Kidsafe SA have celebrated their first year at their new centre on Sir Donald Bradman Drive, Hilton. Kidsafe SA are a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to promoting childhood safety and preventing childhood injury in South Australian children.
For over 35 years Kidsafe SA have been actively helping parents keep their kids safe at home, play and on the road!
Helping parents keep their kids safe
Unfortunately, over 150 children die, and over 68 000 children are injured each year in Australia and Kidsafe exists to help prevent these deaths and injuries from occurring. Sadly, many of these injuries and loss of life occur on our roads with road traffic crashes being one of the leading causes of death in our children. The opening of the new Kidsafe centre at Hilton now means that Kidsafe SA can help more parents keep their children safe on the roads with the only comprehensive ongoing child car restraint fitting, checking, hiring, training and advisory service in South Australia.
Professional fitting and checking services
Kidsafe SA provide professional fitting and checking services at the lowest prices in Adelaide to make the service as accessible as possible to all of our South Australian families. Not only can you ensure that your child’s car seat is correctly fitted to your vehicle for your precious little ones but the friendly staff will also make sure that you know how to use your car restraint and how to adjust it as your little one grows, so you feel confident to travel knowing your loved ones are safely buckled up in the car.
Kidsafe SA hire out child restraints for a few days to 6 months – which helps when you have family travelling from interstate or overseas. Kidsafe SA can make sure younger family members can visit and sightsee safely with a range of child restraints suitable for newborns to 8 years (approx.) for hire and purchase.
Kidsafe SA also have a hire fleet suitable for low birth weight and premature babies so that our very smallest people are safe when they travel. Call Kidsafe SA to find out more.
National Road Safety Week
With the spotlight on our loved ones and vulnerable road users during National Road Safety Week (15– 22 May) Kidsafe SA (supported by Department of Infrastructure and Transport) are launching their new “travelling safely with baby” resource that has been translated into 20 different languages to help new parents make sure that first trip home with their newborn is a safe joyful experience.
The correct fitment of a child car restraints can be a challenging one particularly for new parents and caregivers with studies showing that up to 70% of child car restraints are incorrectly fitted or used. Kidsafe SA’s new resource will be widely distributed to our SA birthing hospitals to assist during antenatal education and postnatal education before families leave hospital, so they know there are support services like Kidsafe SA ready and able to support them. The resources will also be available from the Kidsafe SA website.
Is your child ready for an adult seat?
Not only are our very smallest ones a focus for Kidsafe SA but many parents struggle with when their children are ready to come out of a child car restraint and just use the adult seat belt.
The Australian road rules require children to be in a child car restraint till they are at least 7 years old but many children are not big enough by then to safely sit in an adult seatbelt. Recent road statistic show that our 7 years – 12 year olds are over represented in our crash statistics and Kidsafe SA would love to see more children staying in restraints for longer to better keep them safe in the car.
The best way to know if your young one is ready for the adult seat belt is to take the 5 step test. Children must be over 7 years of age and be able to pass the steps below:
- Step 1: Can the child sit with their back against the vehicle seat back?
- Step 2: Do their knees bend in front of the edge of the seat?
- Step 3: Does the sash belt sit across the middle of the child’s shoulders?
- Step 4: Is the lap belt sitting low across the hips and upper thighs?
- Step 5: Can they stay seated like this for the whole trip?
If the answer to any of these questions is “no” then your little one should stay in a child car restraint, like a booster seat until the adult seat belt fits them well, which for most children is when they are around 10-12 years old.
Kidsafe SA new Newborn Safety Sessions
Kidsafe SA supports families and caregivers to keep their little ones safe at home with advice on injury prevention in the home when expecting your first bundle of joy with free Newborn Safety Sessions run once a month on Thursday nights. These sessions are free for new parents, grandparents and caregivers with information on safe sleeping, baby products and child car restraints. These sessions are generously supported by Infasecure and Grotime and focus on the things you need to know now (first 6 months) of your new little ones’ life. Visit the Kidsafe SA website for more information or to book into one of these free sessions.
Kidsafe SA’s highly trained staff are always happy to support families and caregivers anyway they can with injury prevention advice.
For more information:
(08) 7089 8554
enquiries@kidsafesa.com.au
kidsafesa.com.au
