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5 tips to keep your kids safe
Posted by ZuLaiShah in Information/Knowledge, Parenting Hood on Wednesday, January 26, 2011
All mommies and daddies!!!
Please take a good care of your children. It's not easy to raise them from pregnancy till adult. Make sure all worth it. Please don't let other people hurting them.
There are some tips from this article I read:
Safety tips at home
1) Don't leave your child alone at home.
If both you and your spouse are working full-time or have to be away, arrange for someone else to be at home to receive the children when they return from school. Alternatively, have them sent to a relative's house or even the neighbour. Preferably, let your child be in a place / home where there is a responsible and trustworthy adult to supervise. Anything can happen if your child is alone at home – think: Fire, burglary, kidnap, rape.
2) Entrusting your child with the house keys.
It's great to hand the house keys to your child but that is a big responsibility and children easily misplace items and might not even realise it for a long time. A child who has lost the house keys might not want to inform you, knowing how upset you will be. How do you know whose hands those keys will fall into?
3) Get a good and responsible bus driver or transport person for your child.
If you're getting a school bus or someone to pick up your child and send him home, be wary about who you choose and how safe they are. A bus that doesn't wait for your child to step into the home or one that drops off your child a bit farther from the home for their convenience is not ideal. In that one minute of walking from the bus to the safety of home, anyone can nab your child.
4) Lock up, secure your home.
Always ensure the front and inside gates are locked once you're home. Ensure your whole family does this. Do not assume that your family is safe because the external gate is locked. It may be low enough for an intruder to jump over. A busy household might seem safe and you might be tempted to leave the gates unlocked, but it is also in busy places that you don't notice when a small child goes missing. Better to be safe than sorry.
5) Don't talk to strangers.
If people turn up at your door or gate, don't be so quick to unlock the gate and door. They can hear you just as well from inside with both gates locked. And if they don't have a permit for selling, soliciting or getting information, they have no business with you and your family.
Safety tips on the street and in the park
1) Don't plug in or wear a hoodie.
Our ears and our eyes are our best sensors to keep us alert of who and what is around us. Train your children not to plug in or wear anything that covers their ears when they're out and about. Also, teach them to stay alert for footsteps and movement around them. If they think someone is following them, they should run to safety. If someone tries to nab them, they need to scream, shout, scratch, bite, kick and do anything and everything to break free, then run to a safe place.
2) Know your route.
Remind your children to never go to unsafe places – dark and lonely roads. Stick to places and roads with more people and always know “safe places” they can run into along the way – police stations, hospitals, crowded shops, friendly and “safe” households.
3) Walk on the inside.
Remind your child not to walk near the road when walking on the pavement. They should walk as far inside as they can so it's harder for potential abductors to attack or kidnap them. They should also walk against the flow of the traffic so they can see oncoming cars, vans and bikes.
4) Go with friends.
Advise your children to always walk with friends in a group. They are less likely to be attacked if they are in a group. They should also watch out for one another and wait for the slow ones when walking in a group.
5) Run and don't loiter.
If your child has no choice but to proceed through a road which is extra quiet, then they should run to their destination. It's harder for people to nab them if they are running. They should also not loiter between destinations. Whenever walking, walk with purpose and look like they mean business.
Safety tips in a shopping complex:
1) Keep an eye on your child.
If you have to turn away for a moment and your child is easily distracted, keep talking to her. This way she'll always hear your voice and you'll know where she is. The moment she doesn't respond or is slow to respond, your warning bells should go off.
2) Remind your child not to wander.
Always remind your child you will NEVER leave the shop without her so if she thinks she's lost you, she should go to the cashier and say “I've lost my mummy”. She must know to never step outside the shop to look for you because you will never leave without her.
3) Teach your child which type of people she can approach for help.
The cashier in the shop is a good bet. Another is the information counter if she can find her way there. A third would be families with children in tow.
4) Teach your child to shout for you.
Some children are very shy and dare not shout for you. Practise, practise and make them do it. A child who is lost should just stand still and shout MUMMY!!!!!! She will get your attention and everyone else's too and somebody is bound to help her (if you're not in the vicinity). Humiliation and embarrassment should be the last thing on your mind and your child's mind if she is lost or thinks she has lost you.
5) Hold hands.
Yes, this is a tough one when your child is growing up and doesn't want to hold hands in public. If that is the case, and if she is a bit taller, then consider resting your arm over her shoulder. Remember, this is just to know where she is and so she knows you're next to her. You'd be surprised how many children get lost in crowds. Many times at a crowded shopping mall you will hear the announcements on missing children or found children and it happens every weekend!
Safety tips at school:
1) Stay within the school compound.
Remind your child not to wait for you and/or the school bus outside the school compound. They should only come out when you or the bus driver is there.
2) Be careful of who they befriend.
Teach your child to avoid bullies and children who could potentially be a bad influence. Initially, you could encourage them to stick with their siblings and cousins studying at the same school or the neighbourhood children you know well.
3) Check out your child's school.
If you think it's easy for anyone to walk in and out of the compound or there is a hole in the fencing, then voice it out to the principal or at one of the parent-teacher association (PTA) meetings. Don't wait for someone else to speak up. What if nobody else does? While you're there, check out the school toilet. How safe is it? Are the windows too low? Are there places for peeping toms to peer in?
4) Don't talk to strangers.
Warn your child that the Abang waiting for his kid may just be a predator waiting to kidnap children. They should tell you or their teacher about any suspicious people in or around the school compound.
5) Tell you about it.
If they are being blackmailed or threatened in any way, you need to know about it. It may be a small matter, but you still need to know about it. As a parent, refrain from dismissing it as a small issue. If you dismiss that small matter today, your child won't come to you when he or she has a bigger problem. No matter how small the problem is, talk it out with your child. Explore with them what can be done, get them to suggest ways to address the problem. Let them come up with solutions and think of what could potentially happen if they did A, B or C.
Safety tips on the bus:
1) Sit down.
Very often when you drive past school buses you will see the children standing up and playing around. If the bus driver needs to step on the brakes suddenly, the children may lose their balance and injure themselves. Children must be warned and understand the severity of sticking their head, arm or leg out the window. Accidents can happen so easily.
2) Listen to the bus driver.
When your child is on the bus, the bus driver is the man or woman in charge. Remind your child that the rules that the bus driver imposes are there for a reason. If he says, “Sit down”, then they should comply. If the bus driver is unreasonable, they should tell you about it so you can bring it up with the bus driver. They shouldn't try to confront the bus driver.
3) If the bus breaks down or there's an emergency, call you.
Remind your child that they should never endeavour to get home by themselves or deal with an emergency on their own. They should call you. If they don't have a handphone, chances are one of the other children on the bus will, or use the bus driver's phone.
4) Get on the right bus.
Make sure you child is familiar with the bus driver and the bus so that he or she doesn't get on the wrong bus.
5) Public transport.
Your child should be able to take care of himself or herself before they are allowed to take public transport. Initially, when they start taking public transport, get an older sibling or cousin to go along to guide and monitor them until they are ready to go solo. When taking public transport, they should find responsible and reliable friends who take the same bus home and sit together. If they have to sit alone, then make sure they know to shout, scream and kick if anyone tries to touch them. They must learn to sit next to safe-looking people – the elderly distinguished looking auntie, the mother with child or another student. When standing up, your child should be wary of perverts standing too close and rubbing or pressing themselves against them. In such cases, shout at the pervert and move to stand farther away. If they can't move away, use their school bag as a wedge between them and the pervert.
Safety tips at a party:
1) Drop your child and pick him/her up.
If your child is still a toddler, usually parents are expected to attend the party. However, if your child is of school-going age, you can just drop him off and pick him up later. Be sure you know who the host/hostess is and have their telephone number and that they have your telephone number. This way, if there's an emergency they can immediately call you. Find out what time the party is due to end and ensure you are there punctually to pick up your child.
2) What type of party? Where is the party?
A daytime birthday party with games and activities should be good fun. If the party is going to be near the pool or at some outside venue, be wary of the danger points and risks and find out what precautions the host has taken to ensure all the children are safe.
3) Special needs.
If your child has special dietary needs or is allergic to any food, remember to tell the host. Don't expect your child to speak up or find out the ingredients in all the foods served. If there are certain things your child can't do, you should also tell the host or remind your child to speak up. And, importantly, if your child is prone to fits or is asthmatic, do inform the host. They will appreciate you informing them rather than finding out on their own and not knowing how to respond to it.
4) If you are organising the party.
Be careful when choosing party favours to put in the party packs. You don't want the children swallowing small parts. Watch out for choking hazards and objects with sharp edges.
5) Teenage party.
Remind your child of the ground rules (if you have any) such as behaviour, activities and when you want them home, if they are getting a lift back. Make sure there is adult supervision or a chaperone at the party. If your child is uncomfortable at the party and wants to come home early, they should call you. No matter what trouble your child gets into, he or she should know that you will be there to help them out.
Hope this will guide you to make sure your children are safe.
Source: ParenThots
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