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CHILD
SAFETY TIPS
 How
to make your home safe for kids
Childproofing your home against unintentional injuries is essential. You have to
take special care and caution if your child is still a toddler. According to
surveys carried out by childcare associations it is seen that each year more
children die from avertable and callous injuries, which could have been easily
avoided if proper, care and caution was taken by parents than from all childhood
diseases combined. With foresight and action, you can help prevent accidents
like burns, cuts, falls, poisonings, drowning, choking, and other serious
injuries.
Following are a few tips to ensure the safety of your child:
1. Always keep small objects and toys with small
parts away from children under three. Children have a habit to put every thing
that they get on the floor in their mouth. Ensure that nothing is lying on the
floor especially things that can be harmful. Check labels on toy packages for
age-appropriateness before letting children play with the toys.
2. Never allow your child to play in the kitchen
and kitchen cabinets. Teach him that kitchen is not the place to play because by
establishing a cabinet as a play space, the child may feel all cabinets are play
spaces and so the child may want to play in the kitchen cabinet also which can
be very dangerous and risky.
3. Keep plastic bags completely out of children's
reach. Not only plastic bags but also all small plastic items should be removed
and kept away from the reach of children.
4. Also keep your purse and those of all guests,
out of children's reach.
5. Stay alert - remember: nothing takes the place
of close adult supervision. Make sure grandparents house and Crèche is also safe
for your child. No one regrets the time they spent taking precautions, only the
time they wish they'd spent.
6. Buy cabinet and drawer latches and locks. Also
buy toilet locks and make sure to lock the toilets when you are not around in
order to avoid accidents by drowning.
7. Don't store cleaning supplies under the sink,
even if it's locked.
8. Buy covers for electrical outlets. Children are
very curious and just might want to know what's there inside the hole and might
put their finger into it. Help prevent tots from putting fingers or objects into
the outlet thereby ensuring their safety.
9. Install security gates wherever necessary in
order to avoid untoward accidents. Use pressure gates only between rooms.
Install permanent gates at the tops and bottoms of stairs.
10. Face baby away from the valve when he's in the
tub. Cover cold- and hot-water handles to prevent child from turning on water.
11. Use stove guard to prevent your child from
reaching or touching the stove.
12. Use wall hook to hold long phone cords thus
keeping them out of children's reach.
13. Avoid having open wiring done at places, which
are within your child's reach.
14. Always keep the front door closed so that your
child doesn't wander outside all alone.
 Keeping kids safe when they're alone in
the house
In
today's modern world, it has become important for both husband and wife to work
in order to provide the family of all basic necessities. Hence the child is
either left with babysitters or with grandparents. However it is not possible
for every parent to leave their child in the supervision or control of
caregivers and hence if the child is left alone at home it becomes necessary to
teach the child certain basic things so that he can take care of himself when he
is home alone. There's a lot of stress involved in leaving your children alone.
That's where coaching and teaching comes in.
When it comes to a child's safety, the home can be a dangerous place. In fact,
reports estimate that among children between the age group of 14 years and
younger, 50 percent of deaths and 45 percent of nonfatal, accidental injuries
occur at home.
Deciding whether your child is grown up and mature enough to stay alone at home
without any adult supervision is a tough decision to make. It is always good to
let your child take care of himself and you should always teach him to never be
dependent on anyone, but remember that your child's safety comes first. Thus
when determining whether or not your child is ready to stay home alone, assess
the child individually, not just as part of an overall age group. Generally a
child develops mentally to stay home alone at the age of 12 or 13 but it varies
from child to child. Children develop at different rates, and parents must
consider each child individually.
 Parents
to consider questions when they decide to keep their kids alone at home
How long will I be gone?
If you are not working but have to occasionally go out to run some errands then
confirm whether your child is comfortable with the idea of staying alone at
home. A child who isn't quite ready to be alone from the time school's out to
when working parents get home might be ready to stay alone while a parent runs a
few quick errands.
Is my child emotionally ready?
Find out whether your child is emotionally ready to stay alone or not. Don't
impose anything on the child. If a child is afraid to be left alone, he or she
isn't ready and thus you have to give your child more time.
How
would my child react in an emergency?
Children need to know when and how to call for an emergency. Teach your child
how to operate fire extinguishers, and how to follow their family's fire escape
plan.
Does my child exercise good judgment?
Parents need to be confident and sure that their child will follow directions on
answering the telephone and door, on allowing playmates and strangers in the
house, on computer and television usage, and on getting along with siblings. If
your child is not confident enough to handle himself as well as take proper care
of the safety of the house then it is not time to leave your child alone at home
and you need to give more time to him.
 Lend emotional support to your child
Lending emotional support to your child even when you're away will help her feel
confident about your trust and concern. First have confidence in yourself that
your child can take care of himself/herself and always encourage him/her so that
he/she builds up his/her own confidence. Surprise your child with cheery notes
offering loving encouragement or thoughts on what a great kid you have. Always
tell them that you are proud of them and give your full encouragement in
whatever they do. If your child routinely stays at home after school until you
get home from work, ask him/her to call you every now and then to check in. Most
of all encourage your child to express any concerns she may have about staying
alone. If your child is not yet ready to stay alone at home and is not confident
about it then be patient with him/her. Don't impose anything upon your child. Be
frank with your child. Know his/her mind. If your child is shy and reserved and
is not able to speak out his/her mind then try to know his views and don't jump
to conclusions. Remember your child's safety is your ultimate concern and any
sacrifice is worth it.
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