My husband and I are teaching my son (2 years, 3 months) to hold our hand while crossing the road, to look both ways before crossing a street, to stay with us and not run off when outside of the home, and never leave a building with mommmy and daddy. He recently got out of his preschool where he attends a Mother's Day Out program once a week. The incident really rattled us, and while a 2-year-old is not responsible for getting out of his classroom and out of the building (because he does not yet understand), he is at an age where we need to begin teaching him the concepts of danger and staying safe. Any tips on how to do that in a way that does not scare him? Also, any tips for having some sort of identification on a child, in the event that they get lost? I have considered identification tags sewn into his clothing, but don't know where to look to purchase them. Thoughts?
We have a runner too and I just got a leash that looks like a puppy backpack to use when we go shopping. It was about $20 at Walmart.
I saw something really neat today in a magazine called Safety Tats. They are non permanent tattoos for kids that have your phone number on them in case they get lost. You wouldn't use them every day but I think they would be great for traveling, going to a theme park/zoo, or to the mall.
www.safetytats.com
Stuck On You labels are great. I use them for everthing including sippy cups (and they don't wash off), lunch box, bag tags.... You can find them at www.StuckOnYou.biz.
As for running off, if you find an answer let me know! I struggle with this too with my 3 1/2 year old. I just try my best to prevent that as much as possible. I still use a stroller at the mall, we use a 'leash' at the airport, and of course always hold hands in parking lots, etc... I try to stress the danger, but she's just so curious. Any little thing will attract her attention and she's off to see it. Other than prevention, I'm not really sure what to try at this age.
Check out callmymommy.com. They provide the I.D. that you need. As for your runner...just repeating how dangerous it is to run off by himself. Repetition is key at his age, and he's just a curious little man!
I had a door darter that was extremely fast. We installed a security system in our home just for him. He would just open a door and run with just a pull up on. The beeping noise in our home made it easier to stay on top of this.
We had to become very strict about this issue and jacob spent alot of time in timeout or in his room by himself until he understood we meant business. We used a leash for him whenever we went shopping because he was just so on the go.
Our child ended up having a very bad speech delay and had an issue with sensory integration. He wanted to always be moving and swinging on a swingset. We use to go to the park every day to energy out.
Jacob used to be on meds for ADHD but prasie God he no longer is. He is 8 now and doing much better, due to organic food, prayer and consistecny of discipline. WE used a method in time out that forms a traingle. You place your child in a corner and you sit in front of him and form a triangle by sitting with your legs straight to form a barrier. The child has to sit there and count to 10 or 20 with you until they are calm. We alos had to restrain him by wrapping our whole body around his on the floor so he could no run away from us while he was in timout or in a tantrum. This works and the child will soon know you are serious. We took that time to pray over our child.
Also, know that kids that are busy and alot of work means that God has something very special in mind for your child as he gets older. Pray daily over him and ask to realease anything from hereditary things over your child. Pray over his room as well.
Blessings to you and your family,
L.
We got this for my son...http://www.id-inside.com/
