KK Women's & Children's Hospital to loan parents complimentary newborn car seats for 1 year

KK Women's and Children's Hospital (KKH) will launch a new programme to loan parents complimentary car seats for their newborn babies.

This programme, the first in Singapore, will benefit 300 newborns and help reduce the risk of child road traffic injuries.

"Every year, we treat approximately 400 children for injuries from road traffic accidents. Many of these – especially to the head, spinal cord and internal organs – are far more severe when the child isn't using a proper car seat," said Ronald Tan, senior consultant at KKH's Department of Emergency Medicine.

This programme is reserved for KKH patients.

On loan

Tan shared that the initiative is to provide families with the knowledge, resources, and support to ensure their child's safety on the road.

As such, parents will be invited to register their interest to loan a complimentary car seat for their newborn's first year during their antenatal checkup or sign up here.

KKH will arrange for parents to collect the car seat at their third-trimester checkup, allowing them time to familiarise themselves with it before the baby is born.

KKH will also help provide educational video resources and support on properly installing and using the car seat.

"Car seats are specifically designed to accommodate to a child's size and weight, offering the best protection as they grow. It is important for parents to transition their child to the appropriate car seat," Tan explained.

Therefore, to encourage parents to continue using age-appropriate car seats as their child grows, parents will be offered a subsidy when they return the loaned seat.

According to the terms and conditions, parents must return the car seat in good condition, except for reasonable wear and tear.

Upon returning the car seat, subject to availability, parents may receive a Mothercare discount voucher towards the next child car seat purchase.

Top photo via Canva & Google Maps