As children across the nation prepare to head back to school, now is a critical time to review your family’s home security plan. Whether your children are beginning preschool, are now allowed to come home alone after school, or have graduated and left the nest, a new school year means families must adjust to new security challenges to keep their children and their home safe from harm.

For many families, the new school year means new privileges for their children, and this might include coming home to an empty house after school. If your kids will be entering the home while the security alarm is set, they will need to know how to disarm and reset the alarm. Your children should also know what to do in case of an emergency, from a stranger knocking on the door to an earthquake or fire. “Latch key” kids must be prepared to handle anything that might come up in your absence. Leaving your children home alone, even for just a few minutes in the early afternoon, is nerve-wracking for every parent, but there are steps you can take to ensure your child’s safety when you’re not there.

If your kids do return to an empty home, consider investing in a hidden camera, or “nanny cam.” Today, many surveillance cameras transmit information wirelessly, allowing you to watch over your kids from your computer at work.

Even if your child does not come home alone every day, you may be considering hiding a spare key somewhere outside just in case you’re not home after school. A word of caution about typical hiding places: these are the first places a burglar will look when trying to break in! Never hide your key under a flower pot or welcome mat. Instead, purchase a hide-a-key designed to blend in with the surroundings. Whether you hide your house key inside a fake rock or a thermometer-shaped key hider, it will be much safer than in one of the usual hiding spaces.

The ‘back to school’ time of year is also a great reminder to check some of your basic security features. Make sure all doors and windows securely lock, and replace the batteries on smoke alarms. Unless everything is in working order, your family cannot be fully protected.

Children can also be protected with keychain personal alarms, useful not only when they are home alone but also when walking to and from the bus stop or school, as well as anywhere else they might be in public. With recent headlines about children being abducted while walking home from school, you can never be too cautious, no matter how short the walk may be. Child-friendly personal alarms, shaped like panda bears and other animals, give your child an easy way to alert nearby adults to a scary situation.

Back to School can mean a lot of anxiety for parents, especially when the family is making a big transition. Whether you’re sending your child off to school for the first time, or they are coming home to an extra house, this time of year serves as an extra reminder to be cautious about protecting the safety of your family and your home.

Author Bio: Resist Attack has a full range of pepper spray both for families and security forces. Also check our wireless hidden camera specials

Category: Home Management
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