News

SIDS and Kids NSW and VICTORIA News

Thursday, 08 November 2012 10:24

SIDS and Kids NSW and Victoria Newsletter October 2012 (download pdf)

Wednesday, 31 October 2012 10:06

2013 Compassionate Employer Recognition Program Australia

Nominations Now Open

The Compassionate Friends Victoria Inc, partner The Rotary Club of Geelong Central & Principal Sponsor Stafford Group announce the 2013 Compassionate Employer Recognition Program to be presented in March 2013. We are proud that Rotary is supporting this program.
TCF believes that employers who have shown extra care and compassion to employees – going above and beyond the normal policies of most companies in helping employees who have suffered the death of a loved one, deserve to be recognised.
Nominations for the 2013 Compassionate Employer Recognition Awards are now open.
Nomination Forms can be downloaded from www.compassionatefriendsvictoria.org.au. Please forward your nomination by email or post no later than Friday 7th December 2012 For further information please contact Jenny Galati (03) 9888 4034 or email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Presented by The Compassionate Friends Victoria Inc.

Amber Teething Necklace

Wednesday, 02 May 2012 10:30

Reminder of warning on amber teething necklaces Tuesday, April 24th, 2012

With the recent press regarding use of amber teething necklaces, it is a good time to remind parents of the dangers posed by these products.

Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasurer, David Bradbury recently issued a warning notice to the public in relation to amber teething necklaces.

Amber teething necklaces and bracelets consist of amber beads which are a fossilised tree resin and range in colour from yellow to white and beige to brown.

The warning notice was issued after ACCC testing of several of these products indicated that they could break into small parts and present a choking hazard to children under three years of age.

Suppliers claim that when worn close to the skin, succinic acid will be released by the amber beads to relieve the symptoms of teething. Some suppliers also make claims for other conditions including eczema and asthma.

Consumers using this product are advised to:

- always supervise the infant when wearing the necklace or bracelet

- remove the necklace or bracelet when the infant is unattended, even if it is onlyfor a short period of time

- remove the necklace or bracelet while the infant sleeps at day or night not allow the infant to mouth
or chew the necklace or bracelet

- consider using alternate forms of pain relief

- seek medical advice if you have concerns about your child’s health and wellbeing.

To view the warning notice click here.

Bean Bags

Wednesday, 02 May 2012 10:27

Guidance on bean bag usage Thursday, April 26th, 2012

The SIDS and Kids Safe Sleeping Frequently Asked Questions has been updated with guidance on the use of bean bags:

Is it safe to sleep baby on a baby bean bag?

No. A bean bag, defined as a material sack encasing a large quantity of polystyrene foam beads that is usually a pyramid-shaped sack used for seating, poses a suffocation risk to babies and small children if they inhale the beads. Bean bags and other household products containing polystyrene foam beads such as baby bean bag beds are required under a mandatory standard to have a child-resistant slide fastener and carry the warning

“WARNING: Small Lightweight Beads Present a Severe Danger to Children if Swallowed or Inhaled.”

Unfortunately, bean bag products, including those designed specifically for babies, have been available to consumers in Australia. As recently as late 2011 there have been bean bag products that do not comply with the mandatory standard recalled in Australia.

Concern has been raised about the potential of some bean bags being capable of contouring around a baby’s face, resulting in a risk of suffocation.

The Queensland government is presently considering a mandatory warning label on all bean bags which will state:

“Bean bags are not suitable for children less than 12 months of age to sleep or nap in as they are a suffocation hazard.”

Furthermore, researchers have studied incidences where babies have been placed to sleep on bean bags or similar polystyrene bead-filled cushions or seats for their last sleep before dying suddenly and unexpectedly. The researchers concluded that bean bags should not be used as they are dangerous for young children.

For more information visit the bean bag page of the Australian government product safety website at http://goo.gl/117je.

The full Safe Sleeping FAQ can be downloaded at http://www.sidsandkids.org/safe-sleeping/faqs/.

SIDS and Kids Victoria Newsletter 2011

Wednesday, 17 August 2011 16:47

Sids and Kids Victoria Newsletter 2011.pdf [Adobe Acrobat PDF - 5.8 MB]

Safe Sleeping Check List

Wednesday, 05 January 2011 14:16

Maternal and Child Health Nurses strongly support safe sleeping.

Launched on Red Nose Day, Friday 26 June, 2010, the Safe Sleeping Checklist was developed in partnership with the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development and will be utilised by the Maternal and Child Health Service to assist in the prevention of SIDS.

“This checklist will help parents take simple measures to ensure babies sleep safe and sound,” said Minister for Early Childhood Development, Ms Morand.

(Maxine Morand, Kirsty Marshall and Leanne Raven at Launch)

Following childbirth, families will receive education on safe sleeping methods for babies by a maternal and child health nurse when they receive their first home visit.

Particularly at this first appointment families will be educated about sleeping safety for babies during their first year to reduce the risk of SIDS.

“We want to ensure parents have all the information they need at hand to assist in the reduction of sleep accidents and give them greater peace of mind,” said Ms Morand.

The key areas of safe sleeping that the checklist covers include:

· from birth, put babies to sleep on their back and never on their tummy or side

· be careful that your baby’s head and face stays uncovered during sleep

· maintain a smoke-free environment around your baby before and after birth

· provide a safe cot, safe mattress, safe bedding and safe sleeping place.

Maternal and child health nurses in 79 local councils, have received training, and are now using the checklist. Our Health Promotion and Community Education Manager Jill Green provided the training to MCHN's and continues to support them in their practice to ensure the safe sleeping message is heard loud and clear in our community to reduce the risk of SIDS.

Click here to download Check List

SIDS and Kids Victoria Awarded

Friday, 26 November 2010 16:19

SIDS and Kids Victoria receives award!

Congratulations to SIDS and Kids Victoria for being the recipient of the 2010 Australian Safer Communities Awards sponsored by the Australian Government Attorney- Generalâ€™s Department, in conjunction with states and territories.

The project: 'To promote safe sleeping to reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and sleeping accidents: workforce development within the Victorian Maternal Child Health Service'.

This project was run in partnership with the Victorian Maternal Child Health Service and was highly commended for the implementation of Safe Sleeping as a health promotion priority in policy, an evidence-based program to educate and train over 1100 Maternal Child Health nurses in Victoria, the development of the Safe Sleeping Checklist and the growth of partnership with the Victorian Maternal Child Health Service to ensure new parents are aware how to sleep their infants safely.

Special congratulations to our Manager Health Promotion and Community Education for the pivotal role she played in educating Maternal and Child Health Nurses throughout the state.

Infant Sleep Positioners

Thursday, 25 November 2010 15:51

Deaths prompt CPSC, FDA warning on infant sleep positioners

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today warned consumers to stop using infant sleep positioners. Over the past 13 years, CPSC and the FDA have received 12 reports of infants between the ages of 1 month and 4 four months who died when they suffocated in sleep positioners or became trapped and suffocated between a sleep positioner and the side of a crib or bassinet.

Shared sleeping surfaces linked to high percentage of SIDS deaths

Tuesday, 08 June 2010 00:00

Studies show there is evidence that sharing a sleep surface with a baby increases the risk of
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and fatal sleep accidents.

An average of 46% of infants who died suddenly and unexpectedly in Australia in 2007 died while co-sleeping. Babies who are most at risk of SIDS or sleeping accidents whilst sharing a sleep surface, are babies who are less than four months of age, and babies who are born preterm or small for gestational age.

SIDS and Kids Victoria Newsletters

Friday, 11 September 2009 14:34

Sids and Kids Vcitoria Newsletter - April 2009 Download pdf here [Adobe Acrobat PDF - 2.95 MB]

Sids and Kids Vcitoria Newsletter - October 2009 Download pdf here [Adobe Acrobat PDF - 2.05 MB]

Sids and Kids Vcitoria Newsletter - April 2010 Download pdf here [Adobe Acrobat PDF - 2.64 MB]

Sids and Kids Vcitoria Newsletter - Sept 2010 Download pdf here [Adobe Acrobat PDF - 2.48 MB]

Study shows that Maternal Smoking May Alter the Arousal Process of Infants, Increasing Their Risk for SIDS

Wednesday, 08 April 2009 20:39

Westchester, Ill. — A study in the April 1 issue of the journal SLEEP shows that maternal smoking is associated with an impaired infant arousal process that may increase the risk for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). The authors suggest that maternal smoking has replaced stomach sleeping as the greatest modifiable risk factor for SIDS.