Voting for South Australia’s cutest kindy kid has closed

From blindness to genetic disorders, meet some of South Australia’s kids who’ve been overcoming the odds since birth. Voting has now closed and the state’s cutest kindy kid will be announced soon.

Three finalists in The Advertiser’s cutest kindy kid competition. Pictures: Supplied

Voting has now closed in The Advertiser’s Cutest Kindy Kid Competition - our winner will be annoucned soon.

Meet some of the finalists in the running to be crowned South Australia’s cutest kindy kid competition with smiles and personalities that could win anyone over.

Proud parents and doting grandparents nominated their children who attended kindy in 2023 with more than 60 adorable finalists coming in from around the state.

Only one can be named the state’s cutest in The Advertiser’s Cutest Kindy Kid Competition.

The leading ten were Alexander, 5, Mount Barker, Alyssi, 4, Campbelltown, Caroline, 5, Prospect, Donnie, 4, Glenelg, Edward, 5, Westbourne Park, Grace, 5, Brinkworth, Henry, 5, Unley, Kali, 5, Whyalla, Koa, 5, Port Lincoln, Peter, 5, Unley.

SCROLL DOWN TO VOTE FOR SA’S CUTEST KINDY KID

But hold on, all cute finalists are still in the running to claim the title.

All you have to do is scroll down, select the child you want to vote for and click the cast your vote button.

Meet some of our finalists.

Koa’s family drives seven hours to see his pediatrician

Koa Munro is a finalist in the cutest kindy kid competition. Picture: Supplied

Koa Munro and his support dog Louie. Picture: Supplied

Born almost two months premature with Down syndrome, four-year-old Koa spent the start of his life in the Women’s and Children’s Hospital.

Port Lincoln locals Tamarra Munro and husband Damian camped out at a friend’s house in Adelaide, so they could visit Koa every day.

Now a kindy kid, Koa has a jam-packed schedule – shuttling between occupational therapy, hydrotherapy, medical check-ups and pediatric appointments.

His parents have since had two more children, who adore Koa as much as he adores them.

A golden retriever companion dog recently joined the family – and the two are inseparable.

“He has so much love to give,” the 31-year-old beauty therapist said.

Ms Munro works one day a week, so she can take Koa to his daily appointments – sometimes up to two a day plus

“Our specialist appointments with the pediatrician are still in Adelaide, because that’s where we started when he was born,” she said.

“It’s about a seven hour drive from Port Lincoln, so we try to book all our appointments together and stay for two days.”

Although the young family receives NDIS funding to support Koa, they take on much of the cost.

They make it work however they can, grateful for their “cheeky” firstborn, who has made huge strides since those early days in the NICE.

Adeleine discovered her partial blindness at kindy

Four-year-old Adeleine started wearing glasses a month ago to improve the vision loss in her left eye. Picture: Supplied

Adeleine was asked in a routine check-up to cover up her right eye and realised she could not see. Picture: Supplied

When 4-year-old Adeleine was asked to identify a set of pictures during a routine eye check-up offered by Child and Family Health Services (CaFHS) at her kindy, she was able to do so without a problem.

“But when they asked her to cover her right eye, they noticed she couldn’t see any of the pictures,” her mother Narelle Knot said.

“She just couldn’t see anything out of her left eye.”

The mother of three from Gawler East said her daughter was just a normal kid, who had never shown any signs of impaired vision.

“She is always the first to volunteer for a group activity, she’s commanded the swing set all year.”

After a follow-up optometrist appointment, Adeleine’s parents discovered she had only ever been able to see out of one eye – presumably since birth.

“It’s never affected her, she’s never told us or said anything about it.

“I think for her it was just normal.”

Now Adeleine wears glasses in an effort to strengthen the vision in her left eye.

“She has two pairs of glasses – a pink pair and one in rose gold,” Ms Knott said.

“She has to wear them all day, every day, so she chooses which ones she wants to wear in the morning – she actually loves it.”

Hazaiah loves Nana’s “magic wheelchair”

Wheel-chair bound Lucy Quix says grandson Hazaiah is the reason she fights to live. The five-year-old is a finalist in the Cutest Kindy Kids Competition. Picture: Supplied

Lucy Quix and grandson Hazaiah, who is a finalist in SA's cutest kindy kid competition. Picture: Supplied

When proud grandmother Lucy Quix nominated four-year-old grandson Hazaiah for SA’s cutest kindy kid competition, she wrote on her entry form, “He is the reason I fight to live.”

“He is a reminder of why I fight every day – to watch him grow up,” the Glenelg local said.

“I have a disability from a car accident in 2010 and over the years my health has deteriorated.

“I’ve been diagnosed with congestive heart failure, pulmonary fibrosis, metabolic acidosis, chronic electrolyte imbalance and many infections.

“I recently beat sepsis for the seventh time.”

Ms Quix was recently flown by the Royal Flying Doctor Service to Melbourne, where she underwent emergency heart surgery.

After two keyhole surgeries, bacteria infected her already vulnerable lungs and the 50-year-old had to be put on an IV for two months to receive antibiotics.

“Treatment is now life long,” she said.

The car accident, which has left the former forensic officer with left-sided paralysis, is the reason her immune system is so compromised.

But Ms Quix attributes her happiness to grandson Hazaiah.

“I recently got a new wheelchair and he calls it my “magic wheelchair” because it helps me to get into a standing position,” she said.

“He says, now I can “stand up like him”,” she said.

“Hazaiah shows me the world has no limits just because I’m in a wheelchair or bed-bound.

“We can laugh and play games, no matter how immobile I am.”

Among the finalists is Peter Livaditis, who is regularly stopped in public because of his resemblance to royalty.

Peter Livaditis, aged 5. Picture: Supplied

“We often get stopped in the supermarket because people think he resembles Prince George,” said his father Kosta Livaditis, who entered Peter in The Advertiser’s competition to crown South Australia’s cutest kindy kid.

Mum Vicki Livaditis said their five-year-old had been likened to the now second in line to the British throne since he was about 18 months old.

“He had a little chubby, round face and resembled Prince George when he was about that age,” Mrs Livaditis, 34, said.

Earlier this year, The Advertiser crowned SA’s cutest baby born so far in 2023, with Trott Park’s Isabella taking out the honour from almost 150 finalists, while two-year-old Giovanna Cannavo from Dernancourt was voted the state’s cutest toddler from more than 100 adorable finalists.

You must be a digital subscriber to vote in The Advertiser’s Cutest Kindy Kid Competition.

One only vote per subscriber will be recorded.

Voting closed at 9am on Friday, November 24. The winner will be revealed at a later date.