In Switzerland, boys and girls together
- Under 11 in 301die before their first birthday
- Ages 1–41 in 7,667die in a year
- Ages 5–91 in 12,992die in a year
- Ages 10–141 in 12,447die in a year
From official Eurostat data, 2023.
Keeping children safe in Switzerland
Child deaths are rare in Switzerland: in a year, 1 in 7,667 children aged 1–4, 1 in 12,992 aged 5–9 and 1 in 12,447 aged 10–14 die. The first year carries the most risk (1 in 301 babies). Below, for each age: what children most often die of, and the steps guidelines recommend for parents.
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Babies under 1
In Switzerland, 1 in 301 babies die before their first birthday, mostly from complications around birth and congenital conditions.
Safe sleep comes first
Sudden infant death isn’t counted as a cause of its own in these statistics, so it can’t appear among the causes below. Safe sleep is what guidelines recommend against it, for every baby.
Put your baby to sleep on their back
Every sleep until their first birthday, in their own cot in your room for at least 6 months, on a firm, flat mattress with nothing else in the cot. Don't let them get too hot.
What studies found: Babies put to sleep on their front were about 3 times as likely to die suddenly before the advice changed, and 7 times after; in the Netherlands, cot deaths fell by about 90% after the 1987 advice. Evidence: Gilbert 2005 (observational): odds about 3× before the advice changed, 7× after; Dutch cot deaths 0.91 → 0.09 per 1,000 births. Recommended by NHS (2025); CDC (2024); BIÖG (DE), Santé publique France, JGZ (NL).
Never fall asleep with your baby on a sofa
Or in an armchair: if you might doze off, put them in their cot first. Don't share a bed with them if either of you smokes, has drunk alcohol or taken drugs or drowsy medicine, or if they were born early or small.
For confidential help, find a free line at findahelpline.com.
What studies found: In a study of 325 deaths in England, sharing a sofa with a baby came with about 49 times the risk of sudden infant death. Evidence: Blair 1999, English case-control study of 325 deaths: about 49× the odds. Recommended by NHS (2025); NICHD Safe to Sleep; JGZ guideline (NL).
What babies most often die of, and what helps
Each cause’s share of deaths at this age, then the steps that help most against it.
Complications around birth
59%Make sure your baby has every newborn check
In the first days: a full physical check, a heel-prick blood test, a hearing test and, in many countries, an oxygen check for heart defects. If one was missed or no result came by 6 weeks, ask your midwife or doctor.
What studies found: Where US states made newborn oxygen screening mandatory, early infant deaths from critical heart defects fell by a third (26.5 million births). Evidence: JAMA 2017, 26.5 million births: −33%. Recommended by NHS (2024–25); UK NSC; US newborn screening panel (RUSP); G-BA (DE).
Know when your baby needs help fast
Under 3 months, a temperature of 38°C or more needs a doctor straight away. Call your emergency number if they struggle to breathe, turn blue, grey or blotchy, are floppy or hard to wake, or look yellow on their first day.
Recommended by NHS (2024–26).
Go to every child health check
Routine check-ups find heart, hip, eye, hearing and development problems early, and most vaccines are given at them. Take their health record and ask when the next one is due. In Switzerland: the preschool check-ups, covered by basic insurance.
What studies found: None measured for routine visits themselves. Recommended by National child health programmes (G-BA, service-public.fr, pacjent.gov.pl, NHS, CMS and others).
Born early? Keep every follow-up check
If your baby was born before 32 weeks, or early with complications, keep every check of their growth and development after they come home. Their vaccines follow the usual dates from birth; ask about RSV protection each winter.
What studies found: Early developmental support after leaving hospital raised IQ scores at preschool age; no effect on deaths was measured. Evidence: Cochrane 2024. Recommended by European Standards of Care for Newborn Health (EFCNI, 2018); UKHSA Green Book; NHS.
Heart condition from birth? Keep every check-up
Keep every heart appointment even when they seem well, and regular dental check-ups. In their teens, plan the move to an adult congenital heart team so care never lapses.
What studies found: In a study of 158 people, those whose care lapsed for 2 years or more were about 3 times as likely to need urgent heart treatment. Evidence: Cohort, 158 people: 3.1×. Recommended by NHS (2025); ESC (2020).
Brain cancer
0.80%Know the signs of childhood cancer
Bruising or bleeding for no reason, or a white glow in their eye, needs an urgent appointment. Paleness and tiredness, fevers or infections that keep coming back, swollen glands or a swollen tummy, bone pain, or morning headaches with vomiting need a doctor soon, and go back if they last.
What studies found: After a UK awareness campaign, the typical time to diagnose a child's brain tumour fell from 14 weeks to under 7. Evidence: Neuro-Oncology 2016 (before/after): median 14 → 6.7 weeks. Recommended by NHS; The Brain Tumour Charity (formerly HeadSmart).
Other lung disease
0.80%Protect your baby against RSV before winter
An antibody injection protects babies through their first RSV season: soon after birth if born in the season, otherwise in autumn. If the mother had the RSV vaccine in pregnancy, ask whether your baby still needs it.
What studies found: In a trial of 8,058 babies, RSV hospital admissions fell from 1.5% to 0.3%; real-world studies found more than 80% protection. Evidence: HARMONIE (NEJM 2023); ECDC 2025 from 28 real-world studies (86%), whose source meta-analysis gives about 83%. Recommended by ECDC (2025); national 2026–27 programmes (STIKO, BAG, HSE, RIVM, CDC, PHAC and others).
Keep your child's vaccines on schedule
Vaccines protect best on time, starting in the first weeks, and missed doses can usually be caught up. Check their record with their doctor or nurse.
What studies found: Two doses of measles vaccine are 97% effective. Evidence: CDC. Recommended by National schedules; ECDC Vaccine Scheduler (2026); NHS; STIKO; CDC.
Make sure your baby gets the MenB vaccine
MenB bacteria cause meningitis and sepsis, mostly in babies; the vaccine starts in the first months, with a booster around age 1.
What studies found: In England's first 3 years, fully eligible children had 75% fewer MenB cases: about 277 cases prevented. Evidence: NEJM 2020. Recommended by NHS (2024); STIKO (2026); BAG (2026); ECDC Vaccine Scheduler (2026).
Learn what to do if your child has a fit
Between 6 months and 6 years a high temperature can cause a fit: cushion their head, move hard objects away, put nothing in their mouth and turn them on their side when it stops. Call your emergency number if it's their first, lasts over 5 minutes, or they struggle to breathe or wake.
Recommended by NHS (2023); CDC (2024).
Epilepsy? Agree a seizure care plan
Agree with their epilepsy team what to do in a seizure, when to give rescue medicine and when to call for help, and share it with school. Ask about sudden death in epilepsy (SUDEP) and, if they have seizures in their sleep, night-time monitoring.
What studies found: Sudden death in epilepsy strikes about 1 in 4,500 children with epilepsy a year; it was less than half as likely when someone was nearby at night. Evidence: Case-control study: night-time supervision, odds 0.4. Recommended by NHS (2025); AAN/AES (2017).
Epilepsy? Keep them safe in water
Give showers rather than baths, and let them swim only with an adult who knows and stays close.
What studies found: Across 51 studies, people with epilepsy were 15–19 times as likely to drown. Evidence: Neurology 2008, 51 cohorts. Recommended by NHS; CDC.
Steps against the other risks at this age (21)
Long-term condition? Ask about extra vaccines
Children with asthma needing steroids, heart, lung, kidney or liver disease, diabetes, a weak immune system or spleen problems should have a flu vaccine every autumn from 6 months. Ask their doctor about COVID-19, pneumococcal and meningitis vaccines too.
What studies found: More than half of the 280 US children who died of flu in 2024–25 had a long-term condition. Evidence: CDC: 56%. Recommended by NHS; STIKO (2026); ECDC Vaccine Scheduler (2026); CDC; NACI.
Keep smoke away from your baby
No one should smoke or vape near them: at home, in the car or where they sleep.
What studies found: Smoking in pregnancy more than doubled the risk of sudden unexpected infant death (20.7 million US births); we haven't checked a figure for smoke after birth. Evidence: Anderson 2019, 20.7 million US births: aOR 2.44. Recommended by NHS (2025); CDC (2024); BIÖG (DE); Santé publique France.
Breastfeed your baby if you can
Any breastmilk lowers the risk of sudden infant death, more so after 2 months. If they're formula fed, the safe-sleep steps still protect them.
What studies found: Across 8 studies, babies breastfed for 2–4 months were about 40% less likely to die suddenly, and those breastfed over 6 months about two-thirds less likely. Evidence: Thompson 2017, 8 case-control studies pooled: odds 0.60 (2–4 months), 0.36 (over 6 months). Recommended by NHS (2025); CDC (2024).
Never shake a baby: put them down safely
Crying is normal, and some babies cry for hours in the first months. If it gets too much, put your baby on their back in the cot, leave the room for 10 minutes and call someone.
What studies found: As many as 1 in 4 babies with abusive head trauma die; a statewide parent-education programme covering 1.6 million births didn't lower it. Evidence: CDC; Dias 2017 (Pennsylvania, 1.6 million births). Recommended by NHS (2026); CDC (2024).
Know the 4 Ts of type 1 diabetes
Toilet (peeing more, heavy nappies, bedwetting), Thirsty, Tired, Thinner: ask for an urgent appointment and a finger-prick test. With fast breathing, tummy pain, vomiting or drowsiness, call your emergency number.
What studies found: After awareness campaigns, the share of children already seriously ill (ketoacidosis) when diagnosed fell from 78% to 12.5% in Parma and from 28% to 16% in Stuttgart. Evidence: Before/after studies (Parma; Stuttgart). Recommended by NHS (2024).
Keep their car seat rear-facing as long as possible
At least to 15 months and as long as the seat allows, in the back, never in front of an active airbag. Then a harnessed forward-facing seat until they outgrow it.
What studies found: Compared with no restraint, car seats cut crash deaths by 71% in babies and 54% at ages 1–4. Evidence: NHTSA. Recommended by CDC (2026); NHTSA; UK law (R129) and Highway Code r.101; European Commission.
Never leave a child alone in a car
Not even for a minute: cars heat up fast. Check the back seat every time you lock up, and keep keys out of reach.
What studies found: None measured; over half of US children's hot-car deaths happen when a carer forgets them, and 31 children died in 2025. Evidence: NHTSA. Recommended by NHTSA (2026).
Stay with them every moment in the bath
Babies and toddlers can drown silently in a few centimetres of water, and a bath seat isn't a safety device. Empty baths, buckets and paddling pools straight after use.
What studies found: None measured; in the US, 3 in 4 drownings of babies under 1 happen in the bath. Evidence: CDC. Recommended by NHS; RoSPA; CDC.
Watch them every moment in and near water
Keep young children within arm's reach and your phone away. Swimming lessons don't make a child drown-proof.
What studies found: None measured; in the US, drowning kills more children aged 1–4 than any other cause. Evidence: CDC. Recommended by CDC (2025); CPSC Pool Safely; RoSPA.
Learn baby and child first aid
A short course shows you what to do if they choke, stop breathing or are badly hurt. Ask your doctor or the Red Cross where to find one.
Recommended by NHS (2025–26); CDC; European Resuscitation Council (2025).
Tie up blind cords and put bags away
Fit a cleat high up so cords and chains can't hang in loops, and keep cots and beds away from blinds. Keep plastic bags and nappy sacks out of reach.
What studies found: None measured; 9 children died from blind-cord strangulation in England in 2019–22. Evidence: National Child Mortality Database, via RoSPA. Recommended by NHS (2026); UK Office for Product Safety and Standards; RoSPA; CAPT.
Anchor heavy furniture and TVs to the wall
Use anti-tip straps or brackets on chests of drawers, bookcases, TV stands and flat-screen TVs. Children get crushed when they climb or pull on them.
What studies found: None measured; 155 children died when furniture or TVs tipped over in the US in 2013–23, two-thirds of them aged 1–3. Evidence: CPSC 2024. Recommended by CPSC Anchor It!; RoSPA.
Keep button batteries and magnets out of reach
Choose toys and gadgets with screw-shut battery covers and store batteries up high. If you think your child swallowed one, go to hospital straight away.
What studies found: None measured; at least 2 UK children a year die after swallowing a button battery. Evidence: CAPT, via the UK Office for Product Safety and Standards. Recommended by NHS (2025–26); UK Office for Product Safety and Standards; CAPT.
Cut grapes and small round foods into quarters
Until at least their fifth birthday: no whole nuts or popcorn, and stay with them while they eat. Keep coins, marbles and small toy parts away from under-3s.
Recommended by NHS (2026); CAPT; RoSPA.
Fit window restrictors and move furniture away
They should stop windows opening more than 6.5 cm; keep the key where adults can find it in a fire. Keep beds, sofas and toy boxes away from windows, and lock balcony doors.
What studies found: After New York City's window-guard programme, reported falls of children in the Bronx halved within two years. Evidence: Before/after study, 1977. Recommended by NHS (2026); RoSPA; CAPT; NYC Health.
Lock medicines and cleaning products up and away
That includes vitamins, laundry and dishwasher capsules and vape refills; put them back after every use. Child-resistant caps only slow children down.
What studies found: Child-resistant packaging cut US deaths of under-5s from swallowed medicines by about 45%; home-safety advice got more families storing medicines safely, but no fall in poisonings was shown. Evidence: Rodgers 1996; Cochrane 2012. Recommended by NHS (2026); CDC (Up and Away); CAPT.
Fit smoke alarms and test them monthly
At least one on every floor; ten-year sealed-battery alarms are best. Keep matches and lighters out of your child's sight and reach.
What studies found: People are about 8 times as likely to die in a home fire without a working smoke alarm; with working alarms, the home-fire death rate is about 60% lower. Evidence: UK Home Office; NFPA 2024 (US, 2018–22). Recommended by UK Home Office, Fire safety in the home (2022); NFPA.
Save your poison centre's number
Keep it in your phone. If someone is unconscious or struggling to breathe, call the emergency number. Where you live: Tox Info Suisse: 145, any time.
What studies found: Advice made families more likely to have the number to hand; no effect on deaths was measured. Evidence: Cochrane 2012: number to hand OR 3.30. Recommended by National poison centres.
Have a pool? Fence it on all sides
A fence at least 1.2 m high on all four sides, between the house and the pool, with a self-closing, self-latching gate. An alarm only warns you.
What studies found: A fence around a pool cut a child's risk of drowning or nearly drowning by about three-quarters. Evidence: Cochrane 2000, case-control studies: 73% lower odds. Recommended by CDC; CPSC; French law 2003-9.
Going boating? Put a life jacket on them
One that fits their weight, on every boat trip and when playing in open water. Armbands and inflatables aren't safety devices.
What studies found: Almost 9 in 10 people who drowned in US boating accidents in 2024 wore no life jacket. Evidence: US Coast Guard: 87%. Recommended by CDC; US Coast Guard; 33 CFR 175.15.
Gun at home? Lock it unloaded, ammunition apart
Keep the key or code from your child. Where they visit, ask whether there's an unlocked gun in the house.
If you or someone you love is struggling, call Die Dargebotene Hand on 143 (a small charge per call) — confidential, any time.
What studies found: Keeping guns locked, and keeping them unloaded, each came with about 70% fewer shootings of a young person with a gun from home, mostly suicide attempts. Evidence: Grossman, JAMA 2005, case-control: locked OR 0.27, unloaded OR 0.30. Recommended by CDC (2024); WHO LIVE LIFE (2021).
Ages 1–4
In a year, 1 in 7,667 children aged 1–4 in Switzerland die.
What children aged 1–4 most often die of, and what helps
Each cause’s share of deaths at this age, then the steps that help most against it.
Go to every child health check
Routine check-ups find heart, hip, eye, hearing and development problems early, and most vaccines are given at them. Take their health record and ask when the next one is due. In Switzerland: the preschool check-ups, covered by basic insurance.
What studies found: None measured for routine visits themselves. Recommended by National child health programmes (G-BA, service-public.fr, pacjent.gov.pl, NHS, CMS and others).
Heart condition from birth? Keep every check-up
Keep every heart appointment even when they seem well, and regular dental check-ups. In their teens, plan the move to an adult congenital heart team so care never lapses.
What studies found: In a study of 158 people, those whose care lapsed for 2 years or more were about 3 times as likely to need urgent heart treatment. Evidence: Cohort, 158 people: 3.1×. Recommended by NHS (2025); ESC (2020).
Brain cancer
12%Know the signs of childhood cancer
Bruising or bleeding for no reason, or a white glow in their eye, needs an urgent appointment. Paleness and tiredness, fevers or infections that keep coming back, swollen glands or a swollen tummy, bone pain, or morning headaches with vomiting need a doctor soon, and go back if they last.
What studies found: After a UK awareness campaign, the typical time to diagnose a child's brain tumour fell from 14 weeks to under 7. Evidence: Neuro-Oncology 2016 (before/after): median 14 → 6.7 weeks. Recommended by NHS; The Brain Tumour Charity (formerly HeadSmart).
Other cancers
8.9%Other accidents
7.2%Never leave a child alone in a car
Not even for a minute: cars heat up fast. Check the back seat every time you lock up, and keep keys out of reach.
What studies found: None measured; over half of US children's hot-car deaths happen when a carer forgets them, and 31 children died in 2025. Evidence: NHTSA. Recommended by NHTSA (2026).
Learn baby and child first aid
A short course shows you what to do if they choke, stop breathing or are badly hurt. Ask your doctor or the Red Cross where to find one.
Recommended by NHS (2025–26); CDC; European Resuscitation Council (2025).
Tie up blind cords and put bags away
Fit a cleat high up so cords and chains can't hang in loops, and keep cots and beds away from blinds. Keep plastic bags and nappy sacks out of reach.
What studies found: None measured; 9 children died from blind-cord strangulation in England in 2019–22. Evidence: National Child Mortality Database, via RoSPA. Recommended by NHS (2026); UK Office for Product Safety and Standards; RoSPA; CAPT.
Anchor heavy furniture and TVs to the wall
Use anti-tip straps or brackets on chests of drawers, bookcases, TV stands and flat-screen TVs. Children get crushed when they climb or pull on them.
What studies found: None measured; 155 children died when furniture or TVs tipped over in the US in 2013–23, two-thirds of them aged 1–3. Evidence: CPSC 2024. Recommended by CPSC Anchor It!; RoSPA.
Keep button batteries and magnets out of reach
Choose toys and gadgets with screw-shut battery covers and store batteries up high. If you think your child swallowed one, go to hospital straight away.
What studies found: None measured; at least 2 UK children a year die after swallowing a button battery. Evidence: CAPT, via the UK Office for Product Safety and Standards. Recommended by NHS (2025–26); UK Office for Product Safety and Standards; CAPT.
Cut grapes and small round foods into quarters
Until at least their fifth birthday: no whole nuts or popcorn, and stay with them while they eat. Keep coins, marbles and small toy parts away from under-3s.
Recommended by NHS (2026); CAPT; RoSPA.
Fit smoke alarms and test them monthly
At least one on every floor; ten-year sealed-battery alarms are best. Keep matches and lighters out of your child's sight and reach.
What studies found: People are about 8 times as likely to die in a home fire without a working smoke alarm; with working alarms, the home-fire death rate is about 60% lower. Evidence: UK Home Office; NFPA 2024 (US, 2018–22). Recommended by UK Home Office, Fire safety in the home (2022); NFPA.
Gun at home? Lock it unloaded, ammunition apart
Keep the key or code from your child. Where they visit, ask whether there's an unlocked gun in the house.
If you or someone you love is struggling, call Die Dargebotene Hand on 143 (a small charge per call) — confidential, any time.
What studies found: Keeping guns locked, and keeping them unloaded, each came with about 70% fewer shootings of a young person with a gun from home, mostly suicide attempts. Evidence: Grossman, JAMA 2005, case-control: locked OR 0.27, unloaded OR 0.30. Recommended by CDC (2024); WHO LIVE LIFE (2021).
Keep your child's vaccines on schedule
Vaccines protect best on time, starting in the first weeks, and missed doses can usually be caught up. Check their record with their doctor or nurse.
What studies found: Two doses of measles vaccine are 97% effective. Evidence: CDC. Recommended by National schedules; ECDC Vaccine Scheduler (2026); NHS; STIKO; CDC.
Make sure your baby gets the MenB vaccine
MenB bacteria cause meningitis and sepsis, mostly in babies; the vaccine starts in the first months, with a booster around age 1.
What studies found: In England's first 3 years, fully eligible children had 75% fewer MenB cases: about 277 cases prevented. Evidence: NEJM 2020. Recommended by NHS (2024); STIKO (2026); BAG (2026); ECDC Vaccine Scheduler (2026).
Know the signs your child is seriously ill
Call your emergency number if they breathe very fast or their tummy sucks in, turn blue, grey or blotchy, have a rash that doesn't fade under a glass, are floppy or hard to wake, or haven't had a wee for 12 hours. Trust your instincts, even at night.
What studies found: No trial has tested knowing the signs; in 130 children with sepsis, those who got antibiotics after more than 3 hours were much more likely to die. Evidence: Observational study, 130 children: antibiotics after 3 hours, 3.9× the odds of dying. Recommended by NHS (2026); UK Sepsis Trust; WHO.
Learn what to do if your child has a fit
Between 6 months and 6 years a high temperature can cause a fit: cushion their head, move hard objects away, put nothing in their mouth and turn them on their side when it stops. Call your emergency number if it's their first, lasts over 5 minutes, or they struggle to breathe or wake.
Recommended by NHS (2023); CDC (2024).
Epilepsy? Agree a seizure care plan
Agree with their epilepsy team what to do in a seizure, when to give rescue medicine and when to call for help, and share it with school. Ask about sudden death in epilepsy (SUDEP) and, if they have seizures in their sleep, night-time monitoring.
What studies found: Sudden death in epilepsy strikes about 1 in 4,500 children with epilepsy a year; it was less than half as likely when someone was nearby at night. Evidence: Case-control study: night-time supervision, odds 0.4. Recommended by NHS (2025); AAN/AES (2017).
Epilepsy? Keep them safe in water
Give showers rather than baths, and let them swim only with an adult who knows and stays close.
What studies found: Across 51 studies, people with epilepsy were 15–19 times as likely to drown. Evidence: Neurology 2008, 51 cohorts. Recommended by NHS; CDC.
Steps against the other risks at this age (16)
Stay with them every moment in the bath
Babies and toddlers can drown silently in a few centimetres of water, and a bath seat isn't a safety device. Empty baths, buckets and paddling pools straight after use.
What studies found: None measured; in the US, 3 in 4 drownings of babies under 1 happen in the bath. Evidence: CDC. Recommended by NHS; RoSPA; CDC.
Watch them every moment in and near water
Keep young children within arm's reach and your phone away. Swimming lessons don't make a child drown-proof.
What studies found: None measured; in the US, drowning kills more children aged 1–4 than any other cause. Evidence: CDC. Recommended by CDC (2025); CPSC Pool Safely; RoSPA.
Have a pool? Fence it on all sides
A fence at least 1.2 m high on all four sides, between the house and the pool, with a self-closing, self-latching gate. An alarm only warns you.
What studies found: A fence around a pool cut a child's risk of drowning or nearly drowning by about three-quarters. Evidence: Cochrane 2000, case-control studies: 73% lower odds. Recommended by CDC; CPSC; French law 2003-9.
Going boating? Put a life jacket on them
One that fits their weight, on every boat trip and when playing in open water. Armbands and inflatables aren't safety devices.
What studies found: Almost 9 in 10 people who drowned in US boating accidents in 2024 wore no life jacket. Evidence: US Coast Guard: 87%. Recommended by CDC; US Coast Guard; 33 CFR 175.15.
Vaccinate your child against tick-borne encephalitisFrom 3
Where ticks carry this brain infection, children can be vaccinated from age 1 (from 3 in some countries), with boosters to stay protected. Start in winter, before the tick season. Where you live it's generally given from age 3.
What studies found: About 91% effective in Swiss children and teenagers. Evidence: Eurosurveillance 2024, case-control: 90.8%. Recommended by Impfplan Österreich; BAG; STIKO; Folkhälsomyndigheten; SPKC (LV); ECDC Vaccine Scheduler (2026).
Long-term condition? Ask about extra vaccines
Children with asthma needing steroids, heart, lung, kidney or liver disease, diabetes, a weak immune system or spleen problems should have a flu vaccine every autumn from 6 months. Ask their doctor about COVID-19, pneumococcal and meningitis vaccines too.
What studies found: More than half of the 280 US children who died of flu in 2024–25 had a long-term condition. Evidence: CDC: 56%. Recommended by NHS; STIKO (2026); ECDC Vaccine Scheduler (2026); CDC; NACI.
Born early? Keep every follow-up check
If your baby was born before 32 weeks, or early with complications, keep every check of their growth and development after they come home. Their vaccines follow the usual dates from birth; ask about RSV protection each winter.
What studies found: Early developmental support after leaving hospital raised IQ scores at preschool age; no effect on deaths was measured. Evidence: Cochrane 2024. Recommended by European Standards of Care for Newborn Health (EFCNI, 2018); UKHSA Green Book; NHS.
Keep their car seat rear-facing as long as possible
At least to 15 months and as long as the seat allows, in the back, never in front of an active airbag. Then a harnessed forward-facing seat until they outgrow it.
What studies found: Compared with no restraint, car seats cut crash deaths by 71% in babies and 54% at ages 1–4. Evidence: NHTSA. Recommended by CDC (2026); NHTSA; UK law (R129) and Highway Code r.101; European Commission.
Use a booster seat until the belt fitsFrom 4
Most children need one until about 10–12, often past the legal minimum. Keep them in the back seat until they're 13.
What studies found: Studies disagree: in one US study, booster seats meant 45% fewer injuries than a seat belt alone at ages 4–8; a review of 11 studies found no clear difference. Evidence: Arbogast 2009, cited by CDC; Asbridge 2018, review of 11 observational studies. Recommended by CDC (2026); NHTSA; national laws.
Put a helmet on them for every ride
On bikes and in bike seats, on scooters and e-scooters, and a motorcycle helmet on a moped. It should meet safety standards, sit level and be fastened.
What studies found: Across 55 studies, helmets cut serious head injury in crashes by 60%, as much in children as in adults. Evidence: Høye 2018, 55 studies. Recommended by European Commission; UK Highway Code r.59, r.83; NHTSA.
Hold their hand near roads
Walk between them and the traffic, and practise crossing together. Children can't judge the speed and distance of traffic well until about 8–10.
What studies found: None measured on injuries; a third of children killed on EU roads were on foot. Evidence: Cochrane 2002; ERSO 2023. Recommended by UK Highway Code r.4, r.7; European Commission (ERSO).
Fit window restrictors and move furniture away
They should stop windows opening more than 6.5 cm; keep the key where adults can find it in a fire. Keep beds, sofas and toy boxes away from windows, and lock balcony doors.
What studies found: After New York City's window-guard programme, reported falls of children in the Bronx halved within two years. Evidence: Before/after study, 1977. Recommended by NHS (2026); RoSPA; CAPT; NYC Health.
Know the 4 Ts of type 1 diabetes
Toilet (peeing more, heavy nappies, bedwetting), Thirsty, Tired, Thinner: ask for an urgent appointment and a finger-prick test. With fast breathing, tummy pain, vomiting or drowsiness, call your emergency number.
What studies found: After awareness campaigns, the share of children already seriously ill (ketoacidosis) when diagnosed fell from 78% to 12.5% in Parma and from 28% to 16% in Stuttgart. Evidence: Before/after studies (Parma; Stuttgart). Recommended by NHS (2024).
Lock medicines and cleaning products up and away
That includes vitamins, laundry and dishwasher capsules and vape refills; put them back after every use. Child-resistant caps only slow children down.
What studies found: Child-resistant packaging cut US deaths of under-5s from swallowed medicines by about 45%; home-safety advice got more families storing medicines safely, but no fall in poisonings was shown. Evidence: Rodgers 1996; Cochrane 2012. Recommended by NHS (2026); CDC (Up and Away); CAPT.
Save your poison centre's number
Keep it in your phone. If someone is unconscious or struggling to breathe, call the emergency number. Where you live: Tox Info Suisse: 145, any time.
What studies found: Advice made families more likely to have the number to hand; no effect on deaths was measured. Evidence: Cochrane 2012: number to hand OR 3.30. Recommended by National poison centres.
Asthma? Get a yearly review and written plan
A written action plan, checked at a yearly review and after any attack, tells you and their school which inhaler to use when. If an attack gets worse or the reliever isn't helping, call your emergency number.
What studies found: Asthma education for children at risk cut emergency visits by about a quarter and hospital admissions by about a fifth. Evidence: Cochrane 2009: emergency visits RR 0.73, admissions RR 0.79. Recommended by NHS (2025); RCP National Review of Asthma Deaths (2014).
Ages 5–9
In a year, 1 in 12,992 children aged 5–9 in Switzerland die.
What children aged 5–9 most often die of, and what helps
Each cause’s share of deaths at this age, then the steps that help most against it.
Brain cancer
17%Know the signs of childhood cancer
Bruising or bleeding for no reason, or a white glow in their eye, needs an urgent appointment. Paleness and tiredness, fevers or infections that keep coming back, swollen glands or a swollen tummy, bone pain, or morning headaches with vomiting need a doctor soon, and go back if they last.
What studies found: After a UK awareness campaign, the typical time to diagnose a child's brain tumour fell from 14 weeks to under 7. Evidence: Neuro-Oncology 2016 (before/after): median 14 → 6.7 weeks. Recommended by NHS; The Brain Tumour Charity (formerly HeadSmart).
Go to every child health checkUp to 6
Routine check-ups find heart, hip, eye, hearing and development problems early, and most vaccines are given at them. Take their health record and ask when the next one is due. In Switzerland: the preschool check-ups, covered by basic insurance.
What studies found: None measured for routine visits themselves. Recommended by National child health programmes (G-BA, service-public.fr, pacjent.gov.pl, NHS, CMS and others).
Heart condition from birth? Keep every check-up
Keep every heart appointment even when they seem well, and regular dental check-ups. In their teens, plan the move to an adult congenital heart team so care never lapses.
What studies found: In a study of 158 people, those whose care lapsed for 2 years or more were about 3 times as likely to need urgent heart treatment. Evidence: Cohort, 158 people: 3.1×. Recommended by NHS (2025); ESC (2020).
Keep your child's vaccines on schedule
Vaccines protect best on time, starting in the first weeks, and missed doses can usually be caught up. Check their record with their doctor or nurse.
What studies found: Two doses of measles vaccine are 97% effective. Evidence: CDC. Recommended by National schedules; ECDC Vaccine Scheduler (2026); NHS; STIKO; CDC.
Know the signs of sepsis and meningitis
Call your emergency number if your child breathes very fast, is confused, has blue, pale or blotchy skin, a rash that doesn't fade under a glass, or a stiff neck with a bad headache. Don't wait for a rash: ask "Could this be sepsis?"
What studies found: No trial has tested knowing the signs; in 130 children with sepsis, those who got antibiotics after more than 3 hours were much more likely to die. Evidence: Observational study, 130 children: antibiotics after 3 hours, 3.9× the odds of dying. Recommended by NHS (2026); UK Sepsis Trust; Meningitis Now.
Learn what to do if your child has a fitUp to 6
Between 6 months and 6 years a high temperature can cause a fit: cushion their head, move hard objects away, put nothing in their mouth and turn them on their side when it stops. Call your emergency number if it's their first, lasts over 5 minutes, or they struggle to breathe or wake.
Recommended by NHS (2023); CDC (2024).
Epilepsy? Agree a seizure care plan
Agree with their epilepsy team what to do in a seizure, when to give rescue medicine and when to call for help, and share it with school. Ask about sudden death in epilepsy (SUDEP) and, if they have seizures in their sleep, night-time monitoring.
What studies found: Sudden death in epilepsy strikes about 1 in 4,500 children with epilepsy a year; it was less than half as likely when someone was nearby at night. Evidence: Case-control study: night-time supervision, odds 0.4. Recommended by NHS (2025); AAN/AES (2017).
Epilepsy? Keep them safe in water
Give showers rather than baths, and let them swim only with an adult who knows and stays close.
What studies found: Across 51 studies, people with epilepsy were 15–19 times as likely to drown. Evidence: Neurology 2008, 51 cohorts. Recommended by NHS; CDC.
Vaccinate your child against tick-borne encephalitis
Where ticks carry this brain infection, children can be vaccinated from age 1 (from 3 in some countries), with boosters to stay protected. Start in winter, before the tick season. Where you live it's generally given from age 3.
What studies found: About 91% effective in Swiss children and teenagers. Evidence: Eurosurveillance 2024, case-control: 90.8%. Recommended by Impfplan Österreich; BAG; STIKO; Folkhälsomyndigheten; SPKC (LV); ECDC Vaccine Scheduler (2026).
Long-term condition? Ask about extra vaccines
Children with asthma needing steroids, heart, lung, kidney or liver disease, diabetes, a weak immune system or spleen problems should have a flu vaccine every autumn from 6 months. Ask their doctor about COVID-19, pneumococcal and meningitis vaccines too.
What studies found: More than half of the 280 US children who died of flu in 2024–25 had a long-term condition. Evidence: CDC: 56%. Recommended by NHS; STIKO (2026); ECDC Vaccine Scheduler (2026); CDC; NACI.
Homicide
5.7%
Steps against the other risks at this age (16)
Use a booster seat until the belt fits
Most children need one until about 10–12, often past the legal minimum. Keep them in the back seat until they're 13.
What studies found: Studies disagree: in one US study, booster seats meant 45% fewer injuries than a seat belt alone at ages 4–8; a review of 11 studies found no clear difference. Evidence: Arbogast 2009, cited by CDC; Asbridge 2018, review of 11 observational studies. Recommended by CDC (2026); NHTSA; national laws.
Put a helmet on them for every ride
On bikes and in bike seats, on scooters and e-scooters, and a motorcycle helmet on a moped. It should meet safety standards, sit level and be fastened.
What studies found: Across 55 studies, helmets cut serious head injury in crashes by 60%, as much in children as in adults. Evidence: Høye 2018, 55 studies. Recommended by European Commission; UK Highway Code r.59, r.83; NHTSA.
Hold their hand near roads
Walk between them and the traffic, and practise crossing together. Children can't judge the speed and distance of traffic well until about 8–10.
What studies found: None measured on injuries; a third of children killed on EU roads were on foot. Evidence: Cochrane 2002; ERSO 2023. Recommended by UK Highway Code r.4, r.7; European Commission (ERSO).
Learn baby and child first aid
A short course shows you what to do if they choke, stop breathing or are badly hurt. Ask your doctor or the Red Cross where to find one.
Recommended by NHS (2025–26); CDC; European Resuscitation Council (2025).
Anchor heavy furniture and TVs to the wallUp to 8
Use anti-tip straps or brackets on chests of drawers, bookcases, TV stands and flat-screen TVs. Children get crushed when they climb or pull on them.
What studies found: None measured; 155 children died when furniture or TVs tipped over in the US in 2013–23, two-thirds of them aged 1–3. Evidence: CPSC 2024. Recommended by CPSC Anchor It!; RoSPA.
Fit smoke alarms and test them monthly
At least one on every floor; ten-year sealed-battery alarms are best. Keep matches and lighters out of your child's sight and reach.
What studies found: People are about 8 times as likely to die in a home fire without a working smoke alarm; with working alarms, the home-fire death rate is about 60% lower. Evidence: UK Home Office; NFPA 2024 (US, 2018–22). Recommended by UK Home Office, Fire safety in the home (2022); NFPA.
Save your poison centre's number
Keep it in your phone. If someone is unconscious or struggling to breathe, call the emergency number. Where you live: Tox Info Suisse: 145, any time.
What studies found: Advice made families more likely to have the number to hand; no effect on deaths was measured. Evidence: Cochrane 2012: number to hand OR 3.30. Recommended by National poison centres.
Asthma? Get a yearly review and written plan
A written action plan, checked at a yearly review and after any attack, tells you and their school which inhaler to use when. If an attack gets worse or the reliever isn't helping, call your emergency number.
What studies found: Asthma education for children at risk cut emergency visits by about a quarter and hospital admissions by about a fifth. Evidence: Cochrane 2009: emergency visits RR 0.73, admissions RR 0.79. Recommended by NHS (2025); RCP National Review of Asthma Deaths (2014).
Gun at home? Lock it unloaded, ammunition apart
Keep the key or code from your child. Where they visit, ask whether there's an unlocked gun in the house.
If you or someone you love is struggling, call Die Dargebotene Hand on 143 (a small charge per call) — confidential, any time.
What studies found: Keeping guns locked, and keeping them unloaded, each came with about 70% fewer shootings of a young person with a gun from home, mostly suicide attempts. Evidence: Grossman, JAMA 2005, case-control: locked OR 0.27, unloaded OR 0.30. Recommended by CDC (2024); WHO LIVE LIFE (2021).
Watch them every moment in and near water
Keep young children within arm's reach and your phone away. Swimming lessons don't make a child drown-proof.
What studies found: None measured; in the US, drowning kills more children aged 1–4 than any other cause. Evidence: CDC. Recommended by CDC (2025); CPSC Pool Safely; RoSPA.
Sign them up for swimming lessonsFrom 6
WHO recommends swimming and water-safety lessons for every child from 6, and younger children can start when they're ready. Keep watching them in the water anyway.
What studies found: In a large programme in rural Bangladesh, swimming lessons with water-safety training cut the risk of drowning by 93%. Evidence: WHO 2021 guideline, moderate certainty. Recommended by WHO guideline (2021, strong recommendation); CDC; England's national curriculum.
Teach them the dangers of open waterFrom 8
Lifeguarded pools and beaches are safest; rivers and lakes hide cold water and currents. If they fall in, they should float on their back and call for help.
What studies found: None measured; in the US, over 40% of drownings at ages 5–14 happen in natural water. Evidence: CDC. Recommended by RoSPA; CAPT; CDC.
Going boating? Put a life jacket on them
One that fits their weight, on every boat trip and when playing in open water. Armbands and inflatables aren't safety devices.
What studies found: Almost 9 in 10 people who drowned in US boating accidents in 2024 wore no life jacket. Evidence: US Coast Guard: 87%. Recommended by CDC; US Coast Guard; 33 CFR 175.15.
Know the 4 Ts of type 1 diabetes
Toilet (peeing more, heavy nappies, bedwetting), Thirsty, Tired, Thinner: ask for an urgent appointment and a finger-prick test. With fast breathing, tummy pain, vomiting or drowsiness, call your emergency number.
What studies found: After awareness campaigns, the share of children already seriously ill (ketoacidosis) when diagnosed fell from 78% to 12.5% in Parma and from 28% to 16% in Stuttgart. Evidence: Before/after studies (Parma; Stuttgart). Recommended by NHS (2024).
Fainting during exercise? Get it checked at once
If your child faints while exercising, call your emergency number; tell their doctor about fainting without warning, or chest pain or breathlessness on exercise. If a close relative died suddenly before 50, ask whether your child needs heart tests.
Recommended by NHS (2025–26).
Fit window restrictors and move furniture away
They should stop windows opening more than 6.5 cm; keep the key where adults can find it in a fire. Keep beds, sofas and toy boxes away from windows, and lock balcony doors.
What studies found: After New York City's window-guard programme, reported falls of children in the Bronx halved within two years. Evidence: Before/after study, 1977. Recommended by NHS (2026); RoSPA; CAPT; NYC Health.
Ages 10–14
In a year, 1 in 12,447 children aged 10–14 in Switzerland die.
What children aged 10–14 most often die of, and what helps
Each cause’s share of deaths at this age, then the steps that help most against it.
Keep your child's vaccines on schedule
Vaccines protect best on time, starting in the first weeks, and missed doses can usually be caught up. Check their record with their doctor or nurse.
What studies found: Two doses of measles vaccine are 97% effective. Evidence: CDC. Recommended by National schedules; ECDC Vaccine Scheduler (2026); NHS; STIKO; CDC.
Know the signs of sepsis and meningitis
Call your emergency number if your child breathes very fast, is confused, has blue, pale or blotchy skin, a rash that doesn't fade under a glass, or a stiff neck with a bad headache. Don't wait for a rash: ask "Could this be sepsis?"
What studies found: No trial has tested knowing the signs; in 130 children with sepsis, those who got antibiotics after more than 3 hours were much more likely to die. Evidence: Observational study, 130 children: antibiotics after 3 hours, 3.9× the odds of dying. Recommended by NHS (2026); UK Sepsis Trust; Meningitis Now.
Epilepsy? Agree a seizure care plan
Agree with their epilepsy team what to do in a seizure, when to give rescue medicine and when to call for help, and share it with school. Ask about sudden death in epilepsy (SUDEP) and, if they have seizures in their sleep, night-time monitoring.
What studies found: Sudden death in epilepsy strikes about 1 in 4,500 children with epilepsy a year; it was less than half as likely when someone was nearby at night. Evidence: Case-control study: night-time supervision, odds 0.4. Recommended by NHS (2025); AAN/AES (2017).
Epilepsy? Keep them safe in water
Give showers rather than baths, and let them swim only with an adult who knows and stays close.
What studies found: Across 51 studies, people with epilepsy were 15–19 times as likely to drown. Evidence: Neurology 2008, 51 cohorts. Recommended by NHS; CDC.
Brain cancer
18%Know the signs of childhood cancer
Bruising or bleeding for no reason, or a white glow in their eye, needs an urgent appointment. Paleness and tiredness, fevers or infections that keep coming back, swollen glands or a swollen tummy, bone pain, or morning headaches with vomiting need a doctor soon, and go back if they last.
What studies found: After a UK awareness campaign, the typical time to diagnose a child's brain tumour fell from 14 weeks to under 7. Evidence: Neuro-Oncology 2016 (before/after): median 14 → 6.7 weeks. Recommended by NHS; The Brain Tumour Charity (formerly HeadSmart).
Use a booster seat until the belt fitsUp to 12
Most children need one until about 10–12, often past the legal minimum. Keep them in the back seat until they're 13.
What studies found: Studies disagree: in one US study, booster seats meant 45% fewer injuries than a seat belt alone at ages 4–8; a review of 11 studies found no clear difference. Evidence: Arbogast 2009, cited by CDC; Asbridge 2018, review of 11 observational studies. Recommended by CDC (2026); NHTSA; national laws.
Make sure they buckle up on every tripFrom 12
In every seat, front or back, however short the trip, in friends' cars too.
What studies found: Seat belts cut the risk of death by 60% in front seats and 44% in back seats; more than half of US teens killed in cars in 2020 wore none. Evidence: EU meta-analysis (European Commission); CDC: 56%. Recommended by CDC; UK Highway Code r.99–100; European Commission.
Put a helmet on them for every ride
On bikes and in bike seats, on scooters and e-scooters, and a motorcycle helmet on a moped. It should meet safety standards, sit level and be fastened.
What studies found: Across 55 studies, helmets cut serious head injury in crashes by 60%, as much in children as in adults. Evidence: Høye 2018, 55 studies. Recommended by European Commission; UK Highway Code r.59, r.83; NHTSA.
Agree they never ride with a drunk driverFrom 12
Or with a driver who has taken drugs. Promise to collect them any time, no questions asked.
For young people: call 147 (free, any time). For you: find a free line at findahelpline.com.
What studies found: None measured; 1 in 6 US high-school students had ridden with a driver who'd been drinking in the past 30 days. Evidence: CDC (2025): 16.7%. Recommended by NHTSA.
Keep their childhood alcohol-free, and talk about it
Start talking by about age 9 and set clear rules: not drinking at all is healthiest for under-18s. Alcohol plays a part in many young people's deaths on roads, in water and from poisoning.
For young people: call 147 (free, any time). For you: find a free line at findahelpline.com.
What studies found: None measured for a parent's talk; family programmes showed no clear effect on teen drinking. Evidence: Cochrane 2019. Recommended by Chief Medical Officer for England (2009); NIAAA.
Heart condition from birth? Keep every check-up
Keep every heart appointment even when they seem well, and regular dental check-ups. In their teens, plan the move to an adult congenital heart team so care never lapses.
What studies found: In a study of 158 people, those whose care lapsed for 2 years or more were about 3 times as likely to need urgent heart treatment. Evidence: Cohort, 158 people: 3.1×. Recommended by NHS (2025); ESC (2020).
Vaccinate your child against tick-borne encephalitis
Where ticks carry this brain infection, children can be vaccinated from age 1 (from 3 in some countries), with boosters to stay protected. Start in winter, before the tick season. Where you live it's generally given from age 3.
What studies found: About 91% effective in Swiss children and teenagers. Evidence: Eurosurveillance 2024, case-control: 90.8%. Recommended by Impfplan Österreich; BAG; STIKO; Folkhälsomyndigheten; SPKC (LV); ECDC Vaccine Scheduler (2026).
Long-term condition? Ask about extra vaccines
Children with asthma needing steroids, heart, lung, kidney or liver disease, diabetes, a weak immune system or spleen problems should have a flu vaccine every autumn from 6 months. Ask their doctor about COVID-19, pneumococcal and meningitis vaccines too.
What studies found: More than half of the 280 US children who died of flu in 2024–25 had a long-term condition. Evidence: CDC: 56%. Recommended by NHS; STIKO (2026); ECDC Vaccine Scheduler (2026); CDC; NACI.
Steps against the other risks at this age (17)
Get your child the HPV vaccineFrom 11
Given to girls and boys before their teens, it prevents the virus behind cervical cancer and some throat, anal and genital cancers. If they missed it, ask about catch-up. Where you live it's given at 11–14.
What studies found: Girls vaccinated before 17 had a 79% lower risk of invasive cervical cancer over up to 18 years (926,362 women in Sweden). Evidence: BMJ 2026 (Sweden, 926,362 women). Recommended by ECDC Vaccine Scheduler (2026); NHS; CDC; STIKO; PHAC; BAG.
Talk with your child often, and really listen
Make it safe for them to tell you anything: listen more than you speak, without judging. Time together every day helps protect their mental health.
For young people: call 147 (free, any time). For you: call Die Dargebotene Hand on 143 (a small charge per call) — confidential, any time.
Recommended by NHS (2023); WHO LIVE LIFE (2021).
Low or withdrawn for weeks? See their doctor
Watch for changes in mood, sleep, eating, friends or school, and don't wait for them to come to you. Depression in young people is treatable, and talking therapies help.
For young people: call 147 (free, any time). For you: call Die Dargebotene Hand on 143 (a small charge per call) — confidential, any time.
What studies found: In 4 trials, talking therapy eased depression in children and teenagers. Evidence: USPSTF 2022 review, 4 trials: SMD −0.58. Recommended by NHS (2023).
Worried? Ask your child directly about suicide
Asking doesn't put the idea in their head; it helps them talk. If they say yes, get help the same day: their doctor, a helpline or your emergency number.
For young people: call 147 (free, any time). For you: call Die Dargebotene Hand on 143 (a small charge per call) — confidential, any time.
What studies found: In a trial of 2,342 high-school students, being asked about suicide didn't raise suicidal thoughts, and students at risk were less distressed. Evidence: Gould, JAMA 2005: suicidal thoughts 4.7% vs 3.9%. Recommended by WHO LIVE LIFE (2021); CDC (2026); NHS (2024).
Lock away medicines, and alcohol too
Out of sight isn't secure: use a lockbox, and never share prescriptions.
For young people: call 147 (free, any time). For you: call Die Dargebotene Hand on 143 (a small charge per call) — confidential, any time.
What studies found: None shown: we give no figures on methods, following WHO media guidance. Recommended by CDC (2026); WHO LIVE LIFE (2021); NHS.
Gun at home? Lock it unloaded, ammunition apart
Keep the key or code from your child. Where they visit, ask whether there's an unlocked gun in the house.
For young people: call 147 (free, any time). For you: call Die Dargebotene Hand on 143 (a small charge per call) — confidential, any time.
What studies found: Keeping guns locked, and keeping them unloaded, each came with about 70% fewer shootings of a young person with a gun from home, mostly suicide attempts. Evidence: Grossman, JAMA 2005, case-control: locked OR 0.27, unloaded OR 0.30. Recommended by CDC (2024); WHO LIVE LIFE (2021).
Know the 4 Ts of type 1 diabetes
Toilet (peeing more, heavy nappies, bedwetting), Thirsty, Tired, Thinner: ask for an urgent appointment and a finger-prick test. With fast breathing, tummy pain, vomiting or drowsiness, call your emergency number.
What studies found: After awareness campaigns, the share of children already seriously ill (ketoacidosis) when diagnosed fell from 78% to 12.5% in Parma and from 28% to 16% in Stuttgart. Evidence: Before/after studies (Parma; Stuttgart). Recommended by NHS (2024).
Fainting during exercise? Get it checked at once
If your child faints while exercising, call your emergency number; tell their doctor about fainting without warning, or chest pain or breathlessness on exercise. If a close relative died suddenly before 50, ask whether your child needs heart tests.
Recommended by NHS (2025–26).
Watch them every moment in and near waterUp to 11
Keep young children within arm's reach and your phone away. Swimming lessons don't make a child drown-proof.
What studies found: None measured; in the US, drowning kills more children aged 1–4 than any other cause. Evidence: CDC. Recommended by CDC (2025); CPSC Pool Safely; RoSPA.
Sign them up for swimming lessons
WHO recommends swimming and water-safety lessons for every child from 6, and younger children can start when they're ready. Keep watching them in the water anyway.
What studies found: In a large programme in rural Bangladesh, swimming lessons with water-safety training cut the risk of drowning by 93%. Evidence: WHO 2021 guideline, moderate certainty. Recommended by WHO guideline (2021, strong recommendation); CDC; England's national curriculum.
Teach them the dangers of open water
Lifeguarded pools and beaches are safest; rivers and lakes hide cold water and currents. If they fall in, they should float on their back and call for help.
What studies found: None measured; in the US, over 40% of drownings at ages 5–14 happen in natural water. Evidence: CDC. Recommended by RoSPA; CAPT; CDC.
Learn baby and child first aidUp to 11
A short course shows you what to do if they choke, stop breathing or are badly hurt. Ask your doctor or the Red Cross where to find one.
Recommended by NHS (2025–26); CDC; European Resuscitation Council (2025).
Talk about drugs, including fake pillsFrom 12
Pills bought online or from friends can look real but contain a deadly drug such as fentanyl. Stay calm, listen and stick to facts rather than scare tactics.
For young people: call 147 (free, any time). For you: find a free line at findahelpline.com.
Recommended by Health Canada (2024); NIDA (2026); FRANK.
Fit smoke alarms and test them monthly
At least one on every floor; ten-year sealed-battery alarms are best. Keep matches and lighters out of your child's sight and reach.
What studies found: People are about 8 times as likely to die in a home fire without a working smoke alarm; with working alarms, the home-fire death rate is about 60% lower. Evidence: UK Home Office; NFPA 2024 (US, 2018–22). Recommended by UK Home Office, Fire safety in the home (2022); NFPA.
Save your poison centre's number
Keep it in your phone. If someone is unconscious or struggling to breathe, call the emergency number. Where you live: Tox Info Suisse: 145, any time.
What studies found: Advice made families more likely to have the number to hand; no effect on deaths was measured. Evidence: Cochrane 2012: number to hand OR 3.30. Recommended by National poison centres.
Asthma? Get a yearly review and written plan
A written action plan, checked at a yearly review and after any attack, tells you and their school which inhaler to use when. If an attack gets worse or the reliever isn't helping, call your emergency number.
What studies found: Asthma education for children at risk cut emergency visits by about a quarter and hospital admissions by about a fifth. Evidence: Cochrane 2009: emergency visits RR 0.73, admissions RR 0.79. Recommended by NHS (2025); RCP National Review of Asthma Deaths (2014).
Going boating? Put a life jacket on them
One that fits their weight, on every boat trip and when playing in open water. Armbands and inflatables aren't safety devices.
What studies found: Almost 9 in 10 people who drowned in US boating accidents in 2024 wore no life jacket. Evidence: US Coast Guard: 87%. Recommended by CDC; US Coast Guard; 33 CFR 175.15.
Questions
- How common are child deaths in Switzerland?
- In a year, 1 in 7,667 children aged 1–4, 1 in 12,992 aged 5–9 and 1 in 12,447 aged 10–14 die. 1 in 301 babies die before their first birthday. That's from official Eurostat data, 2023, for boys and girls together.
- What do children in Switzerland most often die of?
- Under 1: complications around birth, congenital conditions and brain cancer. Ages 1–4: congenital conditions, brain cancer and other cancers. Ages 5–9: brain cancer, congenital conditions and other neurological disease. Ages 10–14: other neurological disease, brain cancer and road accidents.
- How can parents keep children safe in Switzerland?
- For babies: put your baby to sleep on their back. At 1–4: go to every child health check. At 5–9: know the signs of childhood cancer. At 10–14: keep your child's vaccines on schedule. Each age has its full list of steps on this page, from public-health guidance. Educational, not medical advice.
Where do these numbers come from?
From Eurostat’s official deaths and population for Switzerland, 2023, boys and girls together: the chance of dying in a year at each age, and each cause’s share of the deaths.
The steps are in our own words and name the bodies whose guidance each follows; none of them has reviewed or endorsed Odainn.
Population statistics, not a prediction for any child. Educational, not medical advice.
- Data
- Eurostat: deaths by cause (hlth_cd_aro) and population, 2023
- Licence
- © European Union, Eurostat — reuse authorised with acknowledgement of the source
- Made by
- Odainn, one method for every country and age
- Updated
- 20 October 2026
- Method
- How we calculate
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