Water activities, holidays, travel, festive celebrations and new toys are what make summer-time so exciting for children and adults alike. Unfortunately, these factors are also what can increase children’s risk of injury.

Injury is the leading cause of death for Australian children aged one to fourteen, accounting for nearly half of all deaths in this age group. However, most injuries can be prevented: “Child Safety is no Accident”.

By following these simple steps you can help keep your kids and visitors safe and enjoy this summer:

Celebrations

• Don’t neglect the supervision of small children during family gatherings and holiday parties. Consider hiring a sitter or designating a family member to be responsible for small children at all times
• Keep visitor’s purses and bags out of reach of young children. They may contain hazardous items such as cigarettes, lighters or medications
• Remember to clean up after a holiday party. Some party leftovers can be hazardous to children

Decorations

• Festive decorations can cause a number of injuries to children such as choking and suffocation, electrical burns and cutting/piercing injuries. Ensure that decorations are out of reach of small children
• Place candles out of reach of young children
• Check that electrical safety devices are attached to all major power sources to limit the potential injury from electrocution

Travel

• Be sure to use appropriate car seats and seat belts for your child’s weight and age. If you are borrowing someone else’s car, arrange ahead of time to borrow or rent the appropriate car seat for your child
• Exercise road safety with extreme caution during holidays. There may be heavy traffic, poor weather and the possibility of alcohol use by other drivers
• Create safe play areas away from moving vehicles. Know where children are and ensure they are safe before moving vehicles to prevent driveway run-overs
• If you have to leave the car, even to run a quick errand, be Kidsafe and take your kids with you

Play

• When buying Christmas gifts always follow the age recommendations on toys. Age recommendations relate to toy safety, not to the ability of a child to master the toy or game
• When using bicycles, skateboards, rollerblades or scooters, ensure children wear helmets and appropriate safety equipment
• Ensure that older children’s toys are kept out of reach of younger children
• Carefully selecting, maintaining and storing toys are not enough. The best way to protect your child from harm is to supervise play and to provide safe play areas

Water

• Always supervise children when in and around water
• Children under 5 have the highest risk of drowning. Most occur when they are playing near water. Children can get into water quickly and silently without parents being aware
• Older children are most likely to drown when swimming in a river, lake, ocean or other open body of water. They may be use to swimming in a pool but do not understand the risks in other types of water

For further information on staying safe this summer, visit www.kidsafewa.com.au