Burns and fire

• Always keep hot drinks and food such as noodles and soups out of reach of children. 
• Eating or drinking while holding or nursing tamariki is a common reason for burns and scalds – put your pēpi down before you pick up hot drinks or food, and avoid passing them over a child. 
• Keep hot drinks and food in the middle of the table, out of reach of tamariki. 
• Use small placemats instead of tablecloths – tamariki can pull on tablecloths and bring hot food or drinks down with them.
• Lidded cups aren’t necessarily safer. They can still spill, and they keep drinks hotter for longer.
• Avoid heating children’s drinks and food in the microwave if you can, as they can heat drinks and food unevenly. If you use a microwave, mix the food well after heating, leave for a few minutes, then stir again and test the temperature before you serve it. 

• Run cold water into the bath first, then add hot to bring it to the right temperature. Remember the hot tap will remain hot after turned off.  
• Test the water temperature with the inside part of your wrist, making sure it's warm to touch but not too hot. 
• The water in hot water taps should reach a maximum temperature of around 50 degrees. If you think your water is too hot you can speak to an electrician or plumber. If your house is a rental, talk to your landlord about having someone come to adjust the temperature. 

Young children don't have a reflex to pull away from something that is burning them. 

• Always supervise children when they are in the kitchen.  If you need to leave for any reason, take the children with you.
• Put electric jugs and other benchtop cooking appliances to the back of the bench, and make sure the cords are out of reach too.
• Use the back elements on the stove first, and turn handles of pots and pans to the centre of the cooktop.
• If you cannot use a safety gate to keep young tamariki out of the kitchen, make sure they are supervised and in a safe place (for example, strapped into a highchair or on the floor away from the direct cooking area. Older tamariki enjoy helping with meal prep – check out our tips for cooking as a family. 

If a child swallows or puts a button battery in their nose or ears, saliva or moist skin tissue triggers a chemical reaction. This can cause severe burns within 1-2 hours. 

If you think your child has swallowed a button battery, or put one in their nose or ears, take them to the hospital emergency department immediately. 

If it won't delay getting to the hospital, children over 1 year who may have swallowed a button battery within the last 12 hours may be given 10ml (approximately 2 teaspoons) of honey every 10 minutes (up to 6 doses). Getting to the hospital is still the priority. 

It is important not to give the child anything else to eat or drink, or to try to make them vomit.

To prevent injuries from button batteries: 

• try to avoid toys and household items that require button batteries. If it's unavoidable, make sure the battery compartments are inaccessible for children.
• keep any objects with button batteries out of sight and reach of children, and make sure they’re supervised when using them
• store batteries out of sight and reach of children
• share this information with caregivers, family, whānau and friends. 

• Children’s nightwear in sizes 00-14 must meet the Mandatory Product Safety Standard
• When purchasing children's nightwear:
  • always check it has a fire hazard label or is made of fabric that is less likely to burn
  • choose nightwear that has the white label – this means it is made from a low fire hazard fabric
  • make sure nightwear is snug-fitting, as this reduces the fire hazard
  • Remember, "low fire hazard" does not mean "NO fire hazard".

Children's nightwear labels. Credit: Commerce Commission

• Follow the "Metre from the heater" rule:

Always keep anything that could catch fire at least a metre from the heater or fire.

• Never let your child get too close to a stove, heater or fire.
• Put a safety guard around your heater or fire if you have young children or it's a busy part of your home. Attach the guard to the wall.
• Remember fabrics can ignite without physical contact with a naked flame or heat source.
• Keep furniture, including cots and beds, at least one metre away from heaters.

• Hair straighteners and other hair styling products like curling tongs can get very hot, and will stay hot for at least 15 minutes after they’re switched off.  
• Keep them out of reach of children - put them on a high shelf or in a heat-proof pouch to cool.

• Keep matches, lighters and candles out of sight and reach of children.
• Take care not to overload the dryer, and remove lint after each use.
• Make sure there’s proper ventilation and airspace around the dryer.
• If for any reason the dryer isn’t working properly – don’t use it.
• Take care not to overload power sockets and multiboard. Items like heaters, electric jugs or kettles, washing machines and stoves need to be plugged directly into a wall socket, not multi boards.
• Make sure your home has working smoke alarms. Fire and Emergency New Zealand recommends installing a smoke alarm in every bedroom, hallway and living area.
• Have an escape plan and practice it with the whole family.