Staying Safe at Home, on the Road and in Water

Your child can know a rule and still forget it when excited. At ages 3 to 6, stopping an impulse takes practice. Your close attention gives them time to learn safely.

Notice what could hurt

A hazard is something that could cause harm, such as a hot pan. Risk is the chance that harm will happen. A pan on a back burner is harder to reach than one at the edge. Moving it changes the risk, even though the pan is still hot.

Children explore by touching, tasting and climbing. Their small size also matters. They cannot see over parked cars, and drivers may not see them. They cannot reliably judge a car's speed or distance. Safe Kids Worldwide advises that children under 10 cross streets with an adult.

Use three kinds of protection

Start with the surroundings: lock medicines away, close pool gates and move hot drinks. Then add active supervision: watch without distractions and stay close enough to act. Your child's rules and skills add another layer.

Near water, roads and parking lots, stay within arm's reach. In a childproofed room or fenced yard, stay where you can see and hear your child. Being nearby while looking at your phone leaves a gap in your watching.

Work through an everyday choice

You are visiting a relative who keeps an iron on a low table. First, ask for it to be moved somewhere your child cannot reach. Stay beside your child while the iron is being put away. Then teach, “Hot tools are for grown-ups.” Asking your child to promise not to touch would leave the hazard within reach.

Give more responsibility in small steps. A younger child follows your lead. An older preschooler can point out a hazard or explain a rule while you stay close. Look for the safe action many times, including when your child is excited, before adding independence.

Safe challenges still belong in the day. Your child can climb suitable play equipment or help stir cold batter with you nearby. Choose the place and task so they can learn without reaching traffic, deep water, heat or poisons.

A useful rule tells your child what to do next. Keep the words short, add one reason, and practice the action together.

Choose words you can use every time

“Walk beside me” is easier to act on than “Be careful.” Say why: “We stay together so I can help you.” Agree on the same words with other caregivers. Your child should hear one clear cue from you, a sitter and a grandparent.

Teach when everyone is calm. A long talk during a rushed outing is hard to take in. Use a minute or two on ordinary days, then let your child show the action.

Practice stopping through play

Play a freeze game in a clear room or fenced yard. Your child moves while you clap. Call “Stop!” and stop clapping. Wait for still feet, then say, “You stopped when I called.” Use the same stopping word on outings. Keep holding hands near traffic while this skill grows.

Try pretend situations with a toy. Ask, “What could bear do if he finds a pill?” Let your child make bear step back and tell you. Swap roles so you can show the response if your child is unsure. Use pretend objects, keeping real hazards put away.

Help the habit travel

For example, you want your child to walk at the pool. First, rehearse slow walking in a safe, dry place. At the pool entrance, say, “Walking feet by the water.” Explain, “Wet floors can be slippery.” Walk beside your child and notice the action: “You walked around that puddle.” On the next visit, ask your child to teach the rule to you.

Children also watch your choices. Explain your own pauses and safe actions in a few words. If you sometimes cross against the signal, a spoken rule about waiting becomes harder to learn.

If your child can say the rule but cannot do it yet, help them practice. If excitement keeps taking over, stay closer and make the surroundings safer.

Young children's skin burns more easily than adult skin. A hot drink, bath or cooling hair tool can hurt before your child realizes the danger. A scald is a burn from hot liquid or steam.

Set up safer spaces

Put hot drinks well back from edges before picking up your child. A drink may still scald about 15 minutes after it is made. Avoid tablecloths your child could pull. Use back burners, turn pan handles back and keep appliance cords out of reach.

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) recommends a kid-free space of at least 3 feet (about 1 meter) around the stove and oven. Mark the boundary and give your child a cold food task elsewhere. Keep heaters and fireplaces guarded. Put irons and hair tools somewhere unreachable while they cool.

Teach, “Hot, don't touch. Tell a grown-up.” Explain that a switched-off surface can still be hot. Check sun-heated slides, car seats and buckles before your child uses them. Protect outlets and keep plugged-in appliances away from water. Teach, “Plugs and outlets are for grown-ups.”

Prepare the bath

Run cold water first, add hot water and mix well. Test before your child gets in. Aim for about 98–100°F (37–38°C). The American Burn Association recommends a home water-heater setting no higher than 120°F (49°C). Water at 140°F (60°C) can seriously burn young skin in about three seconds.

For example, after filling a bath you find the water too hot. Keep your child out, add cold water, mix again and retest. A safe heater setting does not replace testing the bath itself.

If a heat burn happens

Move your child away from the heat. Remove nearby clothing and jewelry unless stuck to the skin. Cool the burned area under cool or lukewarm running water for 20 minutes, following NHS guidance. Keep the rest of your child warm. After cooling, lay plastic wrap loosely over the burn or use a clean cloth that leaves no fluff. Keep plastic wrap off the face and do not wind it around a limb.

Use no ice, butter, toothpaste or creams. Ice can further injure skin. Get medical help for burns beyond a small red mark, blisters, white or charred skin, or burns on the face, hands, feet or genitals. Call the emergency number for large, chemical or electrical burns or breathing trouble. For electrical injury, turn off the power before approaching; do not touch a child still connected to live electricity.

Helping with food or crafts gives your child useful practice. Choose a tool and task they can manage, and stay beside them.

Put sharp adult tools away

Knives, graters, razors, needles and broken glass can cut. Keep them in a latched drawer or out of reach. Put tools away after use, including blades hidden in a sink. Keep children away while power tools or mowers are running.

Teach, “Sharp tool? Leave it and tell a grown-up.” From a safe distance, show the difference between a knife's sharp edge and a spoon's round edge. Your child does not need to touch the edge to learn the word.

If glass breaks, say, “Stop, step back, tell a grown-up.” Keep your child away while an adult sweeps and wipes up tiny pieces with a damp paper towel. Wear shoes until the floor is clear.

Teach one tool at a time

Use rounded-tip child-safe scissors. Have your child sit to cut. For carrying, close the scissors, point them down and walk. Pass them with the handles toward the other person. Stay close during cutting, even when your child knows these steps.

For a snack, give your child a blunt table knife and a soft banana. Set a plate on a steady surface. Show one slow cut, then let your child try while you watch. The sharp knife used for harder food stays with you. Other useful jobs include washing vegetables, tearing lettuce and stirring cold batter.

Care for a small cut

Wash your hands. Press a clean cloth on the cut to stop bleeding, then rinse with clean running water. Cover the clean cut with a bandage.

Get medical help if firm pressure has not stopped bleeding after about 10 minutes. Deep or gaping cuts, a stuck object, an animal bite or a cut from a dirty object also need medical help. Keep a simple first-aid kit where adults can reach it quickly.

Medicine, cleaner and a small battery can all harm a child who swallows them. Your child may feel well at first. Get advice as soon as you suspect a harmful swallow.

Store, close and put back

Keep medicines and vitamins high, out of sight and securely stored, preferably locked. Close the cap and put the container away after every dose. Child-resistant packaging slows children down; it does not mean they cannot open it. Check visitors' bags and coats for reachable medicines.

Keep cleaners, laundry pods, garden chemicals, alcohol and nicotine liquids away from children. Leave products in their original labeled containers. A cleaner poured into a drink bottle can look like something to drink.

Use a medicine's proper measuring cup or syringe. Only a grown-up gives medicine. Calling it candy makes it harder for your child to know the difference.

Teach asking first

Say, “Ask a grown-up before eating or drinking.” Show warning words or pictures on a safely stored product. Explain, “This means leave it alone and tell me.” Loose pills and drinks may have no warning picture, so looking for a symbol cannot be the whole plan.

For example, a visitor leaves a bag beside the couch. Move it out of reach and ask about medicines inside. Then practice with a toy: it finds something that looks like candy, leaves it alone and comes to you.

Treat batteries as urgent

Check remotes, key fobs and toys for screwed-shut battery covers. Store new and used button batteries out of reach. These small round batteries can burn the throat badly within about two hours if swallowed. A suspected swallowed button battery needs an emergency department right away, even without symptoms. Get emergency or poison-specialist instructions while arranging care; do not delay leaving for a home remedy.

Respond to a possible poisoning

Take the product away and have your child spit out anything still in their mouth. Do not make them vomit. Call the emergency number for collapse, seizures, unusual sleepiness or breathing trouble. Otherwise call your local poison help or health advice service immediately, with the container ready to read aloud. Waiting for sickness can allow hidden harm to grow.

A smoke alarm gives a warning. A practiced escape plan helps your family act on it. Young children need adults to help them leave.

Prevent fire and test the warning

Keep matches and lighters high, out of sight and locked away. Teach, “Leave it. Tell a grown-up.” Stay in the kitchen while frying, grilling or boiling. Put out candles when leaving the room. Keep candles, heaters and fireplaces at least 3 feet (about 1 meter) from things that burn and children's play areas.

NFPA advises smoke alarms inside each bedroom, outside sleeping areas and on every level. Test them monthly. Let your child hear the alarm during the day and explain, “That sound means we get out.” Children may sleep through alarms, so assign an adult to wake and help each child.

Walk the way out

Draw your home and find two safe ways out of each room where possible. Make a usable adult-help plan for windows; young children should not try an upstairs window alone. Choose an outside meeting place a safe distance in front of the home. Practice at least twice a year, including at night.

For example, your family chooses a tree across the front yard. Walk from the bedroom to the outside door, then to the tree. Practice an alternate safe route with adult help. Decide who carries or guides each child so nobody assumes someone else will do it.

Use the right action

Teach, “Get out and stay out.” Leave belongings and pets; tell firefighters about anyone or anything left inside. Call the emergency number from outside.

Crawl low beneath smoke along a safe way out. Do not enter heavy smoke or fire. If escape is blocked, shut yourself away from the smoke, call for help and signal your location from a window. Children should never hide under beds or in closets. Pictures of firefighters in masks can make rescue clothing more familiar.

Stop, drop and roll is for clothing on fire: stop moving, drop down, cover the face and roll until the flames are out. Running feeds the flames. Practice on a clear floor, separately from your escape drill, so your child learns which action goes with which danger.

A quiet street still needs a close handhold. Young children are hard for drivers to see and cannot reliably judge moving traffic.

Choose your walking position

Hold your child's hand or wrist near streets. Walk on the sidewalk with your child farther from traffic. Where there is no sidewalk, face oncoming traffic, stay as far from it as possible and walk single file, keeping your child's hand in yours.

If bags leave you without a free hand, stop and rearrange them. Use a stroller or carry your child if they cannot keep holding on. A hand on your bag or stroller is only an extra cue while you are immediately beside and watching; it cannot take the place of keeping your child safely with you.

Bright clothes help in daylight. Reflective strips or a small light help at dusk and after dark. Being easier to see adds protection while you continue to hold hands.

Pause where cars can cross

The curb is the raised edge of the sidewalk. Teach, “Feet stop at the curb.” At a road without a curb, use the road's edge as the stopping place. Pause on quiet streets too.

A sidewalk may cross driveways, alleys and parking-lot exits. Cars can move across those spots. Stop, look and listen before walking over them. Drivers backing out may not see your child behind or beside the car.

For example, you are walking past a row of homes. At a driveway, stop together before crossing it. Look toward the garage and street. If a car is moving, wait where the driver can see you and away from its path. Continue together when the way is clear.

Give a plan for runaway toys

Teach, “Let it go. Tell a grown-up.” Practice with a ball in a fenced play area. Your child stops while you collect the ball. In real traffic, the child stays back and the adult decides whether it can be retrieved safely. Running ahead because a child knows the route leaves too much for their growing judgment to manage.

Choose a corner or marked crosswalk with a clear view. A pedestrian signal or crossing guard helps, but you still need to check the traffic yourself.

Practice the same sequence

Stop at the curb. Look all around for traffic. Listen for engines and sirens. Think about whether the whole route across is clear. Then walk straight across, holding hands and continuing to look.

Where cars drive on the right, the usual check is left, right, then left again. Where cars drive on the left, it is right, left, then right again. Looking all around also catches turning cars and other traffic paths. Quiet vehicles mean listening alone is not enough.

Read the signal and the street

A walking figure means you may start after checking the way is clear. A raised hand or red standing figure means wait. When the crossing signal begins flashing or counting down, do not start. If already crossing, keep walking to the other side.

Turning drivers may move during a walking signal and must yield to walkers. Wait for an approaching vehicle to stop or let you cross. Eye contact is an extra check, while the car's actual movement tells you whether it is yielding.

Work through a crossing

You and your child reach a marked crossing beside a bakery. First, wait back at the curb. The walking figure appears, but a delivery van is turning toward the crosswalk. Stay put. When the van stops and the remaining path is clear, walk across together. Keep looking until both of you reach the far sidewalk.

Ask afterward, “What made us wait?” Your child can point out the van. Letting them explain gives practice without handing over the final crossing decision.

Avoid stepping between parked cars. If there is no alternative, move carefully to their outer edge together, stop where you can see and be seen, and check again before entering the traffic lane. Walk across without running. If your child drops something, keep moving to the sidewalk and decide about the object from there.

Every car trip needs the right seat and a snug buckle. Getting in, getting out and moving a car also need a plan for where your child will be.

Follow fit and seat limits

Children move from rear-facing seats to forward-facing harnesses, then boosters and finally the vehicle belt. The AAP advises using rear-facing and harnessed stages to their height or weight limits. Check the seat's label and manual as your child grows. A birthday alone does not show that the next stage fits.

A booster stays until the vehicle belt fits without it: lap belt low across the upper thighs, shoulder belt across the middle of the chest and shoulder. The AAP says this usually happens around 4 feet 9 inches (145 cm), between ages 8 and 12. Children under 13 should ride in the back seat. Check local law as well as these safety recommendations.

Buckle on every trip. Remove bulky coats first, then tighten the harness until you cannot pinch a fold at the shoulder. Teach your child to stay buckled until you say to get out and keep hands and head inside.

Keep each child accounted for

Use the curb-side door when possible. Have your child wait on the sidewalk holding a hand. In a parking lot, hold hands between the car and entrance. A hand-on-car spot can help while you stand immediately beside your child to load a bag or buckle a sibling. It is a cue, not permission to leave them there while returning a cart.

Before moving a vehicle, walk around it and know where every child is. Have another adult hold their hands safely away, or bring them into the car with you. Mirrors and backup cameras leave blind areas. Keep play spaces separate from driveways. Use paths, parks or fenced yards for bikes and scooters, with a snug, level helmet.

For example, you need to reverse out while your child wants to wave goodbye. First buckle your child into their seat. Walk around the car, check for other children, then move it. A child waving from the driveway could move into a blind area.

Take children with you

Never leave a child alone in a car, even briefly or with open windows. NHTSA warns that a car can heat by about 20°F (11°C) in 10 minutes. Children's bodies heat three to five times faster than adults'. Check the back seat whenever you get out. Lock parked cars and keep keys out of reach so children cannot climb inside to play.

Drowning can happen quickly and silently. A child may be unable to shout or splash. Watch directly and stay close enough to reach them.

Check more than swimming places

A bath, bucket, small pool or cooler holding melted ice can be dangerous. Young children can drown in an inch or two of water. Empty containers after use and turn small pools and buckets upside down. Drain the bath and block unsupervised bathroom access.

The CDC reports drowning as the leading cause of death for U.S. children aged 1 to 4. The AAP reports that 69% of drownings among children aged 4 and under happened outside expected swimming times. Closing access to water matters during ordinary play too.

Stay within arm's reach

Use touch supervision: an attentive adult stays within arm's reach of a young child or weak swimmer. Get into the water with them. If you need to get out, take your child with you, even when a lifeguard is present.

Gather towels and clothes before a bath. Stay for the entire bath. The AAP advises no bathing alone before at least age 6; a younger sibling cannot take the adult's watching job. A birthday does not tell you everything about a child's readiness.

Name the adult who is watching

At a gathering, choose a Water Watcher whose only job is watching children near or in water. Put away the phone and book, skip alcohol and avoid distracting conversation. Change watchers about every 15 to 20 minutes. Pass a card or lanyard only after the next adult has clearly agreed and is in position.

For example, you are watching during a family swim and need a bathroom break. Ask another capable adult directly. Stay in place until they come over and take responsibility. If nobody can take over, bring your child out with you. Calling “Someone watch!” while walking away leaves no confirmed watcher.

Swimming lessons, a lifeguard and floating toys cannot do your watching job. Keep the same close position after your child learns a new swimming skill.

Water needs protection both during swimming and when nobody plans to swim. A closed barrier blocks access. A fitted life jacket adds support when your child is near the water with you.

Check the whole pool boundary

The AAP recommends a fence on all four sides, separating the pool from the house and yard. It should be at least 4 feet (about 1.2 meters) high, with gaps no wider than 4 inches (about 10 cm). The gate should close and latch itself, open away from the pool and have a latch at least 54 inches (about 1.4 meters) above the ground.

Keep the gate shut and locked. Move climbable furniture away from the fence and remove toys after swimming. Large portable pools need four-sided fencing too. Alarms and rigid safety covers add protection alongside fencing and close watching. Lock hot-tub covers after use. Indoors, close bathroom doors and drain tubs promptly.

Read the life-jacket label

Choose a life jacket approved by your country's safety authority; U.S. jackets should have U.S. Coast Guard approval. Check the child's weight range on the label and fasten every strap. Lift gently at the shoulders: it should not rise above the chin and ears. Young children's jackets often include head support and a strap between the legs.

Try the jacket in shallow water while holding your child. It helps them float but cannot guarantee that their face stays clear. Stay within arm's reach. Use it on boats, docks and piers, and near or in lakes, rivers and the sea. Weak swimmers need one at pools and water parks too. Water wings, rings and noodles can slip, tip or deflate; they are toys.

For example, a borrowed jacket fastens but rides over your child's ears. Read its weight label and find a jacket that fits snugly before approaching the dock. Tightening an unsuitable jacket does not make it the right size.

Expect changes in open water

Ponds, canals and ditches may be close to homes or parks. Banks can crumble, water can suddenly deepen, and cold or murky water hides hazards. Rivers have currents; beaches have waves and rip currents flowing away from shore. Choose a beach with lifeguards and stay beside your child at the water's edge.

Your child can learn to ask before approaching water and practice safe movements in lessons. These skills grow alongside your supervision and barriers.

Use a few clear water rules

Teach, “Ask a grown-up before going near water.” Practice at every pool gate or beach visit. Children need an adult with them, even when another child says it is fine to go in.

At the pool, use short rules: walk, enter feet first, stay where feet can touch unless your grown-up is in with you, and get out when told. Walk beside your child while they learn these habits.

Let an instructor teach the movements

The AAP says children may begin lessons after their first birthday, depending on readiness. For ages 3 to 6, look for practice entering and leaving safely, floating on the back and turning back to the edge. Parent-and-child classes can help younger children feel comfortable.

For example, an instructor helps your child enter, turn toward the wall and reach for it. After they hold the wall, the instructor helps them climb out. Repeating that short sequence gives practice in finding safety after entering water. Floating on the back gives another way to breathe and call for help.

A child who can swim a short distance can still tire, panic or meet deeper water. Keep watching within arm's reach and keep gates closed after lessons.

Practice calling for an adult

Teach the child's rescue response: “Shout for a grown-up. Don't go in.” A child who jumps in after someone else may also drown. Rehearse the shout on dry land with a toy, without putting anyone in danger.

Adults should use safe rescue methods, reaching with a pole or throwing something that floats from the edge, and call the emergency number. Learn child CPR and refresh the skill regularly. If a child is brought out and is not breathing normally, call for emergency help and start CPR at once; use the dispatcher's guidance. If another person is there, have them call while you begin.

Your child needs people they can turn to. Name trusted adults together and give your child a clear check before accepting a ride, gift or invitation.

Make a small circle of helpers

Choose three to five adults your child knows and trusts to listen and help. Count them on one hand. Include people available in different places, such as home and preschool. Ask, “Who could you tell here if something worried you?”

A lost child may also need help from someone unfamiliar. Point out a store worker at a checkout or with a badge, a police officer, firefighter, lifeguard or parent with children. Your child can ask for help while staying in the same place.

Watch the request

Teach the check-first rule: ask the adult in charge before going anywhere, entering a car, accepting gifts or helping someone. Use it with familiar adults too. Someone's friendly face or known name does not give permission to leave.

A request to find an animal, take a ride or keep something secret from parents needs a check. Explain, “A grown-up who needs help can ask a grown-up.” If someone makes your child uneasy or tries to take them, they can shout “No!”, move away and tell a trusted adult. Loud, clear words such as “Help! This isn't my dad!” tell others what is wrong.

Rehearse an invitation

For example, pretend to be someone offering a special toy from a car. Your child says, “I need to ask my grown-up,” and comes to you. Swap roles so they can hear and try the words. Use a calm voice and praise the check.

A family code word can add a pickup check. If a collector does not know it, your child stays with the teacher or trusted adult and tells them. Adults still verify the pickup arrangement; knowing a code word alone is not permission to leave.

Tell your child they can always talk to you about worries. When they do, listen calmly, thank them and act on what they say. Fear of getting in trouble can stop a child from asking for help.

Practice a simple plan before busy outings: “Stop, stay where you are and ask a nearby helper.” Staying close to the place of separation makes it easier for you to retrace your steps.

Rehearse staying nearby

Your child should not leave the store or park, head for the car or wander toward a meeting point alone. If you do not return quickly, they can ask a visible helper close by. Practice, “I'm lost. My name is Eli Park. My grown-up is Dana Park.” Waiting with a worker at a checkout or information desk inside the place is fine.

In the woods, teach “Hug a tree”: stay beside a tree or fixed landmark and answer when someone calls. The same idea applies: make it easier to be found by staying in one area.

For example, in a library your child looks up and cannot see you. They stop beside the picture books. A librarian with a badge is at the desk nearby. Your child asks for help and waits inside with the librarian. They do not go outside to check the car.

Prepare before going out

Choose bright clothes and take a photo that shows today's outfit. Point out nearby staff and practice the words while you are together. Put your phone number on a wristband, a pocket card or under your child's sleeve. Full names help staff identify the right adult; “Mommy” alone gives very little to go on.

Act quickly if you lose sight of your child

Call their name and alert staff at once. Check nearby water first, then the closest likely places. If that quick look does not find your child, call the emergency number while the search continues. Staff can use their lost-child procedure and watch exits. Give the child's description and show the current photo.

When reunited, thank your child for useful actions: “You stayed inside and asked for help.” Keep your voice calm. Go through the plan later, when you both feel settled; scolding can make a child afraid to be found next time.

Teach contact details in small pieces. Start with your child's full name, then a caregiver's full name, a phone number and your home address.

Make the words easy to recall

Say first and last names together during play. A child who calls you “Dad” also needs to know the name a helper would use to find you. Add one piece at a time as your child is ready.

Break your chosen phone number into short groups. Sing the digits to a familiar tune or tap them out. Use the family's real contact number for practice. For a made-up example, 202-555-0168 becomes “two-zero-two, five-five-five, zero-one-six-eight.” Say each digit clearly and check the order of the whole number.

Make a paper keypad or use a toy phone to practice pointing to the digits. Singing a number and finding its buttons are different skills. Try both when waiting in line or playing at home.

Connect an address to a real place

Teach a sentence such as, “I live at 42 Cedar Street, apartment 3, in Springfield.” On a walk, point to the house number and street sign. Include the apartment number where needed. A nearby landmark can help describe a place, but it does not replace the street and number.

For example, your child knows “the yellow house.” First point to its number, then read the street sign together. Say the full address. Later, ask what they would tell a helper who had never seen the house.

Practice when to share

Explain that these details help a teacher, emergency dispatcher, police officer or store worker contact you. Your child need not give them to any adult who asks without a reason.

Keep a backup number on a card or wristband while recall grows. Update it after a move or number change. Ask about the details now and then in different places. A number your child could sing last month may need another short practice today.

An emergency needs help fast because someone is badly hurt or in danger now. A person who will not wake, a fire or someone in trouble in water needs urgent help. A lost toy or small scrape needs ordinary adult help.

Choose the first action

Teach your child to get a capable adult nearby. They call the emergency number if no adult can help, the adult is hurt or an adult asks them to call. Fire or smoke means leave first, then call from outside.

Sort pretend situations together. A person who has fallen and does not respond needs emergency help. A spilled drink needs help cleaning. Let your child explain the difference in a few words.

Learn the number for your location

Use 911 in the United States and Canada; 999 or 112 in the United Kingdom; 112 in the European Union, including the Netherlands and Belgium, with 999 also used in Ireland; 000 in Australia; and 111 in New Zealand. Check the number before travel. Teach digits separately, such as “nine-one-one,” so your child can find each key.

Show how your own phone reaches its emergency screen without a passcode. Keep control of the phone while demonstrating. Rehearse calls with a toy phone or paper keypad, since even a phone without a service plan may connect to emergency services.

Build the pretend call

Use a toy phone and take the dispatcher's role. Your child reports, “My uncle fell and won't wake up.” Ask for the location. Help them give the street number, street, apartment if needed, and town. Then ask their name and practice listening to directions.

The dispatcher sends help and gives instructions. Tell your child to answer questions and stay on the line until told to hang up. Location matters because helpers need to know where to go; the phone may not supply an exact address.

While waiting, stay with the hurt person if safe and keep listening. A dispatcher may ask for a light to be turned on or a door unlocked. Do that only when safe. If your child calls by accident, they should stay on the line and explain the mistake. Hanging up leaves the dispatcher unsure whether help is needed.