Keeping your littlest treasures safe this winter

Six Kiwi kids aged five or under were injured in structure fires over a 12 month period* according to the latest New Zealand Fire Service figures and Plunket wants to help keep that number down. With winter well and truly here, Plunket has some advice for families on how to keep their children safe during these cold months.

“Keeping babies and young children warm is a priority for families,” says Sue Campbell, Plunket’s National Child Safety Advisor. “We encourage families to take care this winter, be alert to the dangers for young children within the home and check the tips below to help ensure the children’s safety during the winter months indoors.”

Burns from heaters and fires are a real danger for children. A fireguard around your fire or heater will help protect children from burns. Make sure the guard is attached to the wall so it can’t fall or be moved

Do you know about the ‘heater metre rule’? Keep any materials that can burn including bedding, curtains, clothes and furniture at least one metre from all types of heaters, cookers and fires. And keep the children and adults away a metre from the heater too.

Your children’s winter pyjamas need to be snug-fitting to reduce the fire risk. Remember that a label indicating ‘low fire danger’ doesn’t mean ‘no fire danger’.

Winter is also the perfect time for those hot soups and beverages we like to keep warm. Holding a young child on your knee as you have a hot drink should be avoided. Did you know that a cup of hot liquid poured over a young child covers the same area that a bucket of hot liquid poured over an adult covers? And remember to put your tablecloth away too, small children can pull on this and hot drinks on the table can fall over them.

If you can answer YES to the tips below you will be well on your way to providing a safe home for your family this winter.

• we have working smoke alarms

• we have a fireguard around our fires including solid fuel burners

• we observe the heater metre rule

• we have put tablecloths away to prevent hot liquids being pulled off the table

• we use the back elements of the stove whenever possible and turn pot handles away from the stove front

• we keep hot drinks out of the reach of children

• matches and lighters are away out of sight and reach

• we have children’s pyjamas that are snug-fitting to reduce the risk of fire

• candles are on a wide flat base away from anything that could catch fire

• when running the bath we put cold water in first then hot water to get the right temperature. We always check the temperature of the water before placing a child in the bath