When it’s about the safety of a child, every parent in this world is worried. You can not be available each time when your kid needs you. The best way to keep your child safe is to teach general safety rules so your child will be prepared for any uncertainty. We should educate ourselves about safety measures for children to prevent any bad incidence at home or outside.
As you know children are the most vulnerable to different vices and harms. Because they are children makes it easy for them to be a target to the societal vices and harms. And more importantly you cannot put them in a box for safety.
Unlike in adults that can stand and speak for themselves, it is different in the case of children. For example, in child abuse they are threatened not to speak anybody.
Most parents are working class people and they don’t have much time to get hold of their kids’ activities on a constant basis.
Knowing that it is not easy for parents to always be there for the kids with their demanding jobs taking most of the time, is a reason why parents should educate and guide their kids on safety measures and escape plans they should apply in case of any emergency.
Here are some tips on safety measures the parents should carry out with their children to reduce the vulnerability of the kids:
10 Safety Measures for Children Every Parent Should Follow
(1) Parent and child secret code:
Parents should plan out a code or password that would be a secret between them and their kids. This code or password will be a gateway to get access to the kids by strangers. E.g when a parent is out from home and has an emergency message to relay to the kids at home or wants someone to pick up the kids at home or anyplace, the parent should tell the stranger to use a particular word or statement when getting their child.
And that particular word or statement is the secret code. In this way, the child would only respond to people that use the secret code.
(2) Installing security cameras:
Parents should endeavor to install security cameras in their home so when they are away from home, they can be able to monitor what happens at home. At least you can have a camera at the door to avoid any threat.
(3) List of the emergency contact list
As a parent, you should write down an emergency contact list and paste it at a reachable and visible place in the home. Also, educate the kids on what the emergency list is all about and when to use it. Maybe when they notice something weird or unusual happening in the house, then they call those people on the list.
(4) Don’t share information with strangers online:
Parents should advise their teenage children not to share personal information with people they meet online. Teenage girls are victims of these activities mostly.
This is why parents should have an intimate relationship with their children, and in that way, their children can share their personal matters like people they meet online.
(5) Teach about body safety
As a growing number of sexual abuse and bullying cases of kids over the years, it’s time to teach them body safety rules.
As a parent, you have to explain to them that they are no longer pressured to hug or kiss anyone. If your kid feels uncomfortable by touching, he/she should inform the parents first.
In some cases, children are assaulted by very close acquaintances and friends. And because parents trust these people and believe they can do nothing wrong if their children fail to listen to their child when they have complaints about this particular close family relative and friends.
So listening to your kids is also important. Don’t pressure your kids for any touch even a handshake if he/she doesn’t feel good.
Teaching about the body to your kids is the best safety measure you can provide in unpleasant circumstances and how to react and fight in such a situation.
(6) Traffic and Home Safety rules.
When your house is nearby a road, the constant fear comes when your children play outside. Teach them basic traffic safety rules like how to cross a road, where to play, how to check traffic signals and signs etc.
Children get bored easily at home and they always get themselves in trouble while playing inside the house or using other home appliances and gadgets.
You must teach your kid what type of electronic appliances they should not use and have an excellent setting to avoid any current or open electricity wires.
You can teach your kid basic first aid use as discussed in the next topic and also explain to them which products at home can harm them. For example, if you have any chemicals or extra medicine stock.
(7) Medical Emergency
The parent should have a family meeting with their children on how to respond to any medical emergency when they are not at home. This plan can be calling emergency contacts when something unusual happens at home.
Kids should be trained for basic first aid. Kids should know basic medicine if they cut or burn. It’s important to make them learn not to take any medicine without concern from the doctor or parents.
Medical safety rules should be followed and never ignored at home.
It can also be, teaching the kids on first aid measures they should use when something occurs at home or in public that demands the use of it.
Children are fast learners, so teaching them first aid measures to use for different problems would not be hard for them to learn.
(8) Train to respond any person or social threats
Bullying is common in school so every school mostly has a child counselor to help. With extensive use of the internet, the abusive and hatred responses on social media have also increased.
Parents should talk about this new crisis for their children’s safety. Make some rules for internet access and total time to spend on social media platforms.
Parents should discuss with their kids about how to respond to mean comments and bullying without being involved in any trouble. This safety measure for children, make sure your kid will not be trapped into online harassing and cheating cases.
(9) Emergency contact for school children:
Children that are in the age of going to school should be taught to memorize Emergency contact, addresses, or home numbers to call when in trouble or lost on the way to school. The emergency contact can be that of trusted relatives, grandparents e.t.c They should call when in trouble.
(10) Train to say “NO”
Children are victims of peer pressures and can do anything when they are pressured to do so. As a parent you should have quality conversations with your kids, telling them that it is okay to say “NO” to something they feel wrong about.
Tell them it is okay to discuss with you as a parent when they feel pressured to do something. Most pressures can be removing their clothes in public, sending their nude pictures to their friends, releasing personal information, and many others. If children are not guided on how to handle external pressures. Their safety will be in danger.
How to prepare your child for any emergency?
Above are 10 safety measures you can carry out as a parent or guardian with a child. Children of different age are major victims of different vices that is why safety measures should be planned to avoid the harm of any kind from reaching the children,
A child’s brain is delicate and not mature enough to handle emotional traumas and that is why they after effect of these vices and harms hits them most. The children are the future of tomorrow and so should be adequately looked after with high measures.
This Content has originally written by Comfort Amaechi and published on September 5, 2020. No Copyright/IPR breach is intended. Click Here to read Original.