For most working parents, leaving their children alone is a big worry. Children should be matured enough to stay alone. It’s not just about maturity but also several other characteristics of the child. Children’s safety becomes vital when they are alone at home. Especially during holidays, vacation and festive seasons, they need to stay all day long. Let alone young kids, leaving older kids at home is also a difficult situation. We have listed a few home alone safety tips for kids.
Before discussing child safety at home, you must ensure to ask your child about it. The kid should be fine with staying home alone after school hours. If the child is comfortable with it then here are the important rules to guide your child.
Make them aware of phone rules
The child should be very familiar with how to use the phone. Ensure that they use it only in case of emergency to call you. They need not attend incoming calls otherwise and let the machine take it. You can have a cell phone or a private phone to contact the child. This will ensure that they don’t attend calls from strangers. It is best to have a landline with a caller ID. You can always write down emergency numbers for the child to contact.
Awareness about route
If the child is old enough they will take their own motorcycle or vehicle to school. If the school is very near they will walk home. Make sure that the kid takes the same route every day and not get distracted. Taking different routes can make them forget the way back home. Also, advise them not to leave home until you return. Child safety at home is essential. You can make a routine for the child to follow. This will keep them engaged and they won’t get scared or have thoughts to go out.
Do the necessary precautions
From your side, make sure you inform the neighbours that the child will be alone. Lock all other doors and balconies which the child will not use. Keep spare keys inside so they lock the doors from inside. Let the child have access to snacks and other requirements. This will keep them away from gas, sharp utensils and other dangerous objects. Make sure you install security applications to keep the child safe during internet usage too. Do not forget to make a call once you think they’ll be back from school.
Above all, making the child aware of certain issues like burglary is vital. This will help them to think and act quickly if anything is fishy. They must know whom to call in those times. You can try rewarding them when they follow your advice and stick to the rules. This will keep them away from doing anything unsafe or give space to strangers. These are the vital home alone safety tips that you must know before leaving a child alone.
