Summer is the time we all enjoy a vacation, but it’s important to take precautions to keep kids safe and secure during any trip. Vacations post unique safety threats for kids that are different than those that might be encountered when a person is at home.
Here are some tips to help make your vacation fun and safe.
• children need to have identification while on vacation. If they become lost on vacation, they need to have the information on them of how to get in touch with you: your cell numbers, hotel name, hotel phone number, along with home phone number and emergency contact.
Also, be sure to include any important medical information. You can use shoe stickers, ID bracelets, shoe tags, dog tags, etc.
• talk to your children about what to do if they become lost. Have a plan in place in the event your child becomes lost. While on vacation take a photo of each child each day with your cell phone or camera.
That way you will know exactly what they were wearing and have a very current photo if needed in a search. The FBI has an app for smart phones that provides a convenient place to electronically store photos and vital information about your children so that it’s literally right at hand if you need it. You can show the pictures and provide physical identifiers, such as height and weight to security or police officers on the spot.
Using a special tab on the app you can also quickly and easily email the information to authorities with a few clicks.
• use a door alarm on your hotel door while on vacation to protect you from an intrusion or from a child leaving the room without you knowing it.
• pay attention to the windows in the hotel. Approximately 70 children die every year by falling through an open window. Avoid placing cribs and other low furniture near windows. With double-sash windows, remember to open them from the top, not the bottom to let in fresh air.
• ask lots of questions about child care if you plan to use it. Find out who will be watching your child, where they will be staying and what activities are offered for children. Check out where your child may be eating or playing and make sure everything appears clean and well maintained.
• an adult should actively watch children at all times while they are in a pool. While lifeguards do a great job of watching out for danger their presence does not ensure that accidents will not happen. Besides, many hotel swimming pools do not have lifeguards on duty, and even those that do often have areas that the lifeguards cannot see clearly at all times.
The best way to keep your kids safe is to get in the pool with them and enjoy the water together.
Take the time to familiarize yourself and talk with your children about travel safety to decrease the risk of undesirable events occurring while away from home.
This will ensure that your family has an enjoyable and safer vacation.