Secure Zone Safety - Child Safety

Important Facts And Advice On Child Safety

We have all seen the news reports about children being kidnapped. We watch in horror and shutter at the very thought of it happening to our own children. Kidnapping is one of the most important child safety issues that should be discussed with your kids. But how best to approach and deliver the subject? What are the most effective methods of child safety for our children to use in order to protect themselves when you are not with them? Here are a few suggestions and facts that will make this child safety issue easier to discuss and prevent.

Be open about child safety

First off, you need to talk to every child in your home, not just the littler ones. Children up to the age of 17 are at risk and are also at a stage in their life with more freedom and left more often to their own devices. Overall. here are a few guide lines to stick to when covering child safety with your children:

Speak to your children calmly, you do not have to scare them in order to get the point across. And fear can work against you if it ends up paralyzing the child.
Forget the "stranger-danger" message alone because, although they should be leery of them, there is actually much more of a risk of being kidnapped by someone they know.
Don't rely on your words alone, bring the point home to them by practicing scenarios. Act out some of the possibilities and let them practice putting the message into action.
Make sure that your children understand that it is much more important to get out of a threatening situation than it is to be nice or polite. Let them know that they can talk openly to you and that they should come and tell you what has happened- they are not being a tattle-tale.

Precautionary rules

Teach your children that the following child safety rules should always be practiced and that they will help to make them safer when you are not with them.

They should always check with you or another care giver before they go anywhere, take anything from someone, or get into a car or house. The same goes for your bigger kids.
They should not venture out without a friend to accompany them when they are playing, go to the park, or anywhere else.
They need to say "NO" to anyone who tries to touch them or who makes them feel in any way scared, uncomfortable, or confused- then get out of the situation immediately!
If they do feel any of the above they need to know that can always come to you or another care giver.
They have the right to feel safe wherever they are.