Keeping your kids safe

We all want to protect the ones we love – especially our kids. That’s why it’s vital to think about your children’s safety and have safeguards in place in case something goes wrong.

Kids are an endless source of joy and happiness, but they can also be a handful. They have a natural curiosity and a reduced sense of fear when they’re exploring the big wide world around them – and that can put them in danger of getting hurt. As a parent you can’t watch your child 24/7, and if they get injured it can be just as distressing for you as it is for them.

Tips for making your home safer

You probably think of your home a safe haven for your family, but the reality is that many children’s injuries happen in houses and backyards.

Here are some simple ways to give your child protection in the home:

• In 2011/12 in Australia, 34 children aged 14 or under drowned – many in swimming pools. Always keep an eye on kids around water, and make sure your pool fence meets Australian safety standards.
• When your children are young, consider using child safety locks for accessible cupboards and safety plugs for electrical outlets. They’re inexpensive, easy to install – and they could stop a potentially serious accident from happening when your back’s turned.
• If you have large or heavy objects on shelves, make sure they’re well out of reach and can’t be pulled down by tiny hands.
• Take care when letting your child play with household pets. It’s estimated that more than 12,000 people are treated in Australian hospitals for dog bites each year. Bites to children under 10 years account for around 60% of all dog bites.
• Before reversing out of your garage or driveway, make sure you know where your child is and always check carefully behind you.
• Make sure you fully understand how to put infants to bed safely.
• Keep all poisons and toxic substances well out of reach of your child.

Taking care of them when they’re injured

No matter what steps you take to keep your kids safe, accidents can still happen. If your child suffered a serious injury or illness requiring months of recovery, you’d find yourself having to cope with unplanned expenses at an already distressing time.

These might include:

• ongoing medical bills
• fees for extra tutoring
• costs to renovate your home for disabled living.

If you were faced with these expenses, an insurance payout could go a long way towards helping out. 

How life insurance for children works

Many people take out life insurance as a way of safeguarding their family’s financial security. If you’re the household’s sole breadwinner, you might think you’re the only family member who needs insurance. But did you know you can also get life insurance for children? With insurers like Real Insurance, you can even add children’s insurance to your own life insurance policy – so it could be more affordable than you think.

And it doesn’t only cover your kids for injuries, but serious illness as well. So if, for example, your child faced an illness like meningitis or suffered a head trauma you could get a much-needed lump-sum payout to help your family through such a difficult time. You could use this money for things like medical expenses, living costs or even to take some time off work to focus on your child’s wellbeing without the financial worry.

That’s why it’s worth thinking about Children's Insurance, just for some extra peace of mind.