
SAFE KIDS VERMONT
Learn more about how Safe Kids VT works to prevent pediatric injuries.
Safe Kids Vermont
Safe Kids Vermont is a coalition of individuals and organizations across the state of Vermont dedicated to keeping children and teens healthy and safe by preventing injury. Safe Kids Vermont was founded in 1990, and the University of Vermont Children’s Hospital is proud to be the lead organization for the coalition.
Safe Kids Vermont is where global meets local as part of the Safe Kids Worldwide international network of coalitions and partners in more than 30 countries. Explore the Safe Kids Worldwide website for more information and resources on their global efforts.
Our partners are passionate about preventing the injuries that impact Vermont youth. To learn more about our partners and the services they provide to families and communities across Vermont, check out our partner resource guide.
Download the Partner Resource Guide.
Are you or your organization interested in joining Safe Kids Vermont or attending one of our quarterly meetings? Contact VTSafeKidsuvmhealth [dot] org (VTSafeKids[at]uvmhealth[dot]org) to join our mailing list.
Download our newest booklet: Toddlers to Teens - Safety Tips for Growing Up
We Have a Little Emergency

After a crash, adults may be unable to relay key health information about the children in their vehicle to first responders. We Have a Little Emergency (W.H.A.L.E.) is a nationally recognized program that easily provides first responders with the information they need to provide children with the best possible care. Safe Kids Vermont and Emergency Medical Services for Children, with the support of the Children’s Miracle Network, have brought this program to Vermont.

Expecting a new baby in your family can be exciting, but it can also bring out feelings of worry and anxiety. New parents and caregivers, including grandparents, aunts and uncles, and family friends, may feel overwhelmed by the amount of topics and opinions on how to keep baby safe and well.
The Preparing for Baby booklet was compiled by the Safe Kids Vermont partners as a one-stop safety resource for families expecting a baby. There are injury prevention tips for pregnant individuals and great information on how to keep baby safe before they are born through the toddler years!
Our Safe Sleep demonstration kit comes with all materials to demonstrate a safe sleep environment for an infant, including:
- A doll-size pack ‘n play
- An infant-size doll
- A sleep sack and summer onesie
- A stuffed animal
- A blanket
The kit can be borrowed for educational or community events. To reserve the kit, contact SafeKidsVT [at] uvmhealth.org (SafeKidsVT[at]uvmhealth[dot]org).
Outreach
Interested in having Safe Kids Vermont present at your Health Fair or Safety Day? Contact us at SafeKidsVT [at] uvmhealth.org (SafeKidsVT[at]uvmhealth[dot]org).
Safety Resources
Safe Kids Vermont provides a variety resources for parents and caregivers to help them keep kids safe from preventable injuries.
Safe Kids Vermont provides a variety resources for parents and caregivers to help them keep kids safe from preventable injuries.
PDF Downloads
- Safe Storage
- Toddlers to Teens - Safe tips for growing up
- Medication Safety
- Postcards
- Posters
- Safe Sleep
Grandparent Refreshers During COVID-19:
Our Safe Sleep demonstration kit comes with all materials to demonstrate a safe sleep environment for an infant, including:
- A doll-size pack ‘n play
- An infant-size doll
- A sleep sack and summer onesie
- A stuffed animal
- A blanket
The kit can be borrowed for educational or community events. To reserve the kit, contact SafeKidsVT [at] uvmhealth.org (SafeKidsVT[at]uvmhealth[dot]org).
The Dog Smart Program
The Dog Smart Program is designed to prioritize safety - for your children, from newborns through toddlers, and for dogs within your family and community. The Trauma Center at the University of Vermont Medical Center has seen an increase in severe dog bites to children under the age of 4 in recent years.
The Dog Smart program provides resources to help you prepare yourself and your dog for the transition of having babies and kids in your home. It provides guidelines you can teach children while they are young. This can help the children and dogs avoid dangerous situations.
While all dogs have the potential to bite, many bites can be prevented through active supervision, appropriate separation, and ensuring your dog’s needs are met.
If you are a professional, please check out the Dog Smart Toolkit. This toolkit is designed for a variety of professions, such as medical professionals, veterinary professionals, animal behavioral consultants, trainers, shelter staff, rescue volunteers, librarians, teachers, and more.
See the Downloadable Materials section, below, to view and print hardcopies of the Dog-Smart Coloring Book, Dog-Smart Bookmarks, Dogs & Babies Flyer, and Dog-Smart Kid Quiz Flyer. If you cannot print your own, copies are available by contacting VTSafeKids [at] UVMHealth.org (VTSafeKids[at]UVMHealth[dot]org).
Social Media Posts:
- Create safe spaces
- Plan for your dog's needs
- Actively supervise your dog
- Ask an adult and the dog
- Leave your dog alone while eating
- Leave dog alone while sleeping
- Dogs are not for climbing
- Let the dog sniff you
Dog-Smart Coloring Book
Dogs & Babies Flyer
Dog-Smart Kid Quiz Flyer
Have a dog? Expecting a newborn? Here are resources for planning for your baby’s arrival:
Preparing for the arrival of your new baby is an exciting and busy time. There are so many changes that will come before and after your baby’s arrival—setting up the nursery, bringing baby equipment and supplies into the home, getting up during the night, lots of visitors, lack of sleep, and providing around the clock care to your newborn.
While you understand the reason for the changes to your normal pre-baby household routine, your dog does not. Your dog will need your help and guidance adjusting to new routines. Preparing ahead of time by including some of the changes into your routine can make the transition smoother for everyone, especially your dog. This way your dog can learn and become comfortable with what they need to know before baby arrives!
Pre-baby Preparation & Training Tips
The two most important pre-baby preparation and training tips are:
Once your baby arrives, your dog should still be included in family activities. However, your dog should no longer have unrestricted access to what is now the baby’s nursery or other areas where baby will be unless you are with the dog and you or another adult are actively supervising both the baby and the dog.
- Set up easy-to-use walk-through baby gates, play pens, or barriers in the home that will allow your dog to see you and hear you, rest on a bed, play with toys and relax in comfy areas without feeling isolated or punished. Most people don’t think about gates until their child is beginning to be mobile, but they can be essential to keep your dog and non-mobile infant safely separated.
- Gates may initially stress your dog, especially if they're used to being close to you. Installing them early will allow you to gradually help your dog adjust to this new routine before the baby arrives.
- There are many gate types including ones that swing completely out of the way as well as retractable gates. Whatever gate you choose, it must be sturdy, dog and child-proof, easily opened, and securely shut. For gates at the top of stairs, be sure it can be installed using hardware into the wall. Tension-style gates are not safe for the top of stairs.
- Make short separation sessions part of your everyday routine and provide food stuffed puzzle toys and other enrichment activities gradually increase durations of the separation.
- Make sure the nursery door shuts solidly and cannot be opened by the dog.
- If your dog is used to sleeping in your bed, you may need to create a new sleep area for your dog such as a crate, bed, or having them sleep in a different room.
- If your dog is used to riding loose in the backseat, you will need a way to safely separate a baby in a car seat from the dog. Ways to achieve this could be a crate or barrier if the car has a back cargo area or a seatbelt harness. Figuring this out before the baby arrives and working with your dog will decrease your dog’s and your stress level.
It is really important to include your dog in family time when you can actively supervise both your baby and your dog. Create a safe space for your baby and a comfy place for your dog to relax.
- If your dog is used to getting on the couch or your lap, teaching them a cue such as “go to your mat” or “go to your dog bed” will help once the baby is here and needs to be attended to in a safe space.
- Introduce a “special occasion” chew toy, so your dog can learn to lie on their bed/mat near you and be happily occupied, but not on your lap (where your baby will eventually be).
- Praise your dog while they are doing this, whether you asked them to get on their mat or if they just volunteered to do so. You can also provide small treats as rewards along with their favorite chew toy.
If these basic tips don’t help, consider reaching out to your veterinarian or a trainer for help. Your future self (and your dog) will be glad you addressed this before the baby arrives.
Your dog’s health is critical to his well-being and ability to adjust to the new family structure. Before your baby arrives, make sure your dog receives necessary veterinary care, including wellness exams, treatment for any illnesses or existing health conditions, recommended vaccines, and appropriate preventive medication.
- If your dog tends to jump, bark, push, or try to dash out the door when visitors arrive or when you return home, now is the time to teach alternative behaviors, such as sitting, going to a mat, or fetching a toy.
- Consider installing gates near entryways to keep your dog safely away from the door.
- Your dog should be able to consistently follow commands like sit, wait, stay, and come for safety and guidance.
- Practice loose-leash walking, especially if you plan to walk your dog alongside a stroller or while carrying your baby.
- Incorporate a few minutes of training into your daily routine to make these exercises fun, predictable, and rewarding for your dog.
Your dog’s exercise, walking, and attention routines will likely shift once the baby arrives. Start adjusting their schedule now to something more manageable, considering potential help like a dog walker or doggy daycare if needed. This will help ease the transition for both you and your dog.
Self-Poisoning Prevention: Health Care Provider Toolkit
Preventing Intentional Self-Poisoning in Youth: A Toolkit for Vermont Health Care Providers was developed by the Safe Kids Vermont and the Northern New England Poison Center.
This toolkit provides background information on the rise of self-harm poisonings in teenagers and tools that primary care providers can use in their practices to help prevent these poisonings. While the toolkit contains data and resources specific to Vermont, the trends are similar across northern New England, and the framework of the toolkit can be useful to providers anywhere.
Continuing education credit is available through the University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine for doctors and nurses who review the toolkit through UVM’s e-learning site. Credit is available to providers anywhere in the country; you do not need to practice in Vermont. Please review the accreditation statement below.
- The toolkit guide book offers tools providers can use in a primary care setting to identify, manage and appropriately refer young patients who may be at risk of self-harm. Print copies are available upon request.
- Self-Harm Poisonings in Youth is a 20-minute recorded presentation for health care providers covering trends in youth self-harm, substances commonly involved, ways the poison center contributes to treatment for these patients, and action steps providers can take to help.
- Poison Ed: Self-Poisoning Suicide Attempts in Vermont is a podcast episode in which NNEPC educator Gayle Finkelstein, UVM Larner College of Medicine professor Tom Delaney, and UVM Medical Center pediatric critical care physician Rebecca Bell discuss trends in self poisoning among young people.
- Materials to be shared with parents, caregivers and other members of teens’ support networks:
- Safe Teens at Home: Medication Safety is a presentation providing information on medication poisoning risks for teenagers—primarily self-poisoning—and ways parents can help prevent these poisonings.
- “Biteables” are short video clips that could be shared in waiting rooms or on social media. Self-Poisoning Prevention for Parents of Teens is broken into two parts: Part 1 | Part 2
After reviewing the toolkit, you may wish to download stand-alone copies of some of the materials in the guidebook.
For use in your office:
- Self-Harm in Vermont: A fact sheet for health care providers that addresses the scope of the problem and ways providers can help prevent these poisonings.
- Patient Safety Plan: A plan that you and your at-risk patient work on together to help them manage difficult situations.
- Self-Harm Office Checklist: A form that you and your office staff can use to ensure that all the necessary steps are followed to ensure your at-risk patients receive the best care possible.
- Self-Harm Referral Contacts: A form you and your office staff can use to keep your key behavioral health contacts at your fingertips.
To distribute to parents, caregivers and others:
- Self-Poisoning Response Plan: Form for parents, caregivers and others to have on hand in case of a self-poisoning.
- Self-Poisoning Parent Fact Sheet: General information for parents and caregivers about self-poisonings and important resources.
- Self-Poisoning and Mental Health Fact Sheet: Offers ways parents and caregivers can support a teen who may be at-risk for self-poisoning, including warning signs to look for a resources to support their mental health.
Accreditation Statement
In support of improving patient care, this activity has been planned and implemented by The Robert Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont, the Northern New England Poison Center and Safe Kids Vermont. The University of Vermont is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.
The University of Vermont designates this Enduring Material activity for a maximum of 2.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
This program has been reviewed and is acceptable for up to 2.5 Nursing Contact Hours.
This activity was planned by and for the healthcare team, and learners will receive 2.5 Interprofessional Continuing Education (IPCE) credit for learning and change.
Get Involved
Are you or your organization interested in joining Safe Kids Vermont or attending one of our quarterly meetings? Contact VTSafeKids [at] uvmhealth.org (VTSafeKids[at]uvmhealth[dot]org) to join our mailing list.