Recently I read a hilarious Facebook post concerning my two year-old God-daughter. It seems as if her parents had spent an entire afternoon erecting a playhouse in the yard, only to have it come crashing down when they tried to move it to a better location. Needless to say, my God-daughter felt sad about the loss of her new toy, but she must have felt mad too, as she locked her parents out of the house! My cousin and her husband found a quick way back in, but only after they had a few anxious moments figuring out how to do so without breaking down a door.
Although this series of events gave me a laugh, the end result could have been quite different. Because preschoolers can be impetuous, the best course of action remains putting safety first. Not all injuries can be avoided, but many can. Find out about three important safety tips for preschoolers below.
Stranger Danger
Maybe you’ve heard this simple saying, but if you haven’t, learn it now. Vow to keep your preschooler safe from those who prey on little children. You might be thinking to yourself that I am an alarmist, but one has only to read the news to see that children can be assaulted, abducted, and worse by strangers. Of course I’m not suggesting that you need to make your child afraid of every new person they meet, but you should teach him or her what to say or do if anyone they don’t know ever tries to take them in a store (when you look away for one second). Some tell children to cry, but bystanders may mistake those emotions for a temper tantrum. It is best to teach your child to scream, “this is not my mommy, or this is not my daddy.”
Beware the Back Up
Sadly, hundreds of moms, dads, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, and grandparents have accidentally run over a small child as they backed out of a driveway. In my county, three children lost their lives last summer in this manner. Little children hate it when a loved one goes away, and many times they run after the person backing out. Or a child may be so engrossed in play time, that he or she doesn’t hear dad’s calls to get out of the way. It does happen, so back out SLOWLY, and check, check, and check for children again and again.
Burn Baby Burn
Ouch! We all know how much a burn on the skin hurts. Imagine a preschooler who wants to help cook dinner. The timer sounds, and he or she pulls at the boiling pot of pasta on the stove. Unfortunately, the pot is too heavy, and the scalding water burns the child severely. Never leave a stove unattended while cooking, and teach a preschooler to understand that cooking is only for those much older.
These tips hint at the types of precarious situations a preschooler will find him or herself in. Take time to focus on safety. Your child’s safety depends on it.