Some parts of the world have dealt with the ongoing novel Coronavirus well enough, that normalcy has been reinstated. People are going out shopping, to restaurants and to public spaces. However, this does not imply that the pandemic is far behind us. Many major countries continue to see rising numbers, and even in countries that have curbed community transmission, government officials continue to recommend taking all safety precautions.
In light of this, we give a quick guide on how to keep your children safe, and what are the essentials kits and tips needed to ensure your kids and family members are safe.
Essential Safety Kits
Living with children in times of an emergency or a pandemic can be stressful. You can prepare essentially kits at home in case your child falls sick or you are forced to stay at home for a longer duration than expected. Engage your kids while preparing the safety kits, it keeps them involved, they learn the importance of being prepared during a crisis and is also a great way to spend time with your family together.
To prepare a safety kit, prepare a checklist of items. For this, conduct a need assessment by listing down the medical conditions of your family members. Categorize them based on the seriousness or urgency to procure medicines. Most importantly, stay up to date about vaccines, information, and recent medication that are needed for your children or your family.
To prepare the kit, you will need:
- A box, to store all the safety things in them. Ideally, something that cannot get wet, and that can be stored for long durations without getting damaged.
- Prescriptive medications to be kept up to date and check for expired medicines. Non-prescriptive drugs like painkillers, ointments, anti-diarrheal medication, etc., are also essential to have.
- Plastic bags to store these medicines, so they are all compartmentalized and not just thrown inside the box. The idea is to easily access them in an emergency and not rummage through the box in panic.
- Sanitizers, disinfectants, and associated products.
- Keep a cooler or ice pack ready in case of a power outage.
- For children, it is considered best practice to keep aside some of their toys like, books, games, coloring sets, and their favorite toy/blanket.
Tips for Keeping Children Safe During the Pandemic
- Keep identification cards of your children and your family, ready and in hand, in any case of emergency.
- Talk to your children about the virus. Here are some tips to keep in mind while talking to your young ones about the virus.
- Ensure they get the right kind of food to keep them healthy, and energized. Here is a list of some immunity-boosting foods for children.
- Above all, if your child is showing symptoms – do not panic. Monitor their symptoms and keep them away from the rest of the family. Here are some tips to keep in mind if your kid falls sick during a pandemic.
- Children need to feel safe and active. Create a daily schedule for them and keep their day moving. While the pandemic can be scary for all, children function better when they have a routine and rhythm to their day.
Finally, keep your children and yourself occupied. You can play family board games, that can be fun, educational, and good bonding time with your kids.
