Teach Your Child to Stay Safe

As parents, it would be nice if we could protect our kids from everything. But we don't live in a plastic bubble, nor can we control everything in the world. As parents, the best thing that we can do is to teach our children how to stay safe.

Start teaching your child about safety from the time they are small. Teach them to stay away from outlets and stoves and other items that may be hot. Also, make sure to teach them not to pull on cords.

When your child is a toddler, as you buckle them into a car-seat, explain to them that the seat belt helps to keep them safe. Let them see that you use a seatbelt too; remember, you are your child's best teacher.As they get older, allow them to put the seatbelt on themselves. Check the belt to make sure they put it on properly.

Although people don't often think about hand washing as a safety precaution, it is. It is the number one way to stop the spread of disease. Teach your child the proper way to wash their hands. Make certain they wash for at least 20-30 seconds using liquid soap, as bar soap can harbor bacteria. Because children have a hard time judging when 20-30 seconds pass, teach them to either sing their ABC's when washing or the Happy Birthday song twice. If no soap and water are available teach them to use a hand sanitizer.

As your child grows you can begin to reason with your child. You can begin to explain to them how to stay safe. Children at this stage learn best when they are interested in the subject. In order to make safety fun, turn it into a game. Tell them about the dangers of slipping, tripping and falling. Take on a tour around the house and your yard. See if your child can spot any dangers. Provide your child with a reward for being able to spot the danger. For example, you could give them a quarter for each trip or fall danger they spot.

In public, teach your child never to let you out of their sight. Make sure that going to the store is serious business and not the time to play hide-and-go-seek. Tell them to seek out a store clerk for help if they become separated from you and to stay in the store where they are.

If your child likes to bike, skate or skateboard teach them to wear protective equipment each time they go out to play. If they are riding a bike, they need to know the proper hand signals.

Have a central place in the house where emergency numbers are posted. Teach your child how to use these to contact emergency personnel or family members if a crisis occurs.

There are numerous books on the market today that are fun to read with your child. Topics like 'stranger danger', and 'simple first aide' can be taught. Kids can practice first aid on their dolls or toys. Try to spare the poor family pet from being the practice pooch, if you can.

June is National Safety Month; as such, there are probably programs in your area that are teaching about fire safety and have smoke filled practice rooms. These rooms are great for the family to practice skills to get out of a house safely during a fire. There may also be chances for older children to have hands on experience with a fire extinguisher. Make certain you have a fire exist plan in your home and practice safely escaping the house on your hands and knees. Teach your child to stop, drop and roll if their clothes catch on fire. Speaking from experience, children love to practice this one.

Watch the news in your area or local paper for other activities where your children can go and learn safety. As parents, we aren't going to be able to protect them from everything. But if we do our best as parents, we will be able to help protect them from some of the scrapes and pains of life.