
Know cardiac and pulmonary resuscitation (CPR)

Backyard swimming and pool safety

On average two Australian children drown every week. Most are under 5 years of age

and of these, about half drown in domestic swimming pools. The children at greatest risk are toddlers, aged 1 – 3, and for them, drowning is the single most common cause of death.

For every drowning there are also about 3 children admitted to hospital after immersion (near drowning accidents) with approximately 12% of these children suffering some form of brain damage.

Simple measures would prevent these deaths and near drownings.

Safe swimming

1. Take Precautions

The most important precaution is a safety fence completely isolating the pool.
The fence should conform to the Australian Standard (AS 1926)
Have a self closing and self latching gate
Be well maintained
Have no objects nearby a child could use to climb over it, including a BBQ, tables, chairs, pot plants, trees and shrubs.

2. Always Watch Children Near Water

Do not leave children in the pool unsupervised by an adult. Only allow your child near a pool if you are able to stay and supervise.
If you have to leave the pool area for any reason and there is no other adult to supervise the children, take the children with you and ensure the pool gate has closed and latched.
Educate children that there must be an adult with them before they may go into the pool area.
Older children under the age of 16 should not be expected to be responsible for supervising younger children, especially those under 5 in and around pool areas.

3. Know What To Do In An Emergency.

Know basic resuscitation techniques and how to deal with an emergency.
Keep a resuscitation chart clearly displayed in the pool area.
Have responsible person phone the Ambulance Service on the OOO number while you start providing resuscitation to the child.
If by yourself, take the child to the phone, phone the Ambulance Service on 000. The trained operator will give emergency instructions over the phone.

Courses in basic resuscitation techniques are available in our state from:

Royal Life Saving Society

Red Cross

St John Ambulance

In The Home

Lock up dangerous parts of the house.

Poisons

Make sure all cupboards containing poisons, medications, alcohol are securely locked with child safe restraints– check bathroom, laundry and kitchen
Ensure alcohol is completely out of reach
Get rid of unnecessary poisons. This includes medicines.
Keep poisons in their original containers, never transfer them into another container.
Never call medicines lollies. Remember that your headache and vitamin tablets can be dangerous to young children.
Choose safer products. Look for containers in re-sealable, child resistant containers.
Use lockable medicine cupboard. Contraceptive and sleeping pills should not be on bedside tables or in drawers.

POISON INFORMATION NUMBER – 13 11 26

Electrical Equipment

Use electrical safety switches. These turn the power off when there’s a fault.
Unplug electrical appliances when you are finished with them and put them out of reach and out of sight. This is essential with hairdryers and shavers.
Make sure appliance cords don’t hang over the edge of benches or cupboards.
Don’t use electric floor heaters in the bathroom.
Use child safe plug-in covers to stop children poking things into powerpoints.
Don’t use electric blankets with children under two, or those who are still bed-wetting.

Finger Jams / Sharp Objects

Kids aged between one and three suffer most from finger jams. Injuries occur when little fingers are caught in the hinge side of the door.

Be aware of the higher risk of door slams when both the front and back doors are open.
Use slow self closing springs on front and back doors, or use catches to keep them open.
Know where children are to avoid closing the door on their fingers.
Special strips can be attached across the hinged side of the door.
Use chocks, wedges or catches to keep internal doors from slamming shut.
Nursery furniture and prams can also trap little fingers.
Make sure knives, can openers, shavers and mix master blades are well out of reach.

Burns and Scalds

Make sure your microwave is out of reach. Turn it off at the power point if it is low.
Keep microwaved food and liquids out of reach until they’d cooled.
Only boil enough water for your tea or coffee and empty the rest. Hot water scalds for up to 30 minutes after it has boiled.
Have a fire extinguisher and a fire blanket in the kitchen, or use a large pan lid to smother small fires.
Use stove guards, and use the rear burners first keeping saucepan handles turned towards the back wall. Put an oven lock on the grill and oven door.
If possible put a gate to stop access in to kitchen.
Keep hot irons away and put them up high, with cords out of reach to cool.
Keep matches and cigarette lighter out of reach. Use lighters with a child safe latch.
Always watch children near barbeques. Never start them using petrol. Use heat beads.
Always try to purchase low-fire risk clothing. This is close-fitting and made of less flammable material. Cotton id highly flammable. Check nightware labels carefully.
Watch children don’t turn on the hot tap in the bath. Child restraint taps are useful for this.
Finish filling the bath with cold water so as the tap is cool to the touch. Always put the child in last.
Use a guard around fires and heaters.
Keep hot drinks away from small children. Don’t drink these with the child on your lap.
Use place mats instead of table cloths.

Choking

As a rule anything smaller than a ping pong ball can cause a choking problem.

Insist children sit down quietly to eat.
Grate apples or carrots for younger children to eat.
Remove bones from younger children’s food.
Never feed a distressed child.
Buy toys from ‘known’ makers and check for strength and parts that come loose.
Check toys regularly for parts which are becoming loose. The stitching on soft toys can tear with use and stuffing can be inhaled. Similarly polystyrene beads in bean bags and some toys can be inhaled.

Falls

Steps and stairs should be well lit. Children should be able to reach light switches or use night lights.
Use gate barriers to keep young children away from steps, stairs and balcony rails.
Baby walkers are not recommended.
Use corner protectors on benches, tables and other sharp cornered furniture.
Avoid highly polished floors.
Use rug grips to avoid slipping and tripping.
Use a full body harness in prams and high chairs.
If you buy a bunk bed then make sure it is built to Australian Standards. Make sure the ladder is fixed and children under nine should not sleep in the top bunk. Bunk beds are not recommended.
Make sure the T.V. is anchored to the table or cupboard it is sitting on.

Outside the Home

Choose safe playing places for the children, away from driveways and cars.
Make sure play equipment is stable, and has no jutting out edges and at least 200mm of chip bark or similar material under it to cushion falls. It should be placed away from paths and solid garden edges.
Cut off sharp branches that are at eye level.
Remove tripping hazards.
One child at a time on a trampoline as they are very dangerous. Put them on a flat, cleared area.
Check barbeques are stable and put away when not in use.
Keep garages and sheds locked. Store tools, chemicals, climbing hazards, petrol and other fuels here.
Insist children wear shoes outside. Always put them in hats and sunscreen. SPF 40 + is always the safest option