As a mom, ensuring the safety of your children while you’re out and about is a huge job, and a top priority, but one thing you might not think about much, if at all, is that you’ll need to keep yourself safe too. It’s not good if you get into difficulties or something goes wrong because the children won’t be safe either. That’s why it’s so crucial to take care of everyone in the group, including yourself.
No matter where you’re going or what you’re doing, whether it’s boring but necessary errands or a fun family day out, being prepared and really knowing how you can stay safe while you’re out with your kids is massively important. With that in mind, here are some of the things you’ll need to think about to get this vital element right and so you can enjoy yourself without any problems. Read on to find out more.
Plan Ahead
Before you go anywhere, even if it’s somewhere you’ve been many times before, it’s important to plan as much ahead as you can. Yes, it’s also good to be spontaneous and do different things from time to time, but if you’ve got a general overall plan, everything becomes a lot easier and you won’t have to worry about it so much – you can just have fun and, if some opportunity comes up, you’ll be in a better position to take it.
Firstly, you need to know your route. If you know where you’re going and how to get there, there’s a lower likelihood of you getting lost, distressed, and potentially running out of time. You’ll probably know from past experience that when you get lost you also get stressed, and even when you do get back on the right track, you’ll feel very stressed about things, which isn’t much good for a fun day out or just being with your kids. It’s wise to use GPS but also to have looked at the route in advance just in case, and maybe even have a map with you – sometimes the signal for your GPS can stop working.
Pack Essentials
If you want to stay safe – and if you want your kids to stay safe – it’s not always about making sure you’re aware of your surroundings and you know what to do if someone gets hurt (although those things are, of course, crucial). It’s also about just making sure you’re prepared fro the day, and checking that you’ve got all the essentials with you to keep you and your kids happy and comfortable.
Take food, for example. You might just assume you’ll get some food when you arrive wherever you’re going or through the day, but what if you can’t? What if something stops you, like the place not having any food or the restaurants not being open when you want them to be? That’s why packing some snacks is a good idea – you might not eat them, but they’re there if you need them, and if it’s the difference between hunger and comfort, why not?
Other things to pack include milk and diapers (depending on how old your kids are), water, sunscreen (and other types of sun protection, like hats and sunglasses), a first aid kit, extra clothes, and things the children might need for entertainment, like books and games (again, depending on where you’re going and what you’re doing).
Choose The Right Bag
While you’re packing your things, it’s a good idea to make sure you’ve chosen the right bag to take out and about with you as well – in fact, the right bag (or the wrong one, come to that) can make all the difference when it comes to your safety.
No matter where you are, there’s always the chance that there will be thieves and opportunistic pickpockets nearby, and although it’s not a nice thought, it’s something you need to bear in mind. It’s easy to get quite blase about it, especially if you’re going to places you’ve been many times, or you’ve never run into a problem like this, but that’s the problem – when you’re not on your guard, you can be caught out.
That’s why it’s best to pick a good bag to take out with you so you can keep all your belongings safe. Even if the only thing in the bag is some diapers, you still don’t want to go through the trauma of it being stolen.
The best thing you can do is opt for crossbody bags for women because they’re practical and they’re more secure than most other bags. Crossbody bags are great because they mean you can do whatever you need to do with your kids hands-free, and because they’re worn across the body, they’re less likely to be snatched away from you.
Teach Kids Safety Rules
It’s great for you to be vigilant when it comes to your children’s safety, but when you’re also trying to keep yourself safe and do the shopping or have fun at the park, or whatever else it is you’re doing, it’s a lot to deal with all at once.
Although you’ll always need to keep an eye on your kids – it’s one of the most important things you need to do – if you can teach them some basic safety rules, you’ll also know they can follow those rules and not get themselves into dangerous situations. It just takes the pressure off a little, which can mean you’re less stressed, which means a much better day out for everyone.
Stranger danger is a big rule to get your kids acquainted with, and although you need to be careful how you explain it to them because you don’t want to scare them, you also need to let them know why they mustn’t ever go anywhere with a stranger. They’ll also need to learn to stay close to you, which can be another rule to implement, plus you can ensure they’ve got emergency information on them, perhaps pinned to the inside of their jacket or shirt, and that they know how to use it, just in case.
Stay Alert And Aware
Moms don’t need to be told to stay alert and aware – it’s what they do as a matter of course – but they might need some help on how to do it so they don’t get overwhelmed and the kids don’t get too restricted either (it’s definitely possible to go too far).
Firstly, you need to avoid distractions like your phone, for example. Yes, sometimes when the kids are playing it’s the only time you have to answer a text from a friend or an important work email or even just enjoy scrolling through social media, but don’t let it distract you from knowing where the children are at all times.
You’ll also need to be aware of your surroundings and pay attention to the people and environment around you. If something or someone makes you uncomfortable, trust your instincts and move away, or even alert the authorities; it’s better to be safe than sorry.
Or what about using a buddy system? If you go out, go with another adult so the responsibility doesn’t all fall on you. An extra pair of eyes, ears, and hands, can be exactly what you need, and although you won’t want to go with someone else all the time (time spent just with your child is important for bonding), it can solve a lot of problems if you do it at least some of the time.
