Keeping My Family Safe

Hi All, 

I’m so excited to have partnered with @countryfinancial for June’s National Safety Month. This post is all about how I keep my family and home safe in the event of an unfortunate occurrence that we know can happen at any time. Here are a few simple steps I have used as a parent of two babes.

Life as we know it

My husband and I have been married for almost 7 years now. Let me tell you, before having kids we never even thought about unexpected hazards. Now, two kids later we make it a high priority to keep our family safe. Baby proofing the house has been an on-going project for us. However, creating a safe environment can be challenging.  There have been so many things we have changed in our home to ensure their safety. We are still learning as we go through life but here are some simple steps I wanted to share.

Outdoor Boating 
We happen to live by a lake and go out on the boat very often in the summer months. I find it very important to teach my kids about boating safety. The purpose of wearing a life vest and no jumping or playing on the boat when in motion. With this being said, we also teach them about outdoor pool safety with wearing their flotation devices  such as, no running or jumping in the pool. Teaching your kids about swimming and the safety components that are involved at a young age can really help prevent unexpected hazards.

Safety Locks
When the kids were born my husband bought safety ties to keep them out of the cabinets. We did this because our friend’s child got into a cleaning cabinet and ended up ingesting a dangerous chemical. Since hearing her horror story I was determined to keep my kids away. Knock on wood we have not had any incidents as we are very diligent in using the safety ties all around the house.

Safety Gate
Next up, we are using gates for our stairway. I’m petrified to have my child fall down the stairs. I feel the safety gate has really helped my son from climbing up and down the stairs and preventing accidents. If you are expecting, I suggest you register for a child safety gate. We really have tried to teach the kids cause and effect. We want our daughter to know that it is a possibility she may get hurt or even break her bones. This at times can be hard for a child to understand. It’s best to show them cartoon videos like Daniel Tiger, as it is a great show that teaches little lessons.

Car safety
I also find my daughter questioning why she needs to be in a car seat. She sees my husband and I just using our seat belt. So explaining collision and impact really is sometimes a challenge for me. The best thing I can do is practice good habits of always wearing my seatbelt so she can mimic those habits in the future.

Firearms
So let me be honest, one of my biggest fears is keeping my home safe. I grew up in Trenton, New Jersey that had a lot of home invasions. For my husband and I, guarding our home and family is a top priority. What we have done since having kids was add a home security system, and keep the sign in our yard from the security company. Our local police feel that it can help ward off potential robbers. We also have a weapon that my husband and I both are trained to use. We keep it in a secure locked safe, and only we can access it with our finger prints. I have to say I was skeptical at first. I spent a lot of time and thought into what the best decision for our family was. After my husband went out of town a time or two, I came to the conclusion the weapon made me feel safe.

Heavy Objects
If you have children then you must know they love to climb. I find my son in the craziest of places bound to hurt himself. I have learned that heavy objects can fall on him and really cause a bad injury. I feel it’s best to keep all heavy objects such as an iron in a safe place.