If you are a working mother, then staying focused on your work might be tough if you’re always worried about your children at home. The task becomes even more daunting if the kids are young and not ready to take care of themselves.
Our homes are full of potential hazards that can be dangerous for kids without any adult supervision. In this article, we’ll share some ways you can keep your kids safe at home while you’re at work.
Table of Contents
1. Hiring a babysitter or leaving kids at a daycare centre
This is one of the straightforward measures you can take to minimize the dangers for your children. Babysitters and daycare centres can be highly beneficial, especially if your kids are younger than five.
Kids below the age of five must have adult supervision around them at all times as they are still learning about the things that might potentially hurt them. These measures might not be equally effective for older kids as they tend to be rebellious and would not like a stranger supervising them.
2. Use technology for safety
You can also use technology to ensure the safety of your children. Panic alarm, CCTV cameras and other emergency gadgets are becoming increasingly popular in domestic use.
A more recent phenomenon that is gaining traction is the practice of virtual babysitting, where a sitter doesn’t need to be physically present with the child. He or she can do this via video interaction using apps like Skype, Zoom or Microsoft teams.
3. Teaching your kids basic safety tips
It would be best if you taught your child some essential safety tips right from an early age. These include maintaining a first aid box, and preparing your child how to use it in case of a minor injury.
Children often hurt themselves while playing, and they should know how to take care of themselves in such scenarios.
4. Child-proof your home
If your children are too young, then child-proofing your home should be very high on your priority list. Child-proofing includes keeping hazardous materials out of sight or securely locked, and buying specialised types of equipment that will protect your child from domestic hazards.
You can take other steps as well, like making sure that any breakable materials are out of reach, electric outlets are covered, using pool covers among many others.
5. Teach your kids about emergency measures
Emergencies can arise out of nowhere and they might occur when your children are home alone. So, it is better to teach them some fundamental instructions as to what to do when such a situation arises. You should teach your children what might be signs of danger and when they should seek adult help.
These can include smoke or spotting a dangerous animal such as a snake or a scorpion in their vicinity. Children should know how to dial emergency helplines in case of a fire or a natural disaster. You can help them memorise the helpline numbers and teach them how to talk to a representative on the other side.
6. Setting some ground rules
Setting some ground rules is one of the most important steps you can take to ensure your child’s safety. You must set some rules and make sure that they adhere to them. Of course, rules will be different for each individual household, but some will be common in most houses.
Prohibition on using the gas stove for cooking, not answering the door or phone for strangers, no running on stairs, barring them from going outside etc are some of the rules that you might want to lay down. You can add some other rules as well depending upon your personal situation.