With school ending soon, you may be wondering how your kids are going to stay safe when you leave them home during the day. Leaving your kids home alone is a big sign of faith and it’s important that they understand that. But even if you trust them to behave and be smart, there are certain precautions you can take. So here are a few tips to help you keep your kids safe while they’re home alone.
Keep Dangerous Items Away
When it comes to keeping kids safe, a great place to start is to remove dangerous items from their reach. Dangerous items, like knives, tools, and even medication, should be put somewhere where the kids can’t get to them. Objects, like lighters, can be especially dangerous, seeing as how apartments are one of the four property classes that account for half of high-rise fires. These items could be stored in cabinets out of their reach, in rooms that get locked, or even in a safe. This way, kids won’t even be tempted to play with them. So take a look around your home and decide which items need to be put away somewhere else for safety purposes.
Lay Down Some Ground Rules
The easiest way to make sure your kids are safe while home alone is to talk to them about what they shouldn’t do while you’re gone. For example, are they allowed to open the door if someone rings the doorbell? Or are they allowed to go to the neighbor’s house to play? Establishing ground rules will help keep them out of dangerous situations. This is especially true when it comes to being outside, or even swimming without supervision. While pool enclosures legally have to be at least four feet tall, which helps prevent accidents and injuries, swimming without supervision can be really dangerous. So make a list and go over it with the kids to ensure they understand the rules and how they’ll keep them safe.
Think Beyond Physical Safety
While it’s true that physical safety should be a top priority, parents should also consider safety regarding the Internet and television. With nine out of 10 adults in the U.S. using the Internet, there are also more and more kids are using the Internet. In fact, most teens are rarely seen without their cell phone in their hands. This is why you need to talk to your kids about television and Internet safety — what should and shouldn’t they be doing? Are there certain sites or channels they aren’t allowed to view? If so, make sure they understand this. You may even want to consider setting up the parental controls on devices in your home. This will help ensure your kids aren’t looking at something they shouldn’t.
Leaving your kids home alone for the first time can be nervewracking, but as long as nobody catches the flu and you follow these simple tips, there’s no doubt they’ll understand how to keep themselves safe.
