Home Alone Safety Tips
Tips for Parents Considering leaving their child home alone
The first step parents should take is to evaluate your childs readiness
- Are they mature enough to appropriately respond to the possible risk or emergency situations that may arise?
- Do they posses the self-confidence to handle them?
- Are they able to make responsible decisions and problem solve?
Ask yourself the following questions to ensure that you have made sure your child is ready:
- Does you child know how to place an emergency call and what is important to say?
- Does you child know to call you immediately upon their arrival at home?
- Would your child know what to do if he cut, burned or injured himself?
- Do they know where the first aid kit is?
- Is there a flashlight readily available and are the batteries fully charged? Would you child know where the spare batteries are kept and how to replace them if need be?
- Do you have a household fire extinguisher? Does you child know where to find it and how to use it?
- Is you child permitted to answer the telephone? the door? Does he know what to say?
- Would your child know how to respond to deliveries (expected or unexpected), emergency requests, unscheduled visitors?
- Would they know what to do if they arrived home and the front/back door is ajar or a window is broken?
- Does your child know never to lend his key to anyone without your permission?
- Do they know how to reach you or a reliable alternate contact at all times?
- Have you secured ?personal items? that you child may be curious about exploring in your absence?
- Is your child allowed to have friends over? Is her permitted to visit them or a neighbour?
- What has your child been instructed to do if he suddenly feels ill?
- Does your child advise you of any changes of plans and know to always check with you first?