TUPELO, MISS– Imagine going to check on your child, but then you find he’s gone.
A parent’s worse nightmare: not knowing where your child is. Check under the bed, in the bathroom, in the living room, then run outside; there he is, pretending to do yard work and stacking sticks.
For a moment, you had no clue where he could be. For a moment, he was gone. Some parents are lucky enough to find the child a few moments later. Other times, a tragedy happens.
So how can you prevent that tragedy?
“Make sure there are windows so your child can get out if there’s a fire,” says Victoria Kilpatrick, with New Beginnings Children’s and Family Services in Tupelo. But Kilpatrick adds that the window could become an exit any day if the child get curious.
“So lots of families have alarms that will sound if the window is opened,” says Kilpatrick. She adds that it doesn’t have to be a complete home security system. If that is out of the question, a hardware store has a magnetic alarm for windows for just a few dollars.
“Make sure the locks are high on the doors, out of a child’s reach,” says Kilpatrick, especially if living near a body of water, “that way the child can’t just let themselves out.
News Mississippi will continue with Keeping Kids Safe at Home Wednesday, when Kilpatrick discusses hiding chemicals away from the hands of your child.
