• Stay in areas with other people around. Don’t take short cuts through alleys, deserted parking lots, or vacant lots.
• It’s better to be with a friend or a group of friends than to travel alone.
• Stay alert to your surroundings. Notice who is walking near you, particularly at your side or behind you. Be aware of places you could go to get help from an adult if need be.
• Avoid going into a public restroom alone. If you must, take the stall nearest the door and exit promptly when you’re finished.
• Never talk to strangers. Adults don’t need to ask for help or directions from children. Don’t take things from them, either. Keep a distance of two arm lengths between you and strangers so you are out of grabbing reach.
• Don’t walk or ride your bike near parked cars.
• Possessions can be replaced, but you can’t be. If a bully threatens you on the way home from school, for example, be ready to drop your backpack or books if you have to run away.
• Listen to your gut. If your instincts tell you something feels wrong, don’t wait to find out if your fears are justified. Leave fast and go to a safe area that has adults around who can help.

Child Safety At The Mall

When you determine that your child is mature enough to go to the mall without you, require her to be in the company of friends rather than going there alone. Drop kids off and pick them up in a well-lighted and populated area; a spot near the mall doors is much safer than in the parking lot. Give your child small bills and remind her not to flash her money around. Make sure she has coins for a phone call if she wants you to pick her up early.

Remind her that if her instincts tell her someone might pose a threat, she should speak to a security guard or store clerk. Better to be safe than sorry!

Children’s Safety On Public Transport

Kids in urban areas often use public buses or even subways to go to and from school. If your child feels he’s ready to start riding public transportation, go with him the first time or two to make sure he’s familiar with the stops and has safe places to wait.

Tell him to sit as close to the driver as possible and to pay attention so he doesn’t miss his stop and end up someplace unfamiliar. Make sure he has coins to phone you if he misses the bus or train and will be late.

Talk to him about how to protect himself if someone bothers him, such as telling the person to stop in a voice loud enough to alert other passengers.

Road Safety For Children

• Teach your kids that it’s safer to walk on the side of the street where cars are coming toward them. It’s easier for an assailant to stop his car and grab a child from behind since the child can’t see what’s going on in back of him unless he turns around.
• A child is more vulnerable if she’s listening to a personal tape player through headphones or reading something while she walks. These distractions make it unlikely that she’ll notice someone coming from behind.
• Kids want to be helpful; they don’t want to appear impolite. They’ve probably seen their parents answer a question from a stranger or give directions. Children might encounter a homeless person asking for coins or a street vendor looking to make a sale.
• Teach your child to say “no” (and sound as if she means it) while looking directly at the person and then moving on. She shouldn’t apologize or worry about hurting someone’s feelings. If she doesn’t want to do this, she can walk briskly on without responding at all.The same advice applies to encounters with strangers in places other than the street. If your youngster is taking an elevator, for example, when the door opens she should look at who’s inside before entering; if she feels uncomfortable, she can wait for the next one. If she’s worried about someone who gets on after her, she can push the button to get out at the next floor.

Anytime your child is in public and feels her safety is threatened, her best defense is to yell for help. Assailants understandably prefer not to attract attention.

Each year, hospital emergency rooms treat about 8,100 people for injuries, such as falls, cuts, and shocks related to holiday lights, decorations, and Christmas trees. In addition, Christmas trees are involved in more than 400 fires annually, resulting in 30 deaths, 90 injuries, and an average of more than $17 million in property loss and damage.

Have a safe and happy holiday season by following these safety tips.

Child Care Christmas Safety Tips

Trees

• When purchasing an artificial tree, look for the label “Fire Resistant.” Although this label does not mean the tree won’t catch fire, it does indicate the tree will resist burning and should extinguish quickly.
• When purchasing a live tree, check for freshness. A fresh tree is green; needles are hard to pull from branches and when bent between your fingers, needles do not break. The trunk butt of a fresh tree is sticky with resin, and when tapped on the ground, the tree should not lose many needles.
• When setting up a tree at home, place it away from fireplaces and radiators. Because heated rooms dry live trees out rapidly, be sure to keep the stand filled with water. Place the tree out of the way of traffic and do not block doorways.

Lights

• Indoors or outside, use only lights that have been tested for safety by a recognized testing laboratory, which indicates conformance with safety standards.
• Check each set of lights, new or old, for broken or cracked sockets, frayed or bare wires, or loose connections, and throw out damaged sets.
• Use no more than three standard-size sets of lights per single extension cord.
• Never use electric lights on a metallic tree. The tree can become charged with electricity from faulty lights, and a person touching a branch could be electrocuted.
• Fasten outdoor lights securely to trees, house walls, or other firm supports to protect the lights from wind damage. Use only insulated staples, not nails or tacks, to hold strings in place. Or, run strings of lights through hooks (available at hardware stores).
• Turn off all lights when you go to bed or leave the house. The lights could short out and start a fire.
• For added electric-shock protection, plug outdoor electric lights and decorations into circuits protected by ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs). Portable outdoor GFCIs can be purchased where electrical supplies are sold. GFCIs can be installed permanently to household circuits by a qualified electrician.

Decorations

• Use only non-combustible or flame-resistant materials to trim a tree. Choose tinsel or artificial icicles of plastic or nonleaded metals. Leaded materials are hazardous if ingested by children.
• Never use lighted candles on a tree or near other evergreens. Always use non-flammable holders, and place candles where they will not be knocked down.
• In homes with small children, take special care to avoid decorations that are sharp or breakable, keep trimmings with small removable parts out of the reach of children to avoid the child swallowing or inhaling small pieces, and avoid trimmings that resemble candy or food that may tempt a child to eat them.
• Wear gloves to avoid eye and skin irritation while decorating with spun glass “angel hair.” Follow container directions carefully to avoid lung irritation while decorating with artificial snow sprays.

Fireplaces

• Use care with “fire salts,” which produce colored flames when thrown on wood fires. They contain heavy metals that can cause intense gastrointestinal irritation and vomiting if eaten. Keep them away from children.
• Do not burn wrapping papers in the fireplace. A flash fire may result as wrappings ignite suddenly and burn intensely.