How to keep your children safe and you ready for the worst.

Keeping your children safe is a 24 hour job. We try to be good keepers of our children but with the hustle and bustle of everyday it seems like it’s impossible to keep up with them. And I know I’m the bearer of the,”worst case scenario” but someone’s got to do it!

First thing’s first, the child’s fingerprints. You can use white construction paper and black ink. When taking the prints, roll the fingers and advice your child not to press down. Whoever’s taking the prints does all the pressing and rolling. A good technique to avoid the child from pressing down is to instruct them to look away while you’re rolling the prints. On the white card write key items such as name, weight, height, hair color, eye color, scars, nick names, social security number, address, medical conditions and have the child write down something about him or her self (this helps with the child’s hand writing if needed). Place a current picture of the child on the back side and keep this card in a fire proof container.

Next, (with latex gloves on) take a swab and rub it on the inside of your child’s cheek collecting saliva. Place the swab inside a sealed bag and set it inside the freezer. This will help with DNA if ever needed.

Thirdly, (with latex gloves on) pull a couple of hair strands from your child’s scalp and make sure they have the follicle on the bottom tip (at the bottom of the hair strand you’ll see a tiny white ball). You’ll want to keep this in a separate sealed bag and place it inside the freezer to preserve it. This too is vital for DNA.

And finally, ask your dentist to furnish you with a copy of your child’s dental records for you to keep at home.

If your child should ever become lost, these items must be presented to the authorities as quickly as possible to begin the search.

Currently, there are numerous amounts of security items out there for your children’s safety. One that I find to be great is the personal alarm. It is a device that has two parts to it. One attaches to you and the other to your child. If your child should walk away too far, your part of the device sets off a piercing alarm.

Another is a back pack with an alarm installed inside the one of the shoulder straps. If an assailant should attempt to take your child, all your child has to do is pull a small wire and a blaring siren goes off alerting everyone around the child.

And finally, place a small sticker inside your child’s shoe with the name, address, any medical conditions and contact number in case of an emergency of your child.

Note: Time is of the essence when looking for a lost child!!!

Tip: Teach your child to hold on to their bicycle if a predator ever tries to carry them off. It is very difficult to place a child inside a vehicle when that child is still holding on to a bike.

Stay safe.