Every danger below is ranked by how often it harms Australian children, not by how frightening it sounds. Each carries what it is, where it hides, the numbers, the peak age, prevention steps, and the source. The through-line is the same everywhere: it is preventable.
What & where: The single leading cause of injury hospitalisation for children 0–14. Change tables, beds, high chairs, stairs, bunk beds, windows, balconies, playground and trampoline equipment.
Source: AIHW Injury in Australia 2023 · Kidsafe Australia
What & where: The leading cause of death for children 1–4. Home bathtubs, buckets, nappy buckets, eskies, pet water bowls, and backyard/portable pools. A child can drown silently in 3cm of water, and near-drowning can cause permanent brain injury.
Source: Royal Life Saving National Drowning Report 2023
What & where: Medications (the #1 cause), cleaning products, dishwasher and laundry pods, essential oils, garden chemicals, alcohol and certain plants. Around 80% of poisoning in under-5s happens at home. Brightly coloured pods and liquids are mistaken for food.
Source: NSW Poisons Information Centre Annual Report
What & where: Hot drinks (the top cause), bath and tap water, stovetops, ovens, kettles, irons and hair straighteners. A cup of coffee can cause a full-thickness burn on a toddler's thin skin in under one second — and it stays dangerous for 15 minutes.
Source: Australian Burns Registry 2023 · Kidsafe
What & where: Food (grapes, whole nuts, sausages, hard lollies, popcorn), small toys and parts, coins, magnets, blind and curtain cords, plastic bags, and soft bedding or co-sleeping for infants. The 3rd leading cause of injury death for under-3s.
Source: AIHW & Kidsafe Australia
What & where: 20mm lithium coin cells create a chemical reaction that can burn through a child's oesophagus within two hours. Hidden in remotes, toys, watches, hearing aids, bathroom scales, thermometers, flameless candles and key finders.
Source: ACCC Product Safety Australia
What & where: Most bites to children are from a family or neighbour's dog, at home, and to the face and head. Risk rises as toddlers become mobile and again around ages 5–9. Often triggered by hugging, disturbing food, or approaching a resting dog.
Source: AIHW · Kidsafe Australia
What & where: A leading cause of home play injury for school-age children. Fractures, sprains and dislocations — most often when more than one child jumps at once, or from falls off the mat.
Source: AIHW · Kidsafe Australia
What & where: As physical injury falls in the teenage years, intentional self-harm rises sharply — the leading cause of injury hospitalisation for older adolescents. Driven by cyberbullying, family conflict, DV exposure and untreated distress.
Source: AIHW · AIFS Growing Up in Australia
The same library as a quick-scan table — sorted by severity, with the peak age and the leading source at home.
| Danger | Severity | Peak age | Key figure | Leading source at home |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Falls | Critical | 1–4 yrs | ~18,000/yr · 38% of injuries | Furniture, stairs, play equipment |
| Drowning | Critical | 1–4 yrs | ~30 deaths/yr (0–4) | Baths, buckets, pools |
| Poisoning | Critical | 1–3 yrs | ~55,000 calls/yr | Medicines, cleaners, pods |
| Burns & scalds | High | 0–2 yrs | ~2,200 hospitalisations/yr | Hot drinks, bath water, stoves |
| Choking & suffocation | High | 0–3 yrs | ~5,000 ER visits/yr | Food, small objects, bedding |
| Self-harm (10–17) | High | 15–17 yrs | 3× the 10–14 rate | Medications, isolation |
| Button batteries | Moderate | 0–5 yrs | ~1,100 ingestions/yr | Remotes, toys, scales |
| Dog bites | Moderate | 5–9 yrs | Mostly known dogs | Family/neighbour dog |
| Trampoline | Moderate | 5–9 yrs | ~6,500 hospitalisations/yr | Backyard trampoline |
Sources: AIHW Injury in Australia 2022–23 · Royal Life Saving National Drowning Report 2023 · NSW Poisons Information Centre · Australian Burns Registry · ACCC Product Safety Australia · Kidsafe Australia
The storehouse has room-by-room checklists you can work through in an afternoon — and the get-involved list sends you the printable version.