Safe Sprouts

Safe Sprouts Paramedic run Baby & Child First Aid for parents & caregivers. Child Restraint Fitters.

Every week in Australia, a child is run over in a driveway.Most are under 5, with little ones aged 1-2 the highest risk....
23/05/2025

Every week in Australia, a child is run over in a driveway.
Most are under 5, with little ones aged 1-2 the highest risk.
In most of the cases, the vehicle is driven by someone the child knows; often a parent, relative or family friend.

The driver usually has no idea the child is nearby, and in most cases thought the child was safely inside.

Some of the biggest risk factors:
🚗 Long or shared driveways
🚗 No clear fence or gate to separate play areas
🚗 Reversing vehicles (especially big 4WD’s or utes)
🚗 Poor rear visibility, even with cameras
🚗 Little ones following adults outside without being noticed

A few small changes like the tips above can make your driveway MUCH safer.

Share with someone who has little ones at home 🧡

📚https://www.kidsafevic.com.au/road-safety/driveway-safety/

🎊With festival season upon us in Adelaide, including WOMAD this weekend, I thought I’d share some tips on keeping kids s...
07/03/2025

🎊With festival season upon us in Adelaide, including WOMAD this weekend, I thought I’d share some tips on keeping kids safe in crowds.
Because LBH, nothing gets the adrenaline pumping faster than chasing a young one through a packed festival 😅.

No one plans to lose their child in a crowd, but big events can get chaotic FAST. And it’s not just major festivals…once, I lost sight of Rose at our local markets. In a split second, she vanished while I was paying at the register. It was the single most terrifying experience 😭😭. Thankfully, a friend found her a few minutes later….but they were some looooong minutes and I am much more appreciative of just how fast little people are 😬

🙌 A solid plan means you’ll be prepared, not panicked 🙌

Here’s how to keep your child safe (and what to do if they get lost):
✅ Dress them in bright colours & take a quick photo
✅ Put your phone number on them (bracelet, sticker, or written on their arm)
✅ Use a pram or carrier in dense crowds
✅ Teach them to stay put if lost instead of wandering
✅ Show them who to ask for help (security, staff, or another parent with kids)
✅ Consider a GPS tracker for extra peace of mind

📌 SAVE this post for later, because a little prep can make all the difference!

💬 Ever had a close call with your little one in a crowd? Share your tips (or near misses) in the comments! 👇

My goodness, I’m certain that babywearing saved my life in those early days.🫠My firstborn would literally cry any moment...
30/01/2025

My goodness, I’m certain that babywearing saved my life in those early days.

🫠My firstborn would literally cry any moment that I was not holding her. She wouldn’t even sit in a pram until she was over two! With no village to help me, babywearing was the only thing that pulled me through that stage.

👶 If this is you, or if you just love the freedom that babywearing brings, it’s so important to know some of the safety fundamentals to keep your little one safe. This is where remembering T.I.C.K.S can help you:

✅ T – Tight (A secure fit keeps baby close and supported)
✅ I – In view at all times (You should always see their face)
✅ C – Close enough to kiss (Their head should be easily kissable)
✅ K – Keep chin off chest (To keep airways open and unobstructed)
✅ S – Supported back (A natural, ergonomic position is key)

Do you have a favourite carrier or sling? Let us know below 👇

🥵Sunburn doesn’t just hurt, it can damage the skin, cause dehydration, and in severe cases, lead to heat illness. 😣What ...
15/01/2025

🥵Sunburn doesn’t just hurt, it can damage the skin, cause dehydration, and in severe cases, lead to heat illness.

😣What makes sunburn even worse is that it can just sneak up on you!!

✅ Here’s what to do if your child gets burnt:

1️⃣ Prevent further damage
2️⃣ Keep them hydrated
3️⃣ Cool the skin
4️⃣ Ease discomfort
5️⃣ Know when to seek help

I genuinely wish I was more SunSmart during my wild youth. It is one of my biggest regrets. Hopefully we can all bring a truckload of awareness for our kids as they grow up 🧡

COMMENT: 🥵If you would like a link to our more in-depth article on Dehydration In Infants- How to Recognise, Manage and ...
17/12/2024

COMMENT: 🥵
If you would like a link to our more in-depth article on Dehydration In Infants- How to Recognise, Manage and Prevent.

Our blog link in stories went wild last night- so here are the dehydration signs in an infant for you to save for this hot summer.

🚼 Infants (babies under 12 months) are much more susceptible to dehydration in the warmer weather due to a number of reasons, including their higher body water content and their inability to thermoregulate as easily as an adult or older child.

🚽 One of the first signs of dehydration in an infant is less urine production… meaning you need to monitor their nappies! Decreased urine can show as:
🔸Less wet nappies than usual, or
🔸If you are one of those people who change your baby at specific times of the day, you might notice their nappies are less full.

👩‍⚕️The younger our babies are, the more dangerous dehydration becomes. So, for the super littlies (under 6 months), they must ALWAYS be seen by a doctor for dehydration- even if it’s mild.

🚑 Any signs of severe dehydration in an infant of ANY age needs an ambulance or a trip straight to the ED.

🚗🤢Car Sickness! The party pooper of every road trip. 👀Car sickness happens when there’s a disconnect between what your e...
04/12/2024

🚗🤢Car Sickness! The party pooper of every road trip.

👀Car sickness happens when there’s a disconnect between what your eyes see and what your inner ear senses. While your body feels still inside the car, your inner ear detects motion from the car’s movement. This mix-up confuses your brain, triggering nausea, dizziness, and discomfort.

👧It’s more common in kids because their sensory systems are still developing, but we aren’t quite sure why some kids get it and others don’t.

📖 Reading/watching a device, or looking out the side windows can make it worse for your kids because their eyes focus on things that either aren’t moving (like a book/device) or are moving unpredictably (like scenery zooming by). Their inner ear, however, knows they’re still on the move, making the sensory confusion even stronger, leading to motion sickness.

💡There are a number of tips out there (not all scientifically proven) but the 5 I have mentioned above have worked really well in our family.

⚠️The most important thing though? Please don’t make car sickness the reason to forward face your child. Try the above tips, and if they don’t work, chat to your doctor before you do anything else. Your doctor can investigate other causes of the travel sickness, or advise on different medications or bands to try which might help. So you have lots of alternatives to try before you consider forward facing.

🙋‍♀️ Have you found a car sickness preventer that works a treat for your child?

Kat 🧡

⭐️ Comment BUMPS if you would like to learn more about head injuries, concussions and how to recognise them, and we will...
30/11/2024

⭐️ Comment BUMPS if you would like to learn more about head injuries, concussions and how to recognise them, and we will send you the link to our head injuries masterclass ⭐️

🤕 Aaaah. Good old head injuries. One of the leading causes of hospitalisation across all age groups.

🚑 Thankfully most bumps to the head are relatively harmless, but there are definitely times when we will not just ‘wait and see’ but call an ambulance immediately.

💡My number 1 tip is to focus more on how your child is acting, not by how bad the head bump looks. This is because some head bumps might not look that bad, but the brain could be affected, while other bumps look dreadful but your child is totally fine.

👉Are you comfortable recognising the signs and managing a head injury? If not, comment BUMPS or better yet, head to one of our workshops 🙌

📚 The Royal Children’s Hospital: Head Injury
https://www.rch.org.au/kidsinfo/fact_sheets/head_injury/

🤒 A fever (classified as anything over 38°C) is a completely NORMAL response for a child over 3 months to an infection i...
27/10/2024

🤒 A fever (classified as anything over 38°C) is a completely NORMAL response for a child over 3 months to an infection in the body, and it can actually be a good thing!

❓Hang on….how can a fever be good? And can it ever be bad??

Most ‘germs’ (i.e. viruses) require the body to be a certain temperature in order to survive. So our clever body changes it’s set temperature (by increasing it) so that the internal environment is not favourable for the germs, weakening their hold on the body. Amazing, right? 🤓

However, there are a few times when your child will need to be medically assessed if they have a fever. I call them the RED FLAGS.
See your doctor if your child has a temp of 38°C or above and any of the following:

🚩has persistent vomiting, refusal to feed, floppiness or drowsiness
🚩problems with breathing
🚩pain that doesn’t get better with pain relief medication
🚩a stiff neck, light that is hurting their eyes, and/or a rash
🚩your child seems to be getting more unwell
🚩you FEEL something isn’t right (parent intuition is REAL!!!)

🚩any fever in a child under 3 months or who are immunocompromised- even if they have no other symptoms🚩

We go in very deep in our blog this week on fevers. Link to this blog in bio, or comment FEVERS and I will DM you the link to it.

Kat 🧡

Keen to learn some new first aid tips? Or refresh old ones? Join us LIVE for first aid Q & A every Tuesday.⏰ 11.30am AES...
12/10/2024

Keen to learn some new first aid tips? Or refresh old ones?

Join us LIVE for first aid Q & A every Tuesday.
⏰ 11.30am AEST (11am Adelaide).
🗓️ Tuesdays. Starting October 15th.

What question do you want us to cover? DM us now 🤗

Kat 🧡

Even if you’ve done a first aid course before, there’s always something new to learn, or knowledge to refresh. ⭐️ Join u...
12/10/2024

Even if you’ve done a first aid course before, there’s always something new to learn, or knowledge to refresh.

⭐️ Join us LIVE every Tuesday for first aid Q & A ⭐️

⏰ 11.30am AEST (11am Adelaide time)
🗓️ Starting next Tuesday, October 15th

DM the questions you want us to answer 🤗

Kat 🧡

Holy Moly I remember the first time I had to adjust the height on a restraint- it took me sooooo long to work out what s...
05/10/2024

Holy Moly I remember the first time I had to adjust the height on a restraint- it took me sooooo long to work out what slot to put the damned belt through, then try and re-thread it all😆
So here’s to you if you are battling that same difficulty!!

✅ Always make sure the belts are at the same level as your child’s shoulder. This is easy to do with a quick-adjust system. Not so with a slot/rethread system!!

REAR-FACING
🔸Straps at shoulder level, or…
🔸Aim for the slot closest to the shoulder. This might be slightly above. Just make sure it’s not below.
⚠️ If the belts dip below the level of the shoulders in RF mode, during a collision this could cause compressive forces in all the wrong places, potentially injuring your child.

FORWARD-FACING
🔸Straps at shoulder level, or…
🔸If using the slot system, use slot closest to shoulders, either above or below.
⚠️ If you choose the slot below, make sure it is no more than 2.5cm below the level of your child’s shoulders. Any lower and it may compromise how well the harness can restrain your child in the event of a collision.

🇦🇺 Please note these are AUSTRALIAN recommendations. The US provides different advice.

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