Autumn is a season of ripeness and harvesting. There is a mellow fruitiness that comes with cooling temperatures, falling and turning leaves, short days, and long darkened nights. Everything is usually beautiful and nature usually gives us various color shades of orange, brown, yellow, red, and purple. But this is a season where many cultures and practices are celebrated. It also indicates the fruitiness much loved Christmas season is near. But while you and your kids prepare pumpkin patches in anticipation of Halloween.
But how should you prepare your little ones for this season? Well, below is an overview highlighting various ways of keeping kids safe this autumn.
Covid and Infectious Diseases Safety
Covid-19 is an infectious disease that’s been around for more than a year. Children are now at a high risk of contracting this viral disease, especially in school settings. Besides that, autumn is a period where children are likely to contract other infectious diseases such as flu, allergies, common cold, and acute bronchitis among others. This means that they are more likely to get sick at this point of the year compared to summer and spring.
But it should be noted that this is the season that requires them to be officially in school.
Numerous outdoor and indoor activities require interactions with other kids. That’s why face masks should be worn by all children 2 years or older, especially indoors. besides that, ensure that your child frequently washes their hand or uses a sanitizer after engaging in activities that involve things and people in public spaces.
Note: even without the aforementioned infectious diseases in mind, instill in your child the need for handwashing. Kids are not as careful as adults and this means that their probability of coming in contact and spreading germs is higher. A kid can touch a dirty item and go ahead and touch their mouth, eyes, or nose. The worst thing to happen is that once they are infected, then chances are that the whole family may come down with just the same illness. So, teach them to wash their hands:
• After playing outside
• Before eating
• Before touching their mouth, eyes, and nose
• After sneezing and coughing
• After touching animals including family-owned pets
• After using the washroom
• Before and after visiting sick relatives and friends
Halloween Safety
One of the highlights of autumn for kids is Halloween. This is an annual opportunity for them to cultivate and manifest their creativity and improve on self-expression. Besides that, Halloween provides a better way of meeting the neighbors and it teaches them to have independence.
But before your young one engages in trick or treating adventures; you have to put measures in place to ensure that they are safe. For instance, you need to ensure that their Halloween costumes don’t have toxins. Go ahead and plan for the night ahead and if your child wants to go outdoors in the dark, then always accompany them. It’s also important that you add reflective tapes to their costumes or simply make them wear bright colors.
There are a lot of things that could potentially go wrong if you don’t take time to implement Halloween safety measures for your kid.
Falling Leaves Safety
Although this may sound like a minor safety issue, leaves are some of the biggest causes of accidents in autumn. For young ones without proper stability and instincts to think ahead of time, wet lives can result in injuries when they accidentally slide and fall. Besides that, the large number of falling leaves can clog gutters and drain leading to the accumulation of water in low-lying street points.
It’s also worth noting that one rite of passage for most kids is jumping into a pile of leaves. However, you shouldn’t let this happen, no matter how interesting or funny it appears to be. A big pile of leaves is more likely to hide rocks, thorns, sharp sticks, dangerous bugs, and small animals. Jumping blindly can result in injuries and poisonous bites.
When outdoors, make sure that your child walks in an area that’s clear and with fewer leaves. Don’t let them jostle the leaves, especially if they have underlying health complications or suffer from certain allergic reactions. If the leaves are within your compound, then the best course of action is for you to constantly rake them to eliminate the risk of danger.
Road Safety
Regardless of your local area’s safety status, there is always a chance of someone mischievous wanting to create commotions. Kids need to have freedom when going to school or moving around. If good measures are put in place and road safety rules adhered to, then pedestrians can safely cross the road when lights turn green.
However, there are those reckless drivers who are sometimes on the phone while driving or they are engaging in drunk driving. Parents need to teach their children road safety rules.
Remind them every time they go out that they should only cross the road when the pedestrian lights are green and when the vehicles in that traffic lane have stopped. Besides that, you can sometimes dress them in clothes with bright colors or reflective jackets, especially when visibility is reduced. Remind them that if they are scared, they can always wait to cross the road with other pedestrians.
Always hold your young one’s hand while walking along the streets and in parking lots.
Remind them that they need to stay away from a vehicle when it’s turning on, especially when the driver is backing out of the driveway or a parking space.
Cycling Safety
Even though temperatures are usually quite low in autumn, children still need to exercise.
Cycling is one of the best ways to introduce healthy activities to kids while they are still young. It helps to boost their mental attitude and can be effective in easing both mental and physical stress. Besides that, it can boost interaction between parents and children or children and children. They can easily travel around the neighborhood while engaging their muscles.
But all street and road users should practice some form of safety. Besides that, visibility might be reduced in autumn and this usually increases the probability of accidents. For safety purposes, teach your child to always cycle along the lane reserved for bicycles.
Before they even leave the house, ensure that they are wearing a properly fitted helmet to prevent the risk of dangerous head injuries, don’t forget to dress them in clothes with bright colors, especially in the mornings and evenings. And if possible, always ride with your children.
Appropriate Clothing and Skin Safety
Wearing warm clothes is a must in autumn. Besides that, skincare routines don’t end with the summer sunshine. Everything counts towards the well-being of your child. The best outfit in autumn includes knitted hats, longline sweaters, hoodies, socks, and scarves among others. But in places like Singapore where this is unlikely to happen, ensure that you dress your kids in breathable clothes to avoid overheating as example when your child spends time in Christmas camp https://www.newtonshowcamp.com/christmas-camp.
Besides that, it’s important to apply sunscreen all year round, even in autumn. This is because there is still ultraviolet radiation that’s invisible and present throughout the year. It should be noted long-sleeved tops and hats can also help to protect exposed skin.
Kitchen Safety
It’s nice to have kids help you in the kitchen, especially on weekends and holidays. They should learn how to prepare simple food recipes. This is important for their independence.
However, you need to be careful when the little ones are near fire, hot appliances, and hot cooking oil. besides that, sharp appliances such as knives can be a serious health hazard that can result in deep cuts.
The best way to ensure that your kids are safe is to monitor them while they are in the kitchen. Offer directives as you micromanage them. Besides that, you should teach them about using different appliances and how they can avoid certain hazards. Lastly, the heat should always be moderately hot to avoid serious burns.
Smart Devices and Online Safety
Giving you’re your kids access to smart devices isn’t inevitable in the internet age. They need these devices to learn and as a source of entertainment. However, there are malicious people in the dark age who can take advantage of children, especially if they have social media accounts.
Parents should protect their kids by regulating the content they access online. Certain websites should be completely blocked and there should be a time restriction on how and when they can log in online.
Conclusion
Autumn, just like other seasons, usually comes with lots of environmental changes. Leaves are falling, nights are getting longer, and days are getting shorter. The air outside is usually drier and there is usually an increase in allergic reactions. If you have children you have to practice and teach them to be cautious. The above-reviewed methods are among the best in keeping kids safe this autumn. These techniques offer an all-around solution to ensure that your kid is mentally, physically, and socially protected. Besides that, they help to ensure that they can be creative, healthy, and have fun both indoors and outdoors.
