Everyday family safety tips you can start using today to protect your home & the ones you love most

Between the bleakness of the news and recent events, it’s easy to feel like you and your family are nearly always in harm’s way.

But in reality, many of the common incidents that occur—falls, overdoses, and drowning, for example—can be prevented with a little preparation.

The following family safety tips can help you minimize the risk of accidents and injuries at home or on the go. And the best part?

They’re all simple enough to start implementing today.

1. Secure Your Home 

To provide your loved ones with a relaxed and carefree life, there needs to be a level of home security you can confidently rely on. That goes for protection against break-ins, as well as fires, carbon monoxide leaks, and other home emergencies. 

That’s why the first item on our list of family safety tips is to secure your home. 

If you haven’t already, you may want to consider investing in a DIY or full-service home security system. Not only will these allow you to keep an eye on the comings and goings of your home, but they’ll also notify you immediately if something goes wrong.

Additionally, make a point to check and replace the batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors regularly—around once every six months. If your home isn’t already equipped with carbon monoxide detectors, be sure to install them on every floor.

It’s also important to establish some hard and fast home safety rules. These can include, but aren’t limited to:

• Keep all windows and doors closed and locked unless they’re currently in use
• Don’t answer the door for strangers
• If you have a landline, don’t answer the phone unless it’s a family member or friend
• No pool access unless a parent or older sibling is present
• Don’t use heat sources (fireplace, oven, stovetop, etc.) without supervision
• Don’t leave the house or yard without permission

2. Childproof Your Home

Depending on your child’s age, you’ll need to take certain steps to make your home a safe place for them to grow up.

Most often, childproofing your home involves removing choking and tripping hazards from the floors, making sure your furniture is secure, installing safety gates, window guards, and cabinet locks, and keeping cords, wires, sharp objects, and drugs out of reach.

Outlet covers and childproof trash can lids are also great preventive measures for curious youngsters.

3. Practice Online Safety

These days, kids as young as five have access to smartphones, iPads, and other internet-connected devices.

As you may already know, even sites like YouTube have content that’s inappropriate for young children. So be sure to make use of the parental controls on any devices you let your little one use.

And when they’re old enough to surf the web and play games online, it’s crucial to teach them never to share their personal information with anyone they meet, no matter who they are or how long they’ve known each other.

4. Always Wear Safety Equipment

Whenever you’re driving, riding bikes, or doing any activity that can be dangerous, set a good example for your family and always wear the necessary safety gear.

Whether it’s a seatbelt, helmet, life jacket (floaties for the little ones), or shin, knee, and elbow pads for sports, seeing you wear these items will help teach your child the importance of personal safety.

Couple this with a family chat about why this equipment is so important, and they’ll know to take the proper steps to protect themselves, even when you’re not around.

5. Practice Water Safety

This family safety tip is especially relevant since we’re in the midst of summer. 

If you have a pool in the backyard, water safety precautions and a strict set of pool rules are vital to prevent slips, falls, and drowning.

The first and most crucial step is preventing unwanted pool access. To do this, consider installing childproof locks on all fence gates, motion sensors on all exterior doors and windows, or a safety gate that surrounds the entire pool.

As for pool rules, these are a great place to start: 

• No running around the pool
• Never swim without the supervision of an adult or older sibling
• No swimming during storms
• No diving
• Play nice (no throwing anyone in the pool or holding them underwater)

6. Stick Together in Public

In bustling places like supermarkets, malls, or theme parks, an unattended child can get lost in a heartbeat.

When going out in public, make sure your little one knows to always stay with you—especially in busy areas. Want to be extra cautious? You can make it a rule to hold your or your partner’s hand in places with lots of people or when crossing streets and parking lots.

Also, it’s essential to ensure your child knows what to do if they get lost. Teach them that if they ever get separated from you, in most cases they should stay where they are and call out to you. 

In places like supermarkets or malls, they can approach the nearest counter and let an employee know that they’re lost. And under no circumstances should they leave the building, especially with a stranger.

7. Prepare for the Weather

A quick look at the weather before leaving the house can save you and your family a lot of trouble. 

When you know what to expect, you can dress your children appropriately, apply sunscreen (if necessary), bring enough water to stay hydrated, and avoid getting caught in a storm.

It can also help you prepare for extreme weather, giving you ample time to stock up on supplies, set up hurricane shutters, or make evacuation plans.

8. Plan for Emergencies

Emergencies are overwhelming, confusing, and can happen in a split second. That’s why planning for them is arguably the most crucial family safety tip on this list.

At home, keep a healthy stock of first-aid supplies, water, non-perishable food, necessary medications, flashlights, batteries, and other survival supplies in case you need to wait out a heavy storm or power outage.

Create and practice an emergency evacuation plan in the event of a fire or flood, with safe exits for every area of the home and designated meeting spots.

And for 24/7 protection wherever your family adventures take you, set yourself up with the Rescu app.

Just two taps on your smartphone or Apple Watch instantly dispatches fire, police, or ambulance services to your current location (anywhere in the US). No talking required.

The app stores your relevant personal and medical information and, when you send an alert, instantly provides this information to your dispatcher and first response team, so they can provide fast, accurate care when they arrive.

And since Rescu operates out of a 5-Diamond, UL-Certified monitoring center dedicated solely to subscribers, you’ll never have to deal with the delays that often come with the 911 system.

The Rescu app is round-the-clock family safety in the palm of your hand—twenty times faster than 911 and with no risk of your alert going unanswered.

Click or tap below to download today!