How to Create an Emergency Safety Plan for Your Children

Your children need to know what to do in any type of emergency, especially when away from you. This is more than just "call 911" or "scream for help." Your children need a full plan of action on what to do in the event of certain emergencies.

If Your Children are Home Alone

Even children who are old enough to be left at home alone should have an emergency plan. Be sure telephone numbers are in writing as well as programmed into the phone. Always be sure your child has a phone to communicate with you and/or emergency teams while they are left alone. Be sure they know not to open the door to strangers, not to tell people they are alone and other safety rules. We also use a code word when we leave our children. They are not to open the door for anyone- not even family friends or police- unless that person knows the code word.

If Your Children Walk Home from School

I don't recommend young children walking home from school unattended but if your children do walk home from school, there should be some ground rules in place. Consider how far they have to walk and whether or not you can see the school from your house. Will they be walking with a group? We had the "buddy system" enabled for our older children. If one was out of school sick or going home with a friend, the other could not walk home alone and I would go to meet them.

Do your children know how to respond if a stranger stops to talk to them? What if a friends' parent offers them a ride home? What if one child has an injury or accident on the walk home? We would run drills with our kids for practice such as "Your system was running down the hill and fell and broke her leg. She cannot walk and you can see the bone sticking out. What do you do?" and we would challenge our son to tell us what he would do in this situation. We didn't scold them for wrong answers but instead told them what they should do.

If Your Children Spend the Night with a Friend

I always meet the parents before my children spend the night with a friend. However, this doesn't stop the apprehension that comes with leaving your child with someone you don't know well. My children take a pre-paid cell phone with them in their bag when they do sleepovers, even thought I also have the parent's phone number. They are instructed to keep this phone hidden and use it in an emergency. We have talked to them about inappropriate behaviors, sexual misconduct and other things that could potentially go wrong and instructed them to get away and seek help immediately if an adult, older sibling or anyone tried to harm them while staying at a friends' house. We explain to them that while we assume that everyone has good intentions, you also have to know what to do in the event that something bad happens. Basically we say, "We don't believe that your friend's mom or dad will do any harm to you which is why we are letting you go. But if any of the things we have talked about happen, or if you start to feel uncomfortable for any reason, you can call us and we will come get you right away."

If Your Children Play around the Neighborhood

Letting children run wild around the neighborhood can be dangerous. One of our neighbor's five children was hit by a car because they were playing a game with jumping into the road and screaming when cars drove by, then jumping back on the curb. One day, the youngest did not jump back and was struck by a speeding vehicle. This was right in front of their house, just feet from the front window.

If you think your children are old enough to play around the neighborhood, be sure they are aware of local laws as well as street safety. Communicate with them via cell phone or walkie-talkies if they go out of sight and always enforce the buddy system. I would often "sneak" up on my children when they were out playing in the neighborhood to be sure they were really where they said and doing what they were supposed to be doing. I do not let them stay out of sight for long periods of time without checking in.

If there Is an Emergency While You Are Sleeping

Does your child know what to do if there is an emergency in the middle of the night when everyone is sleeping? What if there is a fire or a break-in and you are not awake to tell them what to do? Run over emergency scenarios with your children and create a plan for what they should do if there is an emergency while you are sleeping. Don't forget to cover what they should do if the emergency separates you from them and they are not able to come to you for help.

If there is an Emergency with the Only Adult Home

My oldest son once called 911 for me when I passed out at home alone with him and his sister due to a heart condition. He was about 4 years old and at the time, diagnosed Autistic. His younger sister was barely old enough to talk. He dialed 911 and said the only thing he could say, "My mommy" and emergency personnel were there in a matter of minutes.

Do your children know what to do if their adult caretaker is injured or unconscious? You may think your child is safe when you are home with him or when he is with the babysitter but what happens when that caretaker is incapacitated? Be sure to create an emergency plan so that your child knows what to do if this happens.

When you take the time to prepare your children for certain emergency situations, they will be much more prepared in the event that something should happen. We cannot always prevent accidents and emergencies but we can help prepare our children for them when they happen, even if we're not there to tell them what to do.