You simply cannot be with your child all day. They have school, and you have work. Sometimes, your attention gets distracted at a mall, and small children are skilled at slipping away.
So how do you ensure your child’s safety at all times? Schools are employing threat assessment agencies that can teach your child drills to stay safe in extreme situations. But what about danger in the home or stranger danger in public? Sure, you can remind them of safety guidelines and have your kid memorize phone numbers and all, but danger-proofing your kid is going to require more high-tech solutions.
There are plenty of ways you can use gadgets to monitor your child’s safety as well as keep track of them. Many of these come in different price ranges, so simply research and find the combination of gadgets that best suits your needs.
1. Safety Gates
Safety gates are essential for homes that have steps, stairs, and tripping hazards. It is also good to have safety gates to shut off your child from the most dangerous rooms in the house for them. There are many ways they get hurt in the kitchen, in the master bathroom, and even in the backyard if you have a pool or heavy lawn furniture.
Today’s safety gates can be made of various materials and come with different installation and locking functions. This means that you can find adjustable ones and keep being useful as your child grows and learns.
There is also a range of options that allow you to suit your child’s unique needs. There are hypoallergenic gates as well as ones that are made from recycled material. You can even match it to your decor. Safety gates no longer have to be an unsightly addition to your interiors.
2. Child Locators
These are wearable devices that you can put on your child’s wrist or ankle. They are fitter with GPS ability so that you can locate them using your phone or a specialized transmitter.
There are different types, but it is best to get one that is hard to get off unless you have a special key. The type that can allow you to locate them quietly via GPS is excellent, but it is much more helpful to get one that emits a loud and insistent sound till you find your child. This will draw attention to the fact that your child is lost, help you find them much more easily, and scare off anyone unscrupulous due to all the attention the sound is getting.
3. Two-way Locators
These are devices that your child can wear any time they will be doing an activity without you to supervise them directly. Put these on your child when they leave for camp, an extra-curricular activity, or go to a friend’s house.
The great thing about these is that they have a panic button your child can use to call you directly from the device. That way, even if their phone is lost or taken, you can still talk to them, locate them with GPS, and find them.
4. Monitoring Software
Find a monitoring software you can install on your laptop, tablet, and phone so that you no longer have to worry about what your child is being exposed to on the internet. Some of this software is sophisticated enough to allow your child to search and enjoy different websites such as YouTube and streaming services but can filter out any content too mature for their age.
It is best to get software that sends you a report or allows you to see what your child is searching for so you can monitor their activity. You can learn a lot about what your child is learning from outside influences by monitoring their internet usage.
Naturally, it is best to be as upfront as possible with your child about using this software. As long as you can avoid bringing up what they search for unless there is a clear and present risk, they will not feel like their privacy is being violated. This applies more to older kids as younger kids do not think about privacy and boundaries as much.
5. Area Monitoring Devices
These are child monitoring gadgets that can be programmed to detect your child within a designated safe zone. The moment your child leaves the safe area, it will send you an alert.
This is a great way to ensure your child’s safety at night, monitor them in their play area, and double as an excellent way to ensure they practice their piano or do their homework.
Conclusion
Keep in mind that you must understand your child’s level of tech intellect as well. These days, even small children are good at figuring out how to turn off a smart lock or get past a parental lock. Your kid grew up with technology all around them, so you may need to think beyond what you feel are their limits to find the gadgets that can protect them. Get devices that are as child-proof as possible so that you can be sure that your kid will not escape the gadget meant to monitor them.
