Child Development | The Parenting Center

How to Keep Children Safe in Public Places

Have you ever been out in a crowded place, turned your back for just a moment and then realized that you had no idea where your child was? This happens all too often with many parents. Knowing how to keep your kids safe in a public place and teaching them is one of the most important things you will ever do for them. The three steps rule is a great rule to have. This is telling kids that they cannot be more than three steps away from their parents at all times. When going out in public, it is a great idea to dress your kid’s in bright or distinctive clothing. Make sure that your kids know who a safe stranger is in case they get separated from you. For a child that likes to run off, using a harness can give the parent peace of mind when in a crowded setting. Make sure that your kids know your name, phone number, and home address in case of separation. If the child is too young to remember, then write down the information on some paper and place it in their pocket.

Teach your child to always check with you first before going to another area such as a restroom or play area. Make sure that your child knows to call attention to himself in an emergency situation with a yell or a loud word such as “Stop!” Always take your child into the restroom with you or if they are old enough to enter the restroom themselves, then always stay outside the door and check in with them. Never send a child into an area such as an arcade or play area unattended while you shop. Finally, discuss safety issues with your child that are appropriate in a calm manner.

Filed Under: Child Development, Parenting Tagged With: Child Development, Parent, Public space

Using A Child Leash to Keep Track of Your Child

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Being the mother of a six month old, I know the day will come when she will be up and running, with me following after her. I know of too many instances where parents turn their attention for a split second and the child is gone. I want to make sure that doesn’t happen to me so I am looking for a child leash. There are varying opinions on this as well. If you search the internet, you will find arguments for and against the use of a child leash or a child harness. Some people say that the use of a leash or harness equates your child with a dog. Others say that it gives the parent peace of mind in knowing your child is there with you and cannot run off. I personally agree with the second argument and am going to share with you a few of the different leashes and harnesses on the market.

I did a quick google search to see what types of harnesses are available. There were several types that were cute and mult-functional as a backpack also. I found one manufactured by Goldbug that was very affordable. It was a monkey that strapped to the child’s back and around the shoulders and had a leash that came off the backpack part. Goldbug also manufactured a puppy harness as well. Both of these could be found at Walmart. Sunshine Kids also manufactures a very simple harness that can be used for older children that also straps over the shoulders and the leash comes off of the back. Eddie Bauer has a monkey child harness as well that I found on Amazon and if in doubt, you can also check the ratings that people have left about the product. These are just a few of the examples that I have come upon and I am sure there are many more out there.

Filed Under: Child Development Tagged With: Dog, Eddie Bauer, Leash

Keeping Children Safe In and Around the Water

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When I was younger, my family belonged to a public pool. I can remember us going to the pool one day and it being closed. We later found out that a little boy, who had been unsupervised by his mom, had gotten into the deep end of the pool and drowned. This is why it is so important to teach your children how to be safe in and around water. A child can drown in less than two inches of water so children need constant supervision in and around water whether it be the toilet bowl or the neighborhood pool. It is very important to teach your child to swim as early as possible and at least by age four. It is also important that children use proper flotation devices such as an inflatible vest or arm floats.

The bathroom can also be a hazard to a child. Never leave a child unattended in the bath because they can slide down in the tub and drown in no time. Put away all electrical appliances. Be aware of the water temperature. Just three seconds of exposure to hot tap water can give your child third degree burns. Be sure that you are aware of any water hazards outside of the home such as ponds or creeks. Let neighbors that have pools know that you have a young child and to keep their gate locked.

If you have a pool or hot tub at home, make sure you have a fence installed directly around the water feature that a child cannot get through. Never let a child use your hot tub due to the possibility of overheating. Teach children that the pool is not the place for running and horseplay. Above all else, you should always keep your attention on your children when they are in or around water.

Filed Under: Child Development, Education, Resources Tagged With: Drowning, Swimming pool, Water

Keeping Children Safe in the Car

Keeping children safe in a car, begins from the time they are still in the womb. The new and excited parents are responsible for buying new things for the baby. Usually one of these items is a carseat. When buying a carseat, make sure it is the correct carseat. You need to buy a seat for an infant with certain height and weight requirements. Have the seat installed by a professional to ensure that it has been done correctly. Police stations, fire departments, and hospitals will install seats for free. Keep your receipt for the seat until it is installed to make sure it will work correctly.

When restraining your child in the carseat, make sure the straps fit snugly against your child. You should not be able to fit more than one finger between your child and the strap. Make sure the straps are never twisted. Your child’s bottom should always be flat against the bottom of the seat. Never use pillow or blankets to boost your child up in the seat. Make sure the base of the seat is locked in place by the cars seat belt or locking clips. Teach your child to never get out of the seat. Always make sure that the child is firmly locked in place before pulling out of the driveway.

Teach your child that a car is never a place to play. A child can too easily push the gear out of park and it can start rolling with the child inside. Never leave a child in a running car unattended. Keep your child away from the front seat, all steering components, and gears shifts. A child does not understand that these are not toys and the lights and sounds may be too tempting for them to resist. Finally, teach your child to stay out of the path of a moving car in the driveway.

Filed Under: Child Development Tagged With: Automobile, Car seat, Seat belt

Keeping Children Safe During the Summer

Summertime will arrive again in a few short months. This is why it is important now to become vigilant to keep your child safe and healthy all summer long. The pool is a great place to go in the summer to stay cool and have fun. Make sure that your kids have the proper flotation device such as life vest or arm floats. Protect your child and others from getting sick by not allowing your child to swim when they have diarrhea, do not swallow pool water, and practice good hygiene. If your child needs a potty break then take them immediately to avoid urinating or defecation in the pool. If the child is in diapers, change the diaper in the bathroom and not poolside. Wash the child thoroughly especially after using the bathroom.

Children enjoy playing outside during the warm summer months and can be bitten by all different types of insects such as mosquitoes, chiggers, gnats, flies, etc. Knowing the different types of insect repellents that are available will help in keeping outside play pleasant for your child. Be sure to use only those repellents that are deemed suitable for use on a child, follow manufacturer’s instructions, and always wash it off once indoors. Insect repellents containing DEET are safe for use on children older than two months. The percentage of DEET that is contained in the repellent is key to how long the protection lasts. Most DEET repellents offer protection lasting several hours. Other repellents contain picaridin, oil of lemon and eucalyptus, and soybean oil. These repellents are generally safe for use on children as well. Remember that most repellents do not offer protection against stinging insects such as bees, fire ants, wasps, hornets, and yellow jackets. To protect against these, make sure the child’s skin is covered, avoid scented soaps and lotions, and avoid areas where nests may be found.

Filed Under: Child Development, Parenting Tagged With: DEET, Insect, Insect repellent

Keeping Children Safe at Halloween

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Halloween is the one night out of the year that kids can dress up in a silly costume and bring home a haul of free goodies. Kids aren’t thinking about safety, so that is why it is doubly important for you as the adult to ensure that kids are safe while trick-or-treating. When buying a costume, always make sure that the child tries on the costume beforehand to ensure proper fit. Check the label to ensure that the material is flame retardant. It is preferable that the child wear makeup instead of a mask. If the child insists upon a mask, make sure that the eye, nose, and mouth holes are a sufficient size to decrease risk of suffocation. Costumes that are reflective or light in color are best if going out after dark.

If the child is younger, discuss the route you will take to trick-or-treat and where to meet if separated. Be sure that the child is always supervised by an adult and understands the importance of walking in a high traffic well-lit area. Children should not be allowed to cut through dark areas, yards, or alleys. They should only approach houses with a porch light on and should never enter a stranger’s home under any circumstance. Children should also be taught to walk on the left side of the road, facing oncoming traffic when there are no sidewalks.

A final very important point is to always make sure your child has a full meal before leaving the house to trick-or-treat. This lowers the possibility that they will indulge in candy before they get home. It is very important that they understand to have an adult inspect all candy brought home before any candy is eaten to check for possible signs of tampering. Any candy that seems odd or suspicious should immediately be thrown out.

Filed Under: Child Development Tagged With: Costume, Halloween, Trick or Treat

Keeping Children Safe on the Playground

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When I was in school. I remember an instance of a boy in afterschool care getting his head stuck between some monkey bars and suffocating. Two main points of playground safety are missing in this tragedy. He wasn’t being supervised properly and his parents or guardian had not gone over playground safety tips with him. There are a few main ideas to keep your child safe when playing in the park or on the playground.

First and foremost, as much as you may want to let your child run free on the playground, you need to keep them closely supervised. You or another adult that you trust, should always be there to look for any potential hazards or alleviate any problems. The child should always be dressed appropriately for the weather. If it is going to be cold then warm up later, dress the child in layers so they do not get overheated. Protect the child from the sun by using the appropriate SPF sunscreen. There is nothing like a bad burn to ruin an outing in the park. Always keep your eye out for dangers such as insects and wildlife, equipment being in proper working order, and loose nails or other miscellaneous items. Go over playground safety with your child so they know it is not acceptable for things like horseplay to occur. They should be schooled on the proper use of equipment and how to take turns and share. Good playground behaviour will make it a pleasant experience for everyone. Children also need to know to always be observant about their surroundings. They should observe the “Check First” rule before leaving your sight. This means that the child should check with you first before moving to a different area or using the public restroom. These points should help in keeping your child safe in the park or on the playground.

Filed Under: Child Development Tagged With: Child Development, Jungle gym, Playground

Internet Safety for Children

The internet is a great resource for school age children. They can use it to find information for school reports, keep in touch with friends and family, and play educational games. The problem is that it’s also easy for children to frolic about various websites unsupervised. Even when you’re in the room, unless you’re watching over their shoulder the entire time your child is on the computer, there’s ample opportunity for them to run across a page with inappropriate content, or accidentally give out personal information.

You can’t rely on software to supervise your kids. Yes, there are monitoring programs out there, but they don’t restrict which websites are visited or record what activity happened on those website. All they do is give you a list, after the fact, or where your child went.

Check the sites your kids visit. Play the games and try to interact with anyone who is logged in. If you don’t like that site restrict it, and find a safe alternative. There are a number of children’s gaming sites that don’t have a chat option, or limit player interaction.

If there are only a handful of sites you want your child to visit, you can program them into your browser’s bookmark menu and hide the navigation bar. Remember, this is not a permanent solution and that it can be circumvented with a little bit of work.

Teach your child not to give out personal information of any sort. Kids don’t realize they’re giving a complete stranger information that could potentially be used to track them down. They’re just telling their friend about what happened at school.

It’s easy to spot the cliche suspicious-looking person in a van handing out candy, it’s not so easy to spot the same person in a chat room pretending to be a 9-year-old girl. By giving your child the tools they need to be safe online, you can breathe a little easier.

Filed Under: Child Development Tagged With: Chat room, Child Development, Website

Traveling with Small Children

Navigating through a busy airport is trouble enough without having to worry about a small child. Each age group has different needs, so as your child grows your traveling techniques need to change as well. With a bit of planning you can smoothly get from one destination to the next.

Before you leave, dress your child in a bright and easily identifiable top. Use your cell phone or camera to take a picture of your child, so if you are separated you have a current photo you can show authorities. If your child’s daycare or school hands out safety cards with a fingerprint and a current physical description then bring that along, too.

Keep your passports, flight itinerary, and any other identification on you at all times. These are the most important papers you have while traveling, so don’t lose them.

If you’re traveling with an infant, tuck your wallet and personal items into the diaper bag and use that as your carry on. Don’t let your baby crawl around the waiting area. Keep them on your lap or in your travel stroller, and don’t leave the stroller unattended.

Bring a coloring book or a favorite toy for your toddler, or a personal game system for your older child. Keep them entertained so they’ll be less likely to want to go exploring. Always hold hands while walking or in a crowd, and seat your child next to you. Take your child with you to the restroom, and share the same stall if you have to.

Pick out a spot to meet at if you are separated. If you can’t find your child, don’t wait. Go directly to security and give them a detailed description of your child, along with a copy of the photo you took earlier.

Traveling with children doesn’t have to be difficult. Make an emergency plan with your older child, keep a close eye on your younger child, and enjoy your flight.

Filed Under: Child Development Tagged With: Child Development, Family, Travel

Securing Your Home from Inside

It’s a parent’s worst nightmare. You hear something strange on the baby monitor in the middle of the night so you get out of bed to go check on the kids. But when you get halfway down the hall you realize something’s not quite right, and rush into the baby’s room only to find the window’s open and the crib’s empty. Real life isn’t like television police dramas and there aren’t bad guys on every street corner waiting to kidnap your children, but it’s still important to take precautions and properly lock up your house. A little common sense can go a long way.

Start with the bedrooms. When at all possible, don’t put your children on the ground floor. If you live in a single storey home, put your children in rooms that face the street. Although your instincts may be to use the back bedrooms, people won’t usually break into a house where they can be easily spotted by passing traffic.

Lock the windows. You can purchase sliding window locks just about anywhere. If you can’t find any then place a wooden or metal rod in the window track.

Light the outside. Install a spotlight with a motion sensor and aim it towards your children’s bedroom windows. If someone is sneaking around outside they’ll activate the sensor and turn on the light.

Keep the outside doors locked and bolted when you’re home, and don’t let young children answer the door. Even if it’s just the pizza guy or the mail carrier, it’s dangerous to let your child go to the door alone.

Show your kids how to fight back. If someone does break in, teach your children to kick, bite and scream, no matter what the intruder tells them. Make sure they know it’s okay to dial 911 during an emergency.

Filed Under: Child Development Tagged With: Baby monitor, Child Development, Motion detection