Child safety is the primary concern of any parent. There are so many dangers that your child may encounter, you can never be too cautious in teaching them about safety. These tips will help keep your children safe, whether they are at home, school, or at play with friends.
1. Never talk to strangers. Of course, this is the most important child safety tip you can teach your kids. As soon as they are able to walk around without your constant supervision, you should be reinforcing the idea that they should never talk to any adult they do not know. On top of this, your children should know to never approach the vehicle of a stranger, especially if the stranger is trying to entice them with candy or toys.
2. Teach your child to make noise if they feel threatened by an adult. Simply yelling “help” or “stop” can attract attention to the situation and may startle the criminal or even cause them to run away. In addition to yelling, your child should run to the safety of the nearest adult he or she knows and can trust. You can also give your child a whistle or artificial noisemaker to give them a louder means of drawing attention to themselves.
3. Call 911 in any medical emergency. Show your child how to dial 911 on the telephone as soon as they are able to understand. Emphasize that they should call 911 if they are unsure if a situation is an emergency, not to call you. A child’s first instinct is often to seek their parents in an emergency because mom and dad can take care of everything. However, this wastes precious time if there is a medical emergency and someone is unconscious or bleeding. Chances are, you will not be able to do anything to help your child and will end up calling 911 yourself once you arrive at the scene.
4. Have a family plan in case of fire. House fires are one of the top threats to child safety in the home. Test your smoke alarms regularly and change the batteries at the first sign of any weakness. Install smoke alarms in each of your children’s bedrooms, along with in the communal rooms and hallways. Be sure your child understands what to do if they do wake up to the sound of the smoke alarm. Teach them to stay below the level of the smoke, to cover their nose and mouth when breathing, and to check for heat before opening any doors.
Have a designated place outside of the house for the entire family to meet up in case of evacuation. If you are forced to evacuate, make sure to do a headcount of all children and pets before moving on. This may seem obvious, but details like this are often overlooked in the heat of a crisis. Also, the basic child safety tip of “stop, drop, and roll” can save your child’ life if they are unfortunate enough to come in contact with any flames.
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