Let’s face it – all moms are busy moms, so this post and all the useful information in it is for everyone who has to juggle taking care of kids while also doing everything else that adults have to do, like work, keep their homes nice, have good relationships, have some me time, practice self-care, have a hobby… yes, it’s a long list. That’s why we said everyone is busy. 

However, if you’ve got children to take care of, that adds some pressure to an already stressful day, and the idea of them getting hurt in an accident is terrifying. That’s why it’s such a good idea to make sure you’ve got some safety tips in place to help you keep everyone safe and stay generally less stressed. With that in mind, keep reading for some excellent safety tips for busy moms that can really help. 

Photo by cottonbro studio

Childproofing Your Home

One of the first thing you’ll need to do if you want to keep your kids safe is to make sure your home is childproofed, and although that sounds like a nightmare of a job that’s going to take ages and cost a lot of money, that’s not necessarily the case (it can be, but it doesn’t have to be, in other words). 

The thing to remember is that young children are naturally curious, and they can easily get into dangerous situations without meaning to and without knowing there was a potential problem in the first place. That’s why it’s a good idea not just to tell kids not to do something, but to explain why they shouldn’t do it. Of course, they’ll have to be old enough to understand what you’re saying and the concept of danger, so it’s not going to be the only thing you do, especially with very young children, but it could be very useful for slightly older ones. 

Other things you can do when it comes to childproofing your home are more practical, and can work no matter how little your little ones happen to be. You can start by installing safety gates at the top and bottom of stairs to prevent falls, and you can secure furniture like bookshelves and tables so they don’t topple over if a small child climbs on that. It’s also wise to cover up any electrical outlets – little fingers can get inside quite easily. Then, once you’ve put window locks and guards on your windows and locked any medicines and cleaning chemicals away safely, you can feel very pleased with what you’ve done. 

Fire Safety Measures 

Sometimes fires happen no matter what you do or how you try to keep your home safe and protected, and because that’s the case, you need to make sure you know how to deal with them so you can keep everyone nice and safe. 

The best thing you can ever do in your home is to install smoke detectors, and it’s good to have one on each floor. In that way, if a fire does start and you’re not in the room or it’s the middle of the night, for example, you’ll be alerted quickly so you can either tackle the blaze or get yourself and everyone out of the house, depending on the situation and how severe the fire is. Remember, unless you’re confident that you can put the fire out without causing harm, and only if it’s a very small fire, the best thing to do is get out of the house and call the fire service, even if that means more damage is done. 

So if you’re going to tackle a fire (and please be careful and only do it if you’re sure it’s safe – relatively speaking – to do so), you’ll need the tools to do it, which is why investing in a fire extinguisher is a good choice. You can keep a few in the house in key areas like the kitchen, garage, and anywhere else a fire is more likely to start. Make sure you know how to use the extinguisher before you actually have to use it, and remember to replace them after a period of time as they won’t be as effective once they’re past the date written on them. 

It’s also a good idea to have an escape plan in place that everyone knows and has practiced to ensure that wherever the fire is, you all know the best way out of the house. Plus, little things like never leaving anything cooking on the stove and making sure you don’t leave matches or lighters lying about will also make things safer. 

Preventing Falls

Small children aren’t the most stable on their feet, so they’re always at more risk of a fall than anyone else (apart from elderly people, that is), but the fact is that anyone can fall, and a fall can result in injury like broken bones or sprains – it doesn’t even have to be a fall from a big height; a small distance to the ground can still give you a broken bone if you land oddly. 

If you want to prevent falls as much as possible (and who doesn’t?), clear the clutter away or enlist your family to do it so that when they’re finished with something, it goes away where it came from. If there’s less stuff lying around, there’s less chance of someone tripping over it. But even without a lot of clutter on the floor, tripping or slipping is still possible is there’s not enough good lighting, so that’s something else to consider; switch your bulbs so they’re brighter. If you’d rather not have brighter bulbs, then you might need to add some additional lights in darker areas so people can see where they’re going – the front path to the door is a great example of where falls can happen and where lighting would fix the issue. 

Car Seat Safety

As a mom, if you’ve got to drive your children anywhere, you’ll probably be anxious about it – it’s stressful enough when it’s just you in the car, but when it’s them as well, that’s a lot of responsibility. One thing to make sure you get right when it comes to safety that will protect your kids and give you peace of mind is the car seat, and when you’re choosing one, make sure you get one that matches your child’s age, weight, and height – there are lots of different ones, but ensuring these things match up will make the seat much safer. 

Once you’ve got your car seat, you need to make sure you know how to install it the right way, otherwise it’s not going to help keep your child protected – follow the instructions that come with the seat, and if you need some assistance, just ask in the store; in many cases there will be people who are trained to fit the seats and who will shows you exactly what to do. 

Safe Driving

Sticking with the theme of driving your child around, a car seat is certainly going to help when it comes to keeping your little one protected in the case of an accident, but it’s far better not to have an accident in the first place, and although you’re sure to be driving careful anyway, adopting a few extra safe driving precautions is definitely a good idea. 

One thing that you might not have thought about is being distracted when you’re driving. So many things are calling our attention, and although most of the time that’s more annoying than anything dangerous, when you’re behind the wheel of a car, it’s potentially life-changing in a negative way. Distractions in a car could be a cell phone, for example, which you should put away and not have near you when you’re driving, but it could also mean the car’s radio or even a child crying. If you find that these things are distracting, you’ll need to take extra measures like driving without music and pulling over when your child cries to help them and then only moving off again once they’re settled. 

It’s also a good idea to know what to do if you are involved in an accident because that can be upsetting for your child (and you!) and needs to be handled well. Firstly, make sure you know who to call when it comes to accident attorneys, your insurance, and perhaps the police – these people can take over and deal with everything so you don’t have to worry about it. You also need to make sure you don’t stay in the car or close to the road, especially if your car is obstructing the road and there could be another accident, or if there’s a chance it can catch on fire, for example. 

Final Thoughts

As a busy mom or caretaker, ensuring your family’s safety is a top priority, and by putting some of these ideas into action – as well as the dozens of others you can research online or ask friends and family about – you can make your home and life as safe as possible.