Ten Safety Tips for Protecting Your Children April 29th, 2014
Once we have children, protecting their health and safety becomes a driving force in our lives. A home security system is an important part of that, but there are plenty of other steps we can take as well. From newborns to teenagers, these safety tips for children will help you keep your kids safe and secure.
1. Educate Your Children.
Knowledge is power, and it’s so important to give kids the knowledge they need to safely navigate the outside world. Children should know their home address and phone number, and should understand appropriate boundaries with strangers and other adults they don’t know. See Ten Play It Safe Rules at Safely Ever After for some examples.
2. Set up rules for Internet safety.
Children of all ages need to understand that people online aren’t always who they say they are, and to develop a healthy level of caution interacting with people online, including the importance of never giving out personal information.
3. Safely store dangerous items in the home.
Whether it’s prescription medication, firearms, or adult-only beverages, items that children can harm themselves with should be kept in inaccessible areas and locked away. Similarly, cabinets and electrical outlets should be baby-proofed once an infant reaches the crawling and toddling phases. Even ordinary items like nail polish, detergent, and household cleaners are dangerous to children and need to be inaccessible to them.
4. Guard against invisible threats.
Top-quality carbon monoxide sensors should be part of your home’s security system, alerting you if colorless, odorless (and deadly) carbon monoxide gas starts invading your home.
5. Invest in the right equipment.
Make sure you have car seats and booster seats for the car, helmets for bicycles, and the appropriate barriers for pools, hot tubs, and trampolines. Protective safety equipment is an important factor of safeguarding your children from injury.
6. Be especially cautious around fire.
Whether it’s the cozy fire in your fireplace, flickering candles for fragrance or holiday celebrations, or the burners on your stove, fire is useful but dangerous to the little ones. 24/7 monitoring for smoke and flame is essential, but it’s even better to prevent the smoke detectors from going off in the first place.
7. Never leave children alone near water.
Although it’s hard to believe, an unattended child can drown in just an inch of water. Always stay with small children during bath time, and take them with you if you have to get up to answer the door or get to a ringing phone. Be careful with other water sources like buckets, sinks, and hot water on the stove.
8. Educate yourself.
There is a wealth of resources available online on safety tips for protecting children, for every age of child, activity, and time of year. Start at Safe Kids Worldwide, a global organization dedicated to preventing injuries in children, for a comprehensive guide on everything from how to fit a bicycle helmet correctly to downloadable medication schedules. For more resources, you can also check out all the safety articles at parents.com or get more interactive with McGruff the Crime Dog.
9. Keep a fully-stocked first-aid kit in the house.
It should include not just bandages and basic antibiotic ointment, but also hand sanitizer, saline solution, and appropriate over-the-counter medications. The Mayo Clinic has a great list of first-aid kit supplies. Most importantly, make sure you understand how to use the supplies and how to treat common childhood ailments and injuries.
10. Check that your home security system is up-to-date.
There’s no substitute for the peace of mind that comes from knowing your family is protected with 24/7 monitoring for burglary, fire, and medical emergency. You might also want to consider investing in some of the newer home security technologies and service – you might be surprised to find out how easy it is to set up video camera surveillance to help you keep an eye on the kids in the backyard or when they’re home alone.
Fortress wants to be your partner in home safety and security. If we can help you safeguard your family and your children, just give us a call.
Posted in: Home Security Tips » by: Jerrod
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