Safety
Angela Oswalt Morelli , MSW, edited by Mark Dombeck, Ph.D.image by Dana Beveridge (lic)Parents concerned about their children's welfare will arrange for them to have access to preventative health care, including immunizations and regular visits to the doctor and dentist. However, merely taking steps to prevent children from developing diseases is not enough to help ensure their overall safety. It is also important that parents help their children learn to recognize and avoid dangerous situations, and to lessen the likelihood that children not yet old enough to independently recognize and avoid dangerous situations will encounter dangerous situations in the first place. In order to accomplish these safety goals, parents must educate their children about various dangers they may encounter, and, as well, take steps to physically limit children's access to dangerous aspects of the environment they are too young to appreciate.
We have previously provided a great deal of information about how to make a home safe for babies in our article on Babyproofing a Home. Some of that babyproofing information is still relevant with regard to keeping Middle Childhood aged children safe, even though these children are much older and wiser than babies. In particular, the sections in our babyproofing article covering fire safety, pet safety, outdoor safety, car safety, and First Aid include important information relevant to caring for children of all ages, infants as well as school-aged children. We hope you will take time to review that information if you have not done so recently.
Even though children in the Middle Childhood stage are older, more physically capable, and more mentally mature than very young children, older kids still lack adult judgment capabilities and require many safety precautions in place around them so as to protect them. In fact, due to school-aged children's ever expanding array of abilities and interests and their increased mobility, they are in some important sense more at risk than are babies.
In the following sections, we review some of the common dangers parents and caregivers should attend to.
Automobiles, Walking and Biking Safety
Resources
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Articles
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Middle Childhood Introduction
- Middle Childhood Parenting Introduction
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Child Feeding and Nutrition
- Feeding and Nutrition
- Components of Healthy Meals
- Additional Components of a Healthy Meal
- The Importance of Water
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Child Sleeping
- Sleep
- Managing Children's Insomnia
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Child Hygiene and Appearance
- Hygiene
- Health-Promoting Hygiene Habits
- Hand-washing
- Appearance-Enhancing Hygiene Habits
- Hair Care and Clean Clothing
- Puberty-Related Hygiene Concerns: Body Odor, Acne and Menstruation
- Appearance
- Children's Hairstyles
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Child Health and Medical Issues
- Exercise
- Preventative Health Care
- Preventative Dental and Vision Care
- Sun Safety
- Common Childhood Illnesses
- Colds, Sore Throats and Ear Infections
- Stomachaches, Diarrhea and Vomiting
- Fever
- Bug Bites and Stings
- Poison Ivy and Oak, Eczema and Pink Eye
- Childhood Diabetes
- Obesity and Malnutrition
- Headaches and Migraines
- Allergies
- Asthma
- Vision Problems
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Child Safety
- Safety
- Automobiles, Walking and Biking Safety
- Stranger Danger
- Latch-Key Children Home-Alone
- Outdoor Safety
- Pet Safety
- Firearm (Gun) Safety
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Child Education
- Education and Schools
- Engaging with Teachers, the School, Other Parents and the Educational Process
- Helping Children Get Their Homework Done
- Handling School-Related Discipline Incidents
- Planning in Advance for School Closings and Sick Days
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Child Discipline and Guidance
- Discipline and Guidance
- Choices and Consequence
- Use of Rewards and Punishments to Motivate Children's Behavior
- "Grounding" Children and Sticker Charts
- Chores
- Nurturing Children
- Children's Need for Privacy
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Dealing with Difficult Childhood Issues
- Dealing with Life's Tough Topics
- Learning the Truth about Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, etc.
- Death
- Divorce and Remarriage
- Remarriage, Step-Parenting, Blended Families
- Moving to a New House
- Fitting In and Peer Pressure
- Teaching Children Social Skills
- Social Skills Continued
- Cigarettes, Alcohol, and Drugs
- Romantic Crushes and Questions about Sex
- Questions about Sex Continued
- Sibling Rivalry
- Encourage Children to Support One Another by Diverting Direct Competition
- Handling Manipulative or Aggressive Children
- Bullying and Peer Abuse
- Bullying and Peer Abuse Continued
- Prejudice
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Middle Childhood Conclusion
- Middle Childhood Parenting Conclusion
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Puberty
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Middle Childhood Introduction
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Questions and Answers
- Should My 9 Year Old Daughter Be Evaluated?
- My 9 Year Old Wants To Be An Only Child
- Ten Year Old's Severe Emotional and Behavioral Problems
- Child With Possible Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD)
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Book & Media Reviews
- Great Answers to Difficult Questions About Sex
- Parenting a Child Who Has Intense Emotions
- What are you staring at?
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Links
- [18] Videos
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Videos
- Boys & HPV Vaccine
- Limiting Kids Screen Time
- Child Development: Stepping Stones - Lesson 19: The School Years: Summary
- Child Development: Stepping Stones - Lesson 16: The School Years: Biosocial Development
- Child Development: Stepping Stones - Lesson 17: The School Years: Cognitive Development
- Nightmare vs. Night Terror
- 3 Tips on Swim Safety
- Big Kids Need a Boost
- Children and Social Media: What Every Parent Should Know
- Pack Car Seat for Summer Travel
- 8 more
Topics
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Related Topic Centers
- Child & Adolescent Development: Overview
- Childhood Mental Disorders and Illnesses
- Internet Addiction and Media Issues
- Parenting
- Self Esteem
- Child Development & Parenting: Infants (0-2)
- Child Development & Parenting: Early (3-7)
- Child Development Theory: Middle Childhood (8-11)
- Childhood Special Education
- Child & Adolescent Development: Puberty
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Addictions
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Aging & Elder Care
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Assessments & Interventions
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Career & Workplace
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Emotional Well-Being
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Life Issues
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Parenting & Child Care
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Abuse
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ADHD: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
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Adoption
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Autism
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Child & Adolescent Development: Overview
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Child & Adolescent Development: Puberty
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Child Development & Parenting: Early (3-7)
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Child Development & Parenting: Infants (0-2)
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Child Development & Parenting: Middle (8-11)
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Child Development & Parenting:Adolescence (12-24)
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Child Development Theory: Adolescence (12-24)
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Child Development Theory: Middle Childhood (8-11)
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Childhood Mental Disorders and Illnesses
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Childhood Special Education
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Divorce
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Family & Relationship Issues
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Intellectual Disabilities
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Learning Disorders
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Oppositional Defiant Disorder
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Parenting
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Self Esteem
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Psychological Disorders
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Anxiety Disorders
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Bipolar Disorder
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Conversion Disorders
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Depression: Depression & Related Conditions
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Dissociative Disorders
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Domestic Violence and Rape
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Eating Disorders
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Impulse Control Disorders
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Intellectual Disabilities
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Mental Disorders
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Obsessive-Compulsive Spectrum Disorders
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Personality Disorders
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Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
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Schizophrenia
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Sexual Disorders
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Somatic Symptom and Related Disorders
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Suicide
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Tourettes and other Tic Disorders
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