Swimming pools
A child can drown silently in two minutes. By
law, all pools and spas in private residences
must have adequate safety barriers to
prevent a young child’s unsupervised
access. In some states such as Queensland
and New South Wales, pools must also be
registered with the state government.
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Make sure your pool is fenced, with child-
proof locks on the gate. Only use fencing
that has Australian Standards approval.
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Filters and skimmer boxes, especially
older versions, can be dangerous – some
filters can even explode. Check that yours
are approved and properly installed. If
they are old, consider upgrading.
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Don’t leave brightly coloured objects,
which can attract children, floating in the
pool.
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Don’t leave objects near a pool gate
that a child could clamber up or ladders
attached to above-ground pools when not
in use.
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Teach your children to swim and
take them to learn Cardio-Pulmonary
Resuscitation (CPR) through the Red
Cross or St John Ambulance.
Child safety equipment
First aid kit
Even a small kit, suitable for treating minor injuries such as burns,
cuts, stings and sprains is an ideal addition to a home.
Smoke alarms
By law, every home should have smoke alarms installed.
Pool fences
By law, all pools and spas must be fenced.
Safety tap caps
Childproof your hot water taps with easy-to-install safety caps.
Finger protection
strips
Many kids with finger jam injury end up having one or more fingers
amputated. Keep little fingers out of door gaps with flexible safety
strips that run along the length of the door – some are even stick-on!
Power point covers
Prevent kids pushing items into power sockets with cheap, plastic
covers that insert directly into empty sockets.
Oven and stove guards
Portable guards attached to the front of stoves and insulated cover
shields for oven doors are cheap and efficient ways to prevent
kitchen burns. You might even want to consider a safety gate to keep
children out of the kitchen altogether.
Doorknob covers
Keep children from going places that they shouldn’t with snap-on
covers that make it hard for young kids to grip and turn the door.
Blind cord windups
Toddlers have died after getting caught in looped blind and curtain
cords. Prevent strangulation by fitting long cords into ‘windups’
where they are out of kids’ reach.
Foam doorstoppers
Avoid pinched fingers from slamming doors by clipping lightweight
foam cushions to the out edge of doors used regularly by children.
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