When making your home security plan, don’t overlook the safety of your children. Kids must be protected from dangerous people who might be out to harm them, as well as accidents and in-home situations where your kids might put themselves in danger all by themselves.
The first step is to keep children in mind when protecting the entrances to your home. Someone breaking in might not be interested in your jewelry and electronics, but rather in your children. Several high-profile child abductions over the past few years have underscored the necessity of strong home security measures on children’s bedroom windows and doors. Contact alarms will sound when doors and windows are opened, whether it’s a child trying to leave the home at night or an intruder trying to enter. For young children, motion alarms can be a useful tool to alert you when they are trying to leave their bed in the middle of the night.
If someone does try to harm your child, you need to be made aware of it. Unfortunately, this may not be immediately possible. If you’re sound asleep or in another area of the house, what can your child do to get your attention at a time when seconds matter? Personal alarms are small devices that sound a loud noise when pressed. These are useful not only in the home, but also in amusement parks, shopping malls, or anywhere else you may be separated from your children or they may be approached by a child abductor. A panda bear shaped personal alarm makes a great choice for children.
A hidden camera or baby monitor is another useful home security tool. This device allows you to watch your child in the night. If you hear a loud noise, you can quickly determine if anything is amiss. This strategy isn’t just useful for watching babies in cribs, but in fact for any small child. Whether your child has become the target of an abductor, or is getting up to get water or use the bathroom in the middle of the night, as a parent you should know about it.
Always remember that safety in the home is about protecting your family from outside dangers as well as dangers occuring within the home itself. Kids getting up in the night may stumble on the way to the bathroom. A nightlight can make it easier for family members to walk the hallways. Many children, of course, also prefer a nightlight to reduce the darkness in their bedroom.
Homes with children must also be equipped with child safety products. If you have a young child at home, then you are undoubtedly familiar with cabinet latches, outlet plugs, and doorknob guards. These products ensure that your children can’t get into anything dangerous within the home. You may also want to seek out more specific childproofing products, such as a swimming pool alarm, to guard against your home’s particular threats. A pool alarm will alert you to children who have fallen or jumped into the pool, and are a must-hve device for any family with a pool. These child-proofing products should be in place before your baby starts to crawl, and should say there until your kids are old enough to know to stay away from these dangers in the home.
When making all of these security plans, don’t forget that safety is as much about having the right tools as it is about having the right information. Your children should be given age-appropriate information about your family’s home security plans. What should they do if they feel an earthquake? What about if they think someone is trying to break in? While it’s important not to scare them, children must know what to do in an emergency or a dangerous situation.
Tara was born in England and moved to USA in 1998. Together with her husband James she started the Resist Attack website in 2009 to make available a wide variety of personal safety products and to educate families on how to stay safe. So far they have published over 250 articles on the subject.
This article brought up things that I think about but it was also a little scary. Hazard of the subject I guess!
Like the idea of a personal alarm, but remember the last line of defense is the ability of the child to buy a little time by fighting back. It is amazing how many abductions are foiled with a simple punch to the nose or kick to the groin. It is the element of surprise that makes it effective.
Thanks for the comments Scarlet and Matt. Yes, it’s a scary subject to think about, but can you imagine how you’d feel if you hadn’t prepared your child?