Children of preschool age have a sense of wonder about the world. They enjoy learning about their surroundings, as well as the people who fill their lives. All parents and guardians of children this age should be extra safety conscious. To protect a naturally curious child takes vigilance; one should never become lax when it comes to safety.
Inside the Home Safety
Safety at home goes beyond electrical socket plugs and gates blocking stairs. Preschoolers also need to be taught the following:
1. Avoid the stove when mom and dad are cooking. Boiling water can cause serious burns! Hot pans from the oven can do the same to tender skin.
2. Don’t eat or drink anything that mom and dad didn’t approve. Children can view some caustic liquids and crystals as edible. For example, some cleaners and car care products look quite similar to edible items.
3. Scissors and knives should be used only when mom and dad can supervise. Blunt end scissors and butter knives should be the only types of these items children of this age should handle.
4. Medicine is not candy. Some parents try to convince children that medicine tastes like candy in order for the process to go more smoothly. Doing this causes more harm than good. A preschooler should understand that medicines should only be taken when needed for illness.
5. Children should realize that curling irons, irons, hot glue guns, and similar items should not be handled.
6. Teach a child to sit still and to chew slowly and thoroughly. Choking kills many preschool age children each year because they tend to take large bites of food items, including hot dogs. A parent should also cut difficult to chew items in small pieces until a child is older.
Outside the Home Safety
Just like inside the home, the outside has areas where safety of a child can be compromised, resulting in injury or even death.
1. Teach a child to stay away from the swimming pool when alone. In addition, keep pool gates securely locked. Sometimes a child will be lured outside when mom and dad are busy doing something else. A parent and/or guardian can NEVER be too careful when it come to swimming pool safety.
2. Children need to realize that they can be injured or killed by cars backing up out of garages. They should never play in a driveway unless supervised closely.
3. Stray (or even familiar) dogs pose a safety threat. Preschoolers should never approach a dog without the owner’s consent. Bites from dogs can take off a lip or even a nose of a little one. Be extremely cautious around all dogs, even family pets.
4. Climbing can be a fun activity for a preschooler – if he or she is watched carefully. Basically, unsafe climbing, such as trying to stand on the top of a swing set, should be discouraged.
Final Tips
The safety rules discussed above only cover a fraction of preschool safety concerns in and around a home. Check out this website for more information.