Image courtesy of Pexels

by james deutsch, guest contributor

Ensuring that your child knows how to be safe when home alone is critical to your peace of mind and their safety. As they grow into intelligent young adults, they will need to learn to be more independent, and this can be the ideal first step towards that direction. However, before you decide to leave them home alone, here are some home security tips that they should know about:

1. Keep Everything Locked

While this is a no-brainer, many kids can forget that all entryways need to be secured, including those on the second floor, basement, and even the attic. It might not just be the doors that they should be paying attention to, but the windows too. They should be taught that as soon as you or an adult leave the home, all doors and windows should be locked. If there is an attached garage connected to your home, it needs to be locked immediately after you leave. 

Inspecting the door locks before you leave your child alone is a good idea, especially if the locks are quite old. It might be time to consider getting modern upgrades, like keyless entry door locks, to make it easier for your child to manage when they’re home alone. Many keyless locks even connect to apps, which makes it easy for parents to double-check if the door is locked even while they are away.

2. Always Have Emergency Contact Information 

Anything can happen when your child is at home alone, and they may need to contact emergency services in case of a fire, burglary, break-in, or other emergency. To ensure that your child gets emergency help whenever required, they need to know emergency contact information. 

Leaving a card next to the phone or on your refrigerator of all the emergency numbers, including to the ER and police, is crucial. It's as important to leave contact details of a trusted person nearby in situations that you are not reachable. 

3. Know Basic First Aid

Accidents and minor injuries can happen anytime. It might be a reality that you don’t want to think about, but it’s better to be safe than sorry when it comes to injuries. Teaching your children basic first aid is not just necessary when they’re home alone, but out anywhere else. 

Having an emergency first aid kit is crucial, and you should teach your kid how to use everything in the first aid box. Besides knowing where to find the first aid kit, kids should also know how to control bleeding and clean cuts to prevent infection. They should be aware of all the different medications in the emergency first aid kit. 

4. Don’t Go Into Specific Rooms Without Supervision

If there are specific areas of your home that could be dangerous for your children, like where the herbicides, pesticides and cleaning supplies are stored, it’s better to warn them beforehand. You can also take this time to teach your kid about how herbicides work and why they’re dangerous.

5. Practice Safety Online

Image courtesy of Pexels

Teach your kid that personal information should never be shared on online platforms, especially with strangers. You never know who’s behind the screen. You can also use this opportunity to make them aware of cyberbullying and other online crimes that can target kids and adolescents, specifically. Make clear to them that under no circumstances should you share your address or invite someone you met online into the house.

6. Don’t Let Non-Family In

When your kid or teenager plans on inviting someone over while you’re out, it’s crucial that you remain updated. The last thing you want as a parent is to find out that your child is indulging in improper behavior when you’re out.

Your child might be peer-pressured into inviting others into their home, but you have to be firm that no one can enter your home without you being aware. Teach your child that regardless of whether it is the holiday season or a normal weekend, a friend or any other individual coming into your home means that you should be made aware of it. 

Keeping Your Child Safe

As kids and teenagers grow up, they will naturally crave more independence and their own space — but you have to trust them before giving them the entire home to take care of. Teaching these essential home safety tips is the perfect way to feel safe about your child being alone at home and enabling them to explore their individuality and independence a little bit more. 

Make your home and family secure, so you have no worries when you’re out. Whether your child is 9 or 14, these tips are ideal for all ages. 

related articles: