Hi, There fellow mamas!
Safety is key these days! And, let me tell you, it is definitely a different world than when we were kids. Being AWARE is crucial. As a parent, it is our job to teach our kids the necessary safety rules and to know what danger looks like.
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I know, this is a heavy topic to cover, but I feel like it needs to be discussed. There is a middle ground between creating too much fear (that is unnecessary for children to have to carry) and complete oblivion that bad things can ever happen to them. How do we do that? and what are the right safety rules to teach our kids?
It’s so tempting to wrap our kids in “bubble wrap” and never allow them to be independent, do dangerous things, or explore this world without us. But, there is power in knowledge, and creating a plan is a great thing to do as a family. Here are some important safety rules to teach your kids, so they are empowered to take care of themselves and be safe.
Important Safety Rules to Teach your Kids
Know their full name, phone number, and address (as well as yours)
It is so important that your child learns their full name and how to spell it, their phone number, or your number if you don’t have a home line. (which most households don’t anymore.) and their address. Write them down in a large easy-to-read font and put it on the refrigerator. Quiz your child randomly to see if they have it memorized. This is good information to know in case of an emergency or if your child is lost.
Click Here for my FREE downloadable Emergency Form for kids!
Emergency Contacts in your mobile phone
This is important that your child knows how to get into your phone and call 911 or your emergency contact if there was an emergency. Show them, teach them, and have them do it on their own several times so that they know what to do in the instance that you are unconscious or unable.
School Safety Rules
These are things like who is picking your child up from school. Your child should alert their teacher if someone other than who you say will be there to pick them up. If things change and someone else is picking up your child, make sure to let the school or teacher know.
Teach your child to NEVER leave the school with anyone else, even if they say “your mom said to pick you up today.” You can also check out these Air tag wristbands for kids that can help give you peace of mind!
Know how to dial 911 and what to say
Teach your child what to say if they need to call 911. Some ideas would be: Their name, address, phone number, how old they are, who is in the house, if you have pets such as dogs, if there is a sibling and how old, what happened/ why are they calling.
Teach them to listen to the person on the phone and do exactly what they say. Let your child know that they are there to help them.
The difference between being friendly and stranger danger
Know how to recognize a dangerous situation, such as an adult asking for a child’s help, or luring them to do something. Sometimes people will even tell kids they have a puppy or candy in their car and to come see. Teach kids to say no and walk away or alert another adult or worker.
An adult should NEVER ask a child for help.
What to do in a dangerous situation and where to go
Have a plan in place. This one can be a bit heavy and is dependent on the child’s age. In the case of a stranger approaching your child, teach them to walk or run away, or scream at the top of their lungs. Let your child know to make a lot of noise and bring attention to them and the situation.
If someone grabs them, they should do whatever they can to get away. Again scream as loud as possible, and run to either a neighbor’s house (that you talked about) or a public place like a grocery store or park.
Honesty at Home
Teach an honesty-at-home policy. This means that your child should know that when they are at home they are in a safe place and can tell you anything without fear of judgment, punishment, or shaming. I can’t stress enough, that communication is the door to a great relationship with your child and it will create a space where they want to open up and communicate with you. This does not mean to “fix” all their problems for them, it’s to simply create a safe space for them.
Also, your children should know that there is zero tolerance for sneaking behind your back, and the whole “don’t, tell mom” thing is unacceptable. Secrets are not allowed (besides birthday gifts and surprises). It is a huge red flag when an adult tells a child “let’s not tell your parents about this, ok” NOT OK!
If the child is lost
If your child ever gets separated from you in public, they need to know what to do. Teach them that it is best if they DO NOT MOVE, stay put and mom and dad will find them. Or if it’s in a store, find a person who works there to ask for help. Do not leave the store or go anywhere with anyone else.
Teach your child that if they cannot see you, you can’t see them and that is not ok! They need to stay near you at all times and not wander off. This is definitely not the place to play hide and seek.
If you have a child that is a wanderer, take them in a stroller, a carrier, or a toddler “leash”. I know there are a lot of people with opinions about them, but honestly, if you have a runner, then by all means, do what you need to do to keep your child safe. No judgments here! Another brilliant thing I have seen is toddler squeaky shoes. That way you can hear them if they walk away.
Keeping siblings or friends safe
In all of these scenarios, being lost, an altercation with a stranger, or emergencies where the parent is unconscious or feeling unsafe , it is important to teach siblings how to take care of each other.
If your child is with a friend, this applies as well. Make sure they know to stick together. Don’t ever separate from one another. If it’s a younger sibling or baby, ensure they are in a safe place and sit with them or hold them until someone can help them.
The rules about touching.
If your child does not want to hug or kiss and family member, that is okay, it is their choice. They should NEVER be forced to hug or kiss someone if they don’t want to.
And as adults, if a child says they don’t want to hug or kiss you, let that be their choice. Don’t do a pouty face and act sad because they don’t want to. Instead tell the child “that’s ok, maybe another day. I love you!” This will in turn show your child to respect and honor others’ feelings and opinions!
Body Parts
Talk to your child about areas of the body that are off limits to see or touch or have someone else see or touch. Communication is key, do not shame or belittle them. Focus on teaching them, and explaining the “whys”. Those areas are private and no one should ask to see, touch or take pictures of those areas.
Talk to them about when they go to see a doctor for a check up, and the doctor may ask to see their private areas. Let them know as long as the parent is there, that this is ok. Let them know that they can tell you if someone asks to see or touch them in their private areas. Inform them that they will not get in trouble for telling you.
No Means No!
RESPECT is the number one thing we need to teach our children. Empower your child, and let them know that it’s ok to say no or stop if they are uncomfortable or if someone is doing something they don’t like. And vice versa. Teach your child to stop if someone says no, stop or please don’t do that.
This one starts with us parents. So many times we continue to tickle or kiss our kids even when they say stop or no. This is teaching them that it is ok to disregard those words. PLEASE, if you take away anything from this post, please let it be this one. No, means no. It starts with us.
Proud Mama Moment!
We have been teaching these things to my son, ever since he was about 3-4 years old. And, I have to share a proud mom moment. When he was 4 years old, I slipped and fell pretty hard (mind you, I wasn’t unconscious) but, my son ran and grabbed my phone and pretended to call 911. He explained that I fell and that there was a baby and a dog in the house. He said his name and address. Even though he didn’t actually call, I knew, he knew what to do if there ever was a true emergency.
Safety needs to be discussed and taught to our children. Feeling safe and protected is a huge part of childhood. So, let’s give these kids the tools they need to be empowered, so they can protect themselves in a dangerous situation and know what to do if there is an emergency!
I hope this gave you some insight into the important safety rules to teach your kids! Be that badass mama that teaches her children to be badass too! You got this and if you don’t, I am here for you!! Check out some similar articles below that you may love.
Love Always,
Trista
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Catia
What a great and important reminder to start doing this with my toddler. I remember being very young and getting lost, I had NO idea what to do and panicked!
Trista
Catia! I had a similar experience when I was very little and was so scared and didn’t know what to do! Thanks for reading and checking out my blog!
Katie
My kids are almost at this age to start really working on these safety tips. I have already started teaching most of them. Such an important list.
Maria
As scary as it is, we must teach kids what to do if any of these situations do occur! Thanks for the reminder.
Trista
It really is, but I feel like it is important to teach them. Thanks for reading Maria!
Eva Petruzziello
I used to tape my number to their back when visiting amusement parks…Until they could learn my number.
Trista
Yes, Eva. That is a good one. We have to do what we need to, to keep our kids safe. I was lost as a little kid at an amusement park. It was scary. Thanks for writing in!
Christy
These are some very important safety rules, I use some of them with my son as well. Thank you for sharing!!!
Trista
Thanks Christy for reading my post!