As kids grow out of lap start crawling and subsequently walking, we take a number of safety measures. That keeps that away from foreseen harms. With time and growing demands for parenting, we can’t be ever-present 24*7 hovering around them. Also, kids would be growing independent and need our trust in them. Plus, at least now parents and caregivers can dream of a moment of peace. Guess then for little grown children we should teach few home safety rules for all the right reasons.
It is quite debatable on when, or what age should we teach children about home safety. But an early start can’t hurt a soul.
Why teach home safety rules?
Though we consider home is a safe haven for our kids. Creepy but can our kids be safe with potential dangers left unchecked. We should not ignore the accidents and injuries that might happen because of unawareness, right at home.
Let the child know do and don’t when he/she away from parent’s sight or are home alone.
Home safety rules to teach children
Memorize important contact numbers and addresses.
It is not unthinkable that a child wanders around the park or malls and security discovers him/her. It is difficult to keep an eye on a child while he/she curiously chases a butterfly or follows a toy car. P.S. It doesn’t make you a bad parent. Be the champion and help the child memorize at least one phone number and home address along with the parent’s name.
Never open the door for strangers and know the security system
If you have one energetic tiny human who jumps to open the door at every doorbell, first hugs. Teach the child to use the peeping hole, or ask whos there, or check the security camera system before opening the door. Let the child understand every person who comes with a parcel in hand is not Santa. Duh.
Be aware of your food allergies
In case the child has any food allergies, let him/her be aware of it. Educate the child about foods to avoid, how to read labels before opening a pack, and shelves to avoid (in case the said food is at home and marked as no-entry territory). Also, let them be aware of mixing other’s used utensils and contaminating food.
No one is allowed to touch you
Predators can be anyone, anywhere. Even at home. Teach the child about private parts, the absolutely-no areas to touch, the danger signals if they feel violated and whom to talk. As a parent, one should work on the topic early. Any adult who asks to keep secret between them is dangerous and the child should be comfortable to talk about it to parents. Let the child know that you are there and feel safe with you.
Who to contact in case of emergencies?
What if the child is home alone or the adult in the house is unconscious and there is a potential danger? The child should be able to call 100 for help. Even connect with a trustful neighbor and family doctors for emergency situations.
What to do in case of emergencies – exit plan or hiding plan
In case of forced entry when the child is alone after asking for help what to do? Of course, our children are not the protagonist of the Home Alone series. Prepare the child with hiding points and emergency exit points. In case of fire or earthquake, have the children memorize the safety exit drill, stairs to take, lifts to avoid and gathering point in the vicinity.
What to avoid?
It is not always an intruder that hurts, the curious minds also invite troubles. Curiosity is appreciated but within safety limits. The children should be mindful of the fire and latent dangers of electricity. Basic understanding should be there, like not using hair dryers near water. Not to play with bathtubs and water.
Understand fire alarm or earthquake alert systems, if any.
Every building in the country, the world might not have this alert system but most modern smart homes do install these devices to check smoke. Few government systems do alert citizens in the wake of cyclones or earthquakes. Children should know the siren calls and interpret the danger, hence acting accordingly.
Cyber awareness
We can’t put technology completely out of children’s life so introducing them with safety measures would turn handy. Sharing personal information or passwords online should be a NO-NO. Online presence under parent’s supervision is very important.
Awareness, practicing safety measures are life-saving and must be practiced well. What are your thoughts on these home safety rules?
* Disclaimer – Images by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay and ambermb from Pixabay
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I have saved it and shared it with my fellow parents. A must-read article for all the parents out there given the current world situation that we live in. Thank you for sharing this.
Happy to know that. Thanks for sharing, Kavita.
Such an important post. I had written something similar long time back. For young kids it’s very imp to teach them in the first place what exactly is an ’emergency’ and then what to do in such a situation. You have shared some great points here.
I do remember that post-Charu, how promptly the twins asked for help and acted in the situation. Do share the links here, readers might appreciate that.
Great post Pragnya! These days it’s very important to teach kids how to tackle emergency situation. I have started making them memorize parents name, address and phone number. Cyper awareness also is an important point that you have mentioned.
Thank you Debi. Keep visiting the blog.
I think this is the most important post I have read today. We have to make our kids aware of home safety.
Music to my ears, Jhilmil.
Only a mother can think of and explain these crucial safety precautions in such detail. I’m following a few but can surely work on others. Thanks!
Yeah we parents sniff dangers around and mark a territory well.. haha..Thanks for visiting, Varsha.
Agree there’s need to teach kids about safety and other measures. Helpful post
Glad to hear that:)
It’s important to teach kids about the safety of home. You have shared great pointers!!
Thanks for stopping by.
Your post is so on point buddy. I have taken a note will run through them once again with kiddo
So happy to hear that Roma.
These are so important rules you have mentioned. I teach something like this to my four year old too.
Good going Tina.
Very well curated points, Pragnya. We should talk about all this with our kids for their safety. Very helpful post.
Thanks for your kind words, Neha.
This is the mandatory post for we all parents and be caution regarding these points which we really need to teach..
Glad you think so Smitha. 🙂
Great Post Pragnya! Kids must aware of safety rules. I practise some of them with my kids too. Rest I will start for sure. My son is now 3 so I started to make him learn some emergency and parents phone numbers.
Glad you liked this Deepika.
It is so important to teach all this to our kids. We usually get so engrossed in making sure that they are safe that we forget to make sure we teach them also how to be safe on our own.
Agree with your thoughts Shalu.
Very important and informative post I have come across today.Our kids must know the basic safety rules and should memorize parents mobile numbers.Having a basic knowledge of CCTV system is must.All points rightly covered.
(Snehalata Jain)
CCTV door functionalities should be known to all kids if they do have one at home. Thanks for reading, Sneha.
It’s really important to teach kids these things. The first thing I thought both my toddler’s was my phone number, parents name and address. Then good touch and bad touch. Amazing article will share it with friends too.
Teaching the basic to toddlers is often ignored. Glad that you taught them at toddlerhood. Thanks for sharing your experience Ujjwal.
This post has raised a few questions in my mind. Need to prioritize the importance of teaching children safety at home. Really nice post.
Intention met :). Thanks for sharing your thoughts Anahita.
I think it’s time to teach my kids the cyber n emergency stuff just in case. I’ve already implemented the others at home. My toddler knows to press redial on the landline phone to call me. ?
Kudos Cindy you are halfway done with the checklist regarding safety. Thanks for reading.
Great post Pragnya and you had shared really great points to keep our kids safe and secured. Cyber safety is one of the important aspect nowadays and I m glad you had covered that too.
Cybersecurity awareness is a must these days for kids and the elderly. Thanks for stopping by Surbhi.
This is an insightful post, I remember that I never memorized mobile numbers while I was a kid. But considering today’s time, it’s a must. Nice Post.
Changing times Atul ji. Parents are more reachable now when not around. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.