Protect Your Kids From Holiday Hazards
The Holidays are fun and exciting, but can carry a certain amount of stress and hazards for your children. There are house guests, interrupted routines for both adults and children, time spent on shopping, and trying to stay within your shopping budget. There will be Christmas parties and sit down dinners.There will be things you will forget to do, things you will forget to put in their place, return, mail, etc., etc., etc. There is one thing that sometimes does not cross our minds is how do we protect our children from the stress, anxiety and hazards of Holidays? Here are some tips to keep in the forefront of our minds when dealing with our children during the Holidays.
- Taking your children to someone else's house for dinner can be stressful on the child, especially if your child is allergic to certain foods. If your family plans to visit friends' homes for the Holidays don't be bashful about asking for a menu and letting the host family know that your son or daughter is allergic to certain foods. Don't forget to have your child's medication on hand as well. Offer to bring an allergy-free dessert and/or allergy-free entre' that anyone can enjoy.
- Please be mindful of dangers at others' homes when visiting. Look for stairways that are not guarded, fireplaces that may be burning, unfamiliar animals, wood burning stoves, and exposed electrical cords.
- If your child is allergic to certain animals and you are going to a home with that particular animal(s), ask the host family to secure the animal while you and your family are visiting. If you are really close friends with the host family ask that any excess pet hair be removed from furniture (true friends should accommodate this request for your child's sake).
- Before visiting another family's home talk to your children about the way they behave at home, and how that same behavior may not be acceptable in the home of the host family. For instance, at home your children may be allowed to play in all the rooms in the house, but their play may be limited to only three rooms in the host family's home.
- Friends and family may not have seen your children in a while and may want to give them hugs, but your children may be a little reluctant. It is OK for your children to choose to shake hands and not hug, if that's what makes them comfortable. Buy your child their own decorative hand sanitizer dispenser.
- You don't want your tree to cause injury by falling so please be mindful to secure your Christmas Tree. You may tether the tree using heavy duty fishing line.
- Be mindful when decorating the Christmas Tree that you limit or eliminate the use of very tiny ornaments that can be ingested and/or those that can easily break in little hands.
- When visiting bring your children's games and toys with you for a sense of comfort.
- Another fun idea would be to watch a couple of Holiday family friendly movies to see how the children and parents in those movies react to or interact with people, pets, and things. Some Holiday family friendly movies may yield some good ideas to follow.
Please keep in mind that if your children are in unfamiliar territory that they may misbehave more, seem more irritable, might whine, or even cry. If we try to adhere to these tips we just might make Holidays for our children much more pleasurable.
