When you gain a reputation of being the best in your field, your responsibilities are far higher than the mediocre. We Mastermind are considered by one and all as being the best Pre Primary school in our surrounding. This reputation comes because of the quality of teaching, the ambience & the child safety that is ensured in the school premises. We took it as our responsibility to compile the parenting tips socially for the first time parents and those with toddler and preschool kids.
People give several parenting tips to the parents, all based on their personal experience. This more than often includes safety tips for the kids. If I were to say that parenting is effective, only when every child in a particular home gets adequate care are they happy and healthy, and the ambiance is good enough for them to grow and develop well.
I recently came across a scientific report and am in total agreement with their advice regarding key parenting ways for a child’s healthy development:
A) Respond as the child expects
B) Show concern & warmth
C) Make routines and in-house rules
D) Talk to your child and share books
E) Keep an eye on health and child safety
F) Ensure discipline without being harsh
I strongly feel that practicing the above will ensure the child’s good health, safety, and successful emotional, behavioral, cognitive, and social development.
Since this week is being celebrated as an exclusive ‘Child Safety Week’ by Mastermind School, Bicholi Bypass, Indore, here in this write-up, we shall focus on child safety only.
When the child starts walking with his tiny little feet, balancing and falling and getting up again and sometimes running, it is a great sight of joy for all parents. Enjoy it. But this is a time when as parents, you should keep a great vigil on your child because there will be many occasions when they may come to walk into dangerous situations or objects that might cause injury to the child. I am giving below certain tips that will help you in ensuring the better safety of your little one.
A) Studies worldwide have shown that drowning is the leading cause of injury and death in this particular age. So you must "t leave your toddler near or around water bodies (for example, bathtubs, pools, ponds, lakes, whirlpools, or the ocean) without you or someone watching her.
B) Since they can walk and move around, try climbing stairs or opening and shutting doors or gates, they may injure themselves. Hence, it would be best to block off stairs with little temporary gates. Keep locked the way to risky places like the kitchen, backyard etc.
C) These kids are very curious and like to explore new things. The holes in the electrical sockets are among these things. They can easily insert their little fingers in these holes. To avoid accidents, you must cover all unused electrical sockets and plug points, especially those within your child's reach.
D) The kids of this age are unaware of what things can hurt them. They like to touch and feel everything that they can lay their hands on. Keep kitchen apparatuses, irons, and warmers out of your baby's reach to avoid burn injuries.
E) Sharp items, for example, scissors, blades, and pens, have often been reported to have caused serious injury to kids of this age. It would be best if you always kept such objects at a safe height that your child cannot reach.
F) Kids of this age also tend to put things in their mouths. So you must keep medicines, household cleaners, poisons and inflammable objects under lock and key.
G) Sometimes you may be out in your car, and your child is asleep, and you have to do some work that will likely take only a few minutes. You may have the urge to leave the child in the car to avoid disturbing him in his sleep. This will be a wrong decision that you will be making. Several untoward incidents have been reported with the child alone in a vehicle. Even if it is for a very short period, never leave your child alone in a vehicle, whether he is awake or asleep.
H) It is important to ensure you keep your kid’s vehicle seat back facing your car. Your child should remain in the back-facing seat until she reaches its height. Once your child is taller than the back-facing seat, she can travel in a forward-facing seat. Do not forget to use the seat belt.
Your child, by now, has learned to move around, is unstoppable, and loves to run in all directions; they are likely to come across more dangers and that too more frequently. Such situations can happen unexpectedly, with many chances of your child getting injured. So it would be best if you kept a close watch on your child. If you have a child of this age, you must take extra care to ensure your child's safety. Here are certain safety measures that you can take:
A) As I mentioned earlier, drowning is the most common cause of fatalities in kids of this age group. You must keep your child away from water bodies like bathtubs, pools, ponds, and lakes. If the child has to be near a water body, it should always be in the presence of a responsible adult who knows how to swim and can keep an eye on the child.
B) I have seen on several occasions parents feeding their children while lying on the bed. Now, this is neither good nor correct. You must know feeding the child in this position can cause choking. Remember always to keep your child in a sitting position while feeding and chewing.
C) Kids like to play with toys. In the process, the toys break too. You can always replace it with a new one, but if it is your child’s favorite toy, you may find removing it difficult. Broken toys usually have sharp edges that can hurt your child. The loose part or a broken piece may be the size your child can swallow, which can be dangerous. You must always remove the toys with broken or loose parts to avoid accidents.
D) While coloring, drawing, or writing, kids often tend to put pencils or crayons in their mouths. This is neither a healthy nor a safe habit. Discourage your child's needs by pointing out that she should not put pencils or crayons in her mouth when coloring or drawing.
E) The kids of this age love to sit on their parent's laps. I have seen many parents having hot coffee or tea while the child is on their lap. Now, this, according to me, is dangerous. Never hold hot drinks in your hand when the child is on your lap. Accidental spills can hurt or even cause burns and injury to the child.
As said earlier, these kids must be put in the car's back seat with the seat belt on.
Your child's safety is no longer only your responsibility. As your child grows and becomes more independent with every passing day, you and the child must be aware of the safety needs. As your child moves out alone, this becomes even more important as not everything would be in your control. So let us discuss certain very important safety factors to be kept in mind by you and your child.
A) I strongly advocate you should educate your child about road safety. This I say as she will be more by herself on the roads on her bicycle or tricycle. Let your child know why they should keep away from traffic. Also, playing on the street or running after a stray ball is not safe and can cause accidents and injury.
B) This is an age when kids love racing on their bicycles or tricycles, and speed excites them. Now neither you can nor should you stop your child from doing so. Giving him safety gear like a helmet and elbow and knee guards is advisable. This will keep them safe from injuries if they fall. Make your child ride bicycles or tricycles on the sidewalk and away from the street and traffic. Let them know why they should do so.
C) Kids of this age love being outdoors. Ensuring their safety is a great responsibility and a challenge as well. Keeping a watch on your child at all times is important, more so when the child is playing outdoors. Ensure the outdoor playing area is safe and there are no loose parts or sharp edges in the playing gears.
D) Keep your child away from water bodies like swimming pools, water tanks, rivers etc. If you have to, never leave your child unwatched near water bodies. If you are teaching swimming, watch them at all times, whether in the pool or around it. Your child should learn swimming under the guidance of an expert swimmer only.
E) Kids of this age cannot differentiate between good and bad people. They are very vulnerable and can easily fall into the trap of unknown people with wrong intentions. It is best to train your child to keep away from all strangers. You should also instruct your child strongly not to accept eatables from strangers.
F) Your child is still too small to ride in the front seat of your car. Kids of this age are not very stable. They keep moving their hands and legs. They can be a great distraction to the driver. Hence, keeping your child in a forward-facing car back seat is better, but of course, with the seat belt buckled up.
Hope this reading will be of help to you in improving the safety standards of your little ones. This information has been taken from the book, ‘Joy of Parenting’ authored by Mr. Naveen Chowdhari, Director of Mastermind School, the best Primary school in Indore.
Also Read: How A School in Bicholi Area Indore is Providing Holistic Development for Children
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