Baby Safety Zone - Child Safety

Child Safety: Nothing Is More Important

When it comes to child safety, there are so many issues to consider. There's abduction, online safety, pool safety, safety in snow and ice, safety in the car, escalator safety, playground safety, fire safety, toy safety and more.

Child Safety in the Car

The car is one of the places where you actually can do something to prevent your child from being injured. Let's start with that as we get into the world of child safety. In addition to driving carefully, a car seat is the equivalent of a seat belt for adults. Make sure the car seat you buy is a rear-facing car seat until the child is age 1 and weighs 20 pounds. Also, make sure you buy it new. Hand-me-downs from another family are a nice gesture, and used car seats might be cheaper, but chances are neither of those will come with the original instruction manual.

What, therefore, can be done about child safety products in this regard? Well, you can't be 100% certain that it's not defective. It could be broken and nobody knows. Also, as your child grows, he'll have to get a bigger car seat until he's old enough to ride with just a seat belt.

Keeping Your Child Safe in Public

When your child is old enough to talk (and listen) make sure he understands "stranger danger." It should be one of the first child safety tips you relay to him or her. Make sure they know (and practice) the following:

Not to accept candy, food, drinks or gifts from strangers.
Not to go anywhere with a stranger.
Not to get near a stranger's car if they stop (not even if the stranger says they are just asking for directions or if they have a cute pet).
To run away and make a lot of noise if someone's following them or tries to force them into a car.
To say no and run from anyone who tries to make them do something they know is wrong or tries to touch them in a way that makes them feel uncomfortable.
To always tell you or another trusted adult (such as a teacher) if a stranger asks personal questions, exposes himself, or otherwise makes them feel uneasy. Remind them that it's okay to tell you even if the person made them promise not to. It helps if they know you will protect them from the stranger and anything he threatens.
To always ask permission from a parent, babysitter or whoever is in charge of them before leaving the house or yard, or to go into someone's home. Make this part of a typical child safety program.

In addition to these child safety rules, make sure your kids know their full name, address and phone number at an early age. It's also good that they know your full name as well (other than mommy or daddy). Also, teach them how to use 911 and when it's appropriate to do so, what to do if they get lost in a store and let them know who it's okay to go with in a car.

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