Last updated on November 28th, 2023 at 05:00 pm
“A toddler wanders out of her home and onto the highway where she was struck by a car and killed.” Have you heard of a story like this before? Tragic accidents like this leave deep wounds not only for the family but also the driver of the car. Tragedies such as these can happen to any of us, but there are steps we can take to prevent such a horrible accident.
Maybe you have had a “close call” moment where your little ones discovered they could open up the front door and maybe they even walked out. These heart stopping moments give us a second chance. What will you do with your second chance? Just hope it doesn’t happen again? Or will you learn from it and take steps to prevent it from happening again?
Some Safety Measures for Your Doors and Gates
There are a lot of different locks on the market. A lot of parents start with door knob covers that slip over the door knob that make it difficult to open. In my opinion these are worthless since toddlers love to figure out a “puzzle” and will open these in no time. It’s better to have a lock they can’t reach at all.
Install a chain lock near the top of the door. Make sure your children can’t fit though the opening it allows. Many children learn how to open dead bolt locks, but there are dead bolts that require a key to open it, not only from the outside, but from the inside as well. So that you can easily get out in case of an emergency, make sure to keep a key near the door but in a place your toddlers cannot reach. There are high tech locks with a key pad that locks behind you and a code to type in to open it. You may even want to padlock the gate so your child can’t escape the yard. You could also install a bell that rings whenever your door is opened so you are alerted. Don’t forget to secure your windows as well so they can’t be opened all the way and a child climb or fall out.
These are just a few safety measures for you home. But these measures are not foolproof. There are certain things you just can’t plan for and there is human error. All it takes is to forget to close the baby gate or lock the front door just ONE time! To limit the chances of an accident set up backup safety measures. Think of safety measures like slices of Swiss cheese moving past one another. The more pieces you have the less likely the “holes” will line up and let your child slip through and into danger.
It takes time and persistence for children to learn the need to be “safe.” It is never too early to start teaching your children about safety. The barriers we set up to protect them will only work temporarily. As they grow they will have to learn how to follow rules to keep themselves safe. They will eventually learn to only go outside with your permission or hold your hand and look both ways when they cross the street. Test your children’s comprehension of safety rules in safe places. Practice letting your child hold your hand instead of you holding theirs. Make sure that your child will look back to make sure you are still there when he has the freedom to run about.
Once toddlers discover they are capable of performing a new skill, like opening the lock on the door, they are bent on doing it as many times as they can. Even with a strong warning or discipline toddlers can quickly forget; being driven by their curious desire to explore. So don’t wait until next week to make the adjustments, be one step ahead of them and make the adjustments now.
