Toddler Safety
Always be in the position to watch your child's actions!
A six year old watching a three year old is not adequate supervision. Know who comes into contact with your child. Keep in mind that most child kidnappings are not by strangers, but by someone the child knows.Teach your child to say, "No!"
And to run away and tell an adult. Teach children your name. If they get lost in a store or in a crowd, they can yell your name instead of "Mommy" or "Daddy", which might just blend in.
Inspect your home for unsafe areas
- Children can get their heads trapped easily. Openings three to nine inches need to be reduced in size or eliminated.
- Make sure there is a secure gate around the pool and that it is self-closing.
- Secure all cleaning supplies, medicines, plastic bags, knives and small appliances. Use plastic locks to secure cupboard doors and drawers.
- Secure major appliances like ovens, refrigerators, washers and dryers.
- Always keep the toilet seat down and secured.
- Keep children out of the kitchen when cooking. Turn pot and handles away from the edge.
- Unplug appliances when not in use and keep cords from dangling.
- Cover all electrical outlets.
- Vacuum daily to remove inviting "things" to eat.
- Put corner guards on sharp corners such as coffee tables and secure all furniture such as bookcases.
- Throw away plastic grocery bags immediately.
- Install carbon monoxide and smoke detectors near bedrooms.
Teach your child how to properly cross the street
Use corners and crosswalks and always obey traffic signals. Holding hands is a good way to keep everyone within safety's reach.