Home Alone Safety Tips
- Chelsea & Alex
- Oct 10
- 2 min read
It's recommended that younger kids initially be left home alone for less than an hour as they start to gain independence and confidence. This has to be done intentionally in short intervals, when parents are readily accessible. Staying home alone not only needs to be age appropriate, but based on your child’s readiness level - as well as your own comfort level as parents!
Things to review with your kids prior to this are:
Knowing your emergency contact information and phone numbers. Have these numbers posted on the fridge.
Memorizing or writing down your home address in case they need to call Emergency Services. Or if living rurally, what is your legal land description/address?
A review of who the “safe adults” are, whether that’s certain family members or friends they know they can trust.
Do you have designated safe neighbours? Where would you have your child go as a muster point in case of an emergency?
It's ideal to create a secret word for anyone sent to pick them up during an unplanned change in schedule or situation. Meaning if you were needing a family friend to come get them, this friend needs to know the secret word.
Communication:
If your children do have an iPhone you can call 911 by pressing the side button five times to start an automatic call.
A lot of households don’t have landlines but an Alexa device can be used to make calls if you set up the app with contact information. Kids can simply say “Alexa call ::parents name::” to connect to your cell phone. Try it out!
Agreed upon "check in" times can be pre discussed to put both yourself and your child at ease.
Keeping Busy:
It’s a great idea to pre plan acceptable activities with your kids when home alone. The concept that they are to be staying inside the home is important too.
Online Safety:
As parents we often think that if they are on a screen, they are less likely to be doing something that can physically harm them. But online safety is always a consideration. Being home alone is when older children are more likely to engage in inappropriate activities online or through chats.
Mitigating Risk:
Pre planning meals and snacks. Opting for “Safe foods” while home alone. Decrease choking risks and hazards that occur when prepping or cooking foods.
Reviewing or writing down family rules and expectations when home alone.
Ensuring Fire and Carbon Monoxide detectors are functioning.
Our Stay Safe! Home Alone course is conducted through the Canadian Red Cross curriculum and children are given a take home manual that covers basic First Aid skills for minor cuts, nose bleeds and burns, poison awareness, knowing where the first aid kit is and what’s inside, Fire Safety considerations and more!
Registration Link:
Comments