Your child's journey

What's dangerous for your child right now?

Select your child's age group. We'll show you the biggest risks, physical and emotional, from Australian data. Then walk through your home in 3D.

Toddlers, 1 to 4 years

The 5 biggest dangers for toddlers at home

3 in 4 injuries to children aged 1–4 happen at home. Most are preventable.

Source: AIHW, Injuries in children and adolescents 2021–22, place of occurrence

Critical risk

Drowning & Near-Drowning

A child can drown in a few centimetres of water. In 2024–25, 15 children under 5 drowned in Australia, half of them in home pools. Toddlers are 14 times more likely than adults to be hospitalised for drowning: pools, bathtubs, buckets, pet bowls. Keep Watch means staying within arm's reach, eyes on and hands on.

15
Under-5 deaths, 2024–25
179
Hospitalised a year, ages 1–4
Half
Of those deaths in home pools
14×
Toddlers vs adults, hospitalised
Sources: Royal Life Saving, National Drowning Report 2025; AIHW, Injuries in children and adolescents 2021–22; Royal Life Saving, Keep Watch
What you can do
  • Fence your pool on all four sides to Australian Standards, with a self-closing, self-latching gate
  • Never leave a toddler alone in the bath, not even for a moment
  • Empty buckets, wading pools, and pet water bowls after use
  • Learn infant CPR: Royal Life Saving runs courses
Critical risk

Poisoning

Toddlers put anything they can reach into their mouths. Kidsafe lists medicines, cleaning products and dishwasher detergent among common poisons, and medicine is easier to reach when grandparents who take it regularly are visiting. About 2,100 children a year are hospitalised for accidental poisoning, and 1,185 of them are aged 1–4. A swallowed button battery is an emergency: go straight to hospital.

1,185
Hospitalised a year, ages 1–4
~2,100
Hospitalised a year, ages 0–18
36%
Of Poisons Info exposures are toddlers
20/wk
Children to emergency, button battery
Sources: AIHW, Injuries in children and adolescents 2021–22; Australian Poisons Information Centres 2015 report, MJA 2018; CHOICE, Button battery dangers 2020; Kidsafe, Poisoning information sheet 2019
What you can do
  • Store medicines and cleaning products in a locked cupboard, preferably 1.5 m above the ground
  • Secure or discard all devices with button batteries (remotes, key finders, toys)
  • Keep dishwasher pods and powder in a locked cupboard or container
  • Save Poisons Information: 13 11 26 (24hr Australia-wide)
High risk

Falls

Falls are the most common cause of child injury hospitalisation: 1 in 3, about 29,000 a year. For toddlers: furniture (especially bunk beds and change tables), stairs, and windows. Head and neck injuries are 29% of child injury hospitalisations.

1 in 3
Child injury hospitalisations are falls
~7,400
Hospitalised for falls a year, ages 1–4
29%
Of child injury hospitalisations are head and neck
Sources: AIHW, causes of injury; AIHW, Injuries in children and adolescents 2021–22; Kidsafe, A Parent's Guide to Kidsafe Homes 2020
What you can do
  • Install stair gates at top and bottom of all staircases
  • Anchor heavy furniture (TVs, bookshelves, dressers) to the wall
  • Window locks or guards on all windows above ground floor
  • Never leave a child on a change table, bed, or couch unattended
High risk

Burns & Scalds

Scalds cause 52% of child burns, and the typical child burned is 3. Kidsafe warns that boiled water can still scald for up to 30 minutes. In the kitchen, the risks are stove-top pulls, oven doors and hot water taps.

~2,000
Hospitalised with burns a year
979
Of them aged 1–4 (about half)
52%
Of child burns are scalds
Sources: AIHW, Injuries in children and adolescents 2021–22; Forster & Griffin, J Children & Young People's Health 2024; Kidsafe, A Parent's Guide to Kidsafe Homes 2020; Victorian Building Authority via Plumbing Connection, 2022
What you can do
  • Keep hot drinks away from edges and never hold a child while drinking one
  • Bathroom hot water at most 50°C: ask a licensed plumber
  • Use back burners and turn pot handles inward on the stove
  • Install a stove guard or barrier if you have a toddler
Moderate risk

Choking & Suffocation

Small objects, hard foods and blind cords. Kidsafe names coins, magnets and button batteries as particular problems, and foods like nuts, raw carrot and apple. Babies under 1 are 7.5 times more likely than adults to be hospitalised for choking or suffocation.

~460
Hospitalised a year, ages 0–18
114
Hospitalised a year, babies under 1
7.5×
Babies vs adults, hospitalised
Sources: AIHW, Injuries in children and adolescents 2021–22; Kidsafe, A Parent's Guide to Kidsafe Homes 2020
What you can do
  • Cut grapes, cherry tomatoes, and sausages lengthwise (never round)
  • Grate, mash or chop hard foods, and keep coins, magnets and button batteries out of reach
  • Replace all corded blinds with cordless alternatives
  • Learn back blows and chest thrusts for choking infants/toddlers
Beyond the physical

The invisible dangers

Physical hazards get the headlines. But emotional harm at home is just as well documented, and often lasts longer.

Witnessing Domestic Violence

Children who see or hear violence at home are harmed even when they are never hit. It was the most common type of maltreatment the Australian Child Maltreatment Study measured.

39.6% of Australians exposed as children
Source: Australian Child Maltreatment Study, MJA 2023

Emotional Abuse

Emotional abuse is 60% of the child protection cases that are confirmed, and nearly 1 in 3 Australians (30.9%) experienced it as children.

60% of substantiated cases
Sources: AIHW, Child protection Australia 2024–25; Australian Child Maltreatment Study, MJA 2023

Screen Exposure (<5)

The Australian guidelines say no screen time for children under 2, and no more than 1 hour a day from 2 to 5. Less is better; reading and storytelling together are encouraged instead.

No screen time under 2
Source: Australian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines, birth to 5, 2021

Coming next: School Age (5–12)

As your toddler grows, the risks shift: trampolines, roads and life online. See what's ahead.

See School Age risks

Now walk through the home

See these dangers in 3D. Click on objects to learn. Room by room.

Enter the 3D Home