Your family’s safety is your number one priority. While it’s not healthy to constantly worry about your children’s well-being, it is important to be aware of what can go wrong. Consider going over safety protocols and practicing these safety drills with your family to ensure everyone in your household knows what to do in the case of an emergency.
Burglar Break-In and Stranger Danger
Out of the approximate 2.5 million break-ins per year, home burglaries account for over 65% of them. Do your children know what to do in the case of a burglary in your home? Without scaring your children, talk about this possible situation and how they should handle it. If escape isn’t possible, barricading yourself in a room and calling 911 would be the best option if an intruder is in the home.
If a stranger is at the door, does your child know to not open it without an adult present? Explain the dangers of strangers entering the home without an adult’s knowledge. Teach your children to turn on the lights, hide, and set off a security system alarm if a stranger is at the door or is trying to get in the house. Practice this with your children so they understand and follow through safely and effortlessly. Understanding a level of self-defense would also be important in the case of a person entering the home without permission. Taking a self-defense class as a family would be a good idea, as your children would be able to learn the best ways to defend themselves if they ever needed to. The installation of a security system would probably put parents at ease as well.
Choking and CPR
Many kids are taught CPR in middle or high school health class, but what about younger kids? Enroll your family in a CPR class so everyone knows what to do if someone ever choked in your house. At home, go over what could happen and how a child should handle it. Specifically, what would happen if a child was alone in a room and started choking? What if a child noticed their sibling was choking? What if a parent was choking? Your children need to know what to do in any of these dangerous situations. Calling for help and knowing where to seek it is crucial to everyone’s safety. Ensure babysitters and other childcare providers are CPR certified, and possibly involve them in a drill for practice, too. You as an adult should also have your CPR Certification just as much as the babysitter having it.
Injuries and Safety Precautions
There are dozens of ways children and adults alike can become injured at home. Kids run around inside and out, and an adult could easily slip and fall anywhere on their property. However, does your child know what to do if a serious injury were to take place at home? Having a list of emergency numbers handy next to a landline or programmed into a family cell phone is ideal. This way, your child could call for help if they needed to.
In the DC Metro market, 50% of homes listed didn’t sell the first time they were listed. Why is this? Homes don’t sell quickly for a number of reasons, and one of them may involve the safety features within a home and on one’s property. Whether you plan on selling your home in the future or not, it’s important your home is safe. A house filled with children, too, should be inspected and eliminated of hazardous objects and fixtures. This way, your home is more apt to be injury-free.
Natural Disaster Protocols
If you live in a geographic location that encounters tornadoes, earthquakes, or other natural disasters, it’s best practice to go over what to do if any of these situations were to occur. Even if you don’t like in a natural disaster-prone area, practicing what to do is a great way to help kids feel self-sufficient and understand what to in the case of an emergency. Find some videos and pictures of what tornadoes look like. Explain where and how to hide if a tornado were to happen. Go over safety protocols to follow if you were to experience an earthquake.
Fire Drill Practice
The thought of a fire occurring in your home is a scary one. If a fire were to occur, communication would be difficult, so it’s best to go over what to do with your family in case it ever happened. Go over the proper steps to take if a fire were to happen in your home. Checking the door for heat determines where a person will escape. If a door is hot, escape through a window. If a door isn’t warm, open the door, get on the floor, and crawl to safety. Be sure to show your children how to open a window and how to prop a ladder if necessary. Explain the dangers of smoke inhalation and how staying low to the ground would limit that exposure.
Determine a meeting place outside that everyone in your family would gather to if your house caught fire. Explain to your children that getting help from a neighbor is necessary after it’s determined that they are safe by another family member. Show younger children pictures of firefighters so they are aware of what people providing help will look like. Additionally, to help prevent the spread of fires in your home, consider the addition of a safety fixture. While 35% of remodeling jobs involve an entire house, installing a fire protection sprinkler system can be a simple upgrade that can save the lives of your family members in the case of an emergency.
While it may seem scary to go over safety measures and protocols and practice drills in your home with your children, it is best for your entire family to be prepared for any emergency. Whether a stranger is at the door, a child is choking, a parent slipped and hurt their head, a tornado warning has been broadcasted, or a fire has broken out in the kitchen, you want to know that your children know what steps to take. Go over safety measures with your children and continuously practice drills to ensure preparedness. Not only will your kids feel empowered, but you’ll feel reassured that they’re well-equipped for any dangerous situation.
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