Keeping your child sheltered, loved and safe is your primary concern as a parent. And when it comes to safety, you know that it goes beyond simply keeping your child fed and warm. For a child to feel safe, you need to tend to all their physical and emotional needs, even those they don’t even know they have. Here are some aspects of your child’s safety you should address.

Emotional safety

If you want your child to be safe emotionally, you should start with your own behavior and attitude. First of all, avoid shouting at your child when they make a mistake, but rather talk to them in a soft and quiet voice, explaining what they did wrong and how they can do it right next time. This way they won’t feel frustrated and they won’t be ashamed when they make a mistake. Bond with your children through answering their questions patiently, reading to them or traveling with them. Be honest with them, display optimism and always show them affection. Hug them, cuddle with them, let them express their feelings and see you express yours. Stimulate their curiosity and creativity by letting them play and joining them whenever possible, but always supervise them to make sure that they do it in a safe manner.

Home safety

For your child to truly be safe at home, it’s not enough to simply love them unconditionally. You need to turn your home into a safe place for them. Depending on your child’s age, you should make your home childproof, starting with the kitchen and the bathroom. Keep any hazardous items out of their reach, choose furniture with curvy edges when you can, and when you can’t, there are certain covers for the sharp furniture edges that you can install. Also, childproof anything such as electrical items and hot water systems, since children sometimes don’t understand the danger of playing with electricity. Get non-slip mats for your bathroom, thermostat controlled hot water systems and cabinet locks for your kitchen. Teach them to lock the door and not to let any strangers in, make sure they learn how to dial emergency services and to know their address. Another way to ensure home safety is to get good insurance like this, which can be useful should any unexpected situations occur.

Health safety

Although there are no guarantees when health is concerned, there are things that you can do to promote good health in your child. For example, help them adopt healthy habits from the earliest of age. Make sure that the food they eat is healthy and nutritious, with a lot of fresh fruit and vegetables and as little junk food and unhealthy sweets as possible. Serve them fresh meals that you made from scrap and have them drink plenty of water every day. Teach them the importance of good hygiene. They should wash their hands regularly and brush their teeth at least twice a day, and until they start remembering to do it themselves, you should always be there to remind them. Physical activity is also an important aspect of health, so encourage them to take up a sport of their choice.

School safety

Making sure your child is safe when they’re with you isn’t enough. They should also feel that way at school, since they spend a significant amount of time there. Before you choose a school for your child, find out all the relevant information about it. The school should be safe indoors and outdoors, which means that the classrooms and all the other school utilities are child-friendly and pleasant, that the playground is well-equipped, but that it’s secured and monitored properly, so that your child can’t leave on their own, or that a stranger cannot simply wander in unnoticed. Another important thing is the school staff. Visit the school once or twice before making up your mind, meet the teachers and the principal and look for opinions of other parents, whose children already attend the school.

Future safety

If you want to ensure a good future for your child, you should invest in them. Invest your time into teaching them how the world works, as well as developing their empathy, honesty and understanding of others. By building their emotional intelligence, you’ll teach them how to build healthy relationships once they grow up and how to treat other people with respect. Invest your money in their education, so that they can become a productive adult one day. Let them develop skills in accordance with their ambitions and interests. And finally, invest your patience into them, so that they become a good and honest person one day.

Providing your child with safety today will turn them into a healthy and intelligent person tomorrow. So, do your best. Your child will be grateful one day.