Care & Safety

Body safety education: Starting them early

Children can learn at an early age, who can and can not, touch their private body parts and under what circumstances. We know that perpetrators of abuse will most often target children who do not know the correct name...

Signs & Symptoms

Gastro

The dreaded hour your child wakes up in the middle of the night with vomit in their sheets and hair. You know things will only get worse for a few days. Perhaps some diarrhoea to follow, and the fear...

Signs & Symptoms

The lowdown on fluoride

Tooth decay is a preventable disease. There are four main steps in keeping a healthy mouth, these include eating a diet low in sugar, brushing and flossing daily and regularly visiting a dentist...

Choking: The 4 things you need to know

Kids love to put everything in their mouths. We understand that this is developmentally normal, however, when busy little bodies run around with objects in their mouth the risk of choking is high...

Care & Safety

Bites and stings

Living in Australia we all know they’re around, those creepy-crawlies, slithery, stinging creatures that inhabit the planet with us. We are fortunate enough to enjoy an outdoor lifestyle, it is inevitable that our paths will cross.  Biting/stinging insects may join us on the family picnic. Jellyfish lurk in the waves during a day at the beach. A brown snake may happen to pass through the tables of a child’s birthday party (a first-hand experience). While...

Care & Safety

Is Melatonin Safe For Children?

Learn how to support your child's sleep by focusing on natural solutions. Understand when Melatonin as a sleep aid is suitable, and how it can affect your child.

Signs & Symptoms

Understanding your child’s fevers

Fever is incredibly common in children. Having an understanding of why children (and adults) can develop a fever is important. There are many myths about fever, the number one being that a fever is the actual illness. Fever is not the illness, it is the body’s natural response when we get an infection (eg. a virus or bacteria). Our bodies are incredibly smart. Many viruses and bacteria cannot survive in a ‘hot’ environment, so our...

Care & Safety

Button batteries – do you know the dangers? 

“Inside the battery compartment of mini remote controls, small calculators, watches, remote keyless entry, flameless candles, singing greeting cards and other electronics, maybe a very powerful coin-sized button battery. When swallowed, these batteries can get stuck in the throat and cause severe burns. Small children often have easy access to these devices, and many parents do not know there is a risk.” http://thebatterycontrolled.com.au  Attached is an image of a button battery left on a piece...

Care & Safety

Drowning prevention

When the warm weather arrives, it is second nature for us to get the kids into the great outdoors and enjoy the sunshine. Parks, beaches, pools, or even just the sprinkler in the backyard, water is an integral part of the quintessential Australian summer.  We must remain vigilant around water, especially when there are little ones around. In children aged 0-4 years, accidental falls into water is the leading activity prior to drowning for this...

Care & Safety

Crush injuries/amputations

Children are quick. Quick at being in the way, quick to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, but sometimes not quick enough to move their fingers out of the way of the fast-closing car doors, sliding doors or other objects that can trap their little fingers. Children up to the age of six are most likely to injure their fingers at home, while children 6-14 years of age will more commonly injure...

Signs & Symptoms

Anaphylaxis and allergy

Having a child diagnosed with a potentially severe allergy can be scary. It is important however to understand that you’re not alone and there are some great resources and support available. Kids can be allergic to a wide range of things; including medicine, foods, insect stings, latex, pollen and dust mites.  Common allergy-causing foods include: Sesame Peanut Tree nuts Cow’s milk Soy Shellfish Egg Fish Wheat It is important to be able to recognise the...

Signs & Symptoms

Hand Foot & Mouth Disease

Hand, foot and mouth disease is a common viral illness in children and is usually mild. That being said, its appearance can still alarm parents and children, and it can cause quite a bit of discomfort.  The most common symptoms of HFMD include:  High temperature (fever) – Sore throat – Small, blister-like lesions that may occur on the inside of the mouth, sides of the tongue, palms of the hands, fingers, soles of the feet and...