Essential safety tips for kids

As a parent, it’s an eternal minefield of how best to protect your child.

How much of the news can they be exposed to? Should you discuss crime with your five-year-old? How do you teach stranger danger to your toddler? Does your preteen understand the potentially harmful environment of social media?

The first step in protecting your child starts with information. 

The what

Depending on your child’s age and stage of development, be mindful of the type of information you share.

• Start with the basic information from the toddler stage: not talking to strangers, and staying close when you’re outdoors. 
• The South African Police Service (SAPS) advises teaching kids their full name, age, telephone number and address. Your child should always know how to contact you and your partner.  
• Teach your child to immediately end any telephone calls with strangers.
• Your child should know to only accept gifts from people if you allow it.

Create an environment where children feel comfortable confessing anything that is concerning them. As your child grows, it’s important to talk about crime, violence, abuse and other common acts of danger. The trick, of course, is to convey this information in an age-appropriate way without scaring your child.

Keeping children safe goes further than telling them not to talk to strangers. Children who feel secure in their families are less likely to be targets of child abusers, most of whom prey on children who have strife with their families.

Discuss children’s rights with your kids. This includes teaching them about their right to privacy (regarding their body) and the right not to be touched. They must have an understanding of what’s right and wrong.

The who

Always be aware of where your kids are and with whom. Children can be snatched even in public places, so dropping kids off and driving away without checking the surroundings can lead to dire consequences. Even if it’s at the school gate, wait to see that they make it indoors. This goes double for dropping them off at the mall.

Building open communication with your children is the most important thing you can do to protect them from abuse. It’s not a pleasant topic, but paedophiles, for example, operate by building trust and a relationship with a child. They’ll tell a child that no-one should know what’s going on and that what they’re doing is right. But if a child has an existing open and honest rapport with their parents, they will disregard the secrecy and alert their parents.

An alarming thing to contend with is that paedophiles are often drawn towards occupations that give them easy access to kids, so do your checks and get references before leaving your child with a caregiver. 

Good to know

It is sad that kids have to grow up with a certain steeliness and edge. Unfortunately, it’s a consequence of the world in which we live. Try to find a balance between warning your child of potential dangers and creating a fear of every stranger. It is possible for them to live happy, innocent lives while still alert to the dangers out there.

Quick tips

• Encourage children to listen to their inner voices. If they feel that a situation is unsafe, they should get away from it.  
• Learn to trust your inner voice. Too often we feel that we’re being paranoid when we’re mistrustful of someone, but trusting your instincts could save your child. 
• Kids can fall into the trap of giving out personal information or even setting up meetings via chat rooms and message boards. Discuss online safety with your children and invest in filters that let you block certain sites. 
• Talk through what to do if they get lost in a public place. Agree to meet at a place you both know (e.g. the ice-cream shop) if you get separated in the crowd. Instruct your child to find a uniformed security guard or store manager to contact you. 
• When dropping your child off at the mall, ensure they have enough airtime and know exactly where the security guards and exits are. 
• Use role-play with your child, so they get used to saying no if they find themselves in a dangerous situation. 
• Let your child practise dialling emergency numbers. 
• Encourage your child to yell as loudly as possible if they’re in immediate danger. A screaming child will likely be noticed by someone who could help.

Disclaimer

This article is for informational purposes only. Always check with your doctor or medical practitioner about any health concerns, before embarking on any fitness or nutrition programme, and usage of any medication.