Clinical Reference Systems: Pediatric Advisor 10.0
Safety Misbehavior
RUNNING OUT OF THE HOUSE OR YARD
- The rule
"Don't go outside," or "Don't leave your yard." Until
age 3 or 4 most children can't be trusted to stay in
their yards. They may wander off and may be harmed on a
street or railroad track, or in a pond or swimming pool.
- Discipline technique
Structure your child's environment so that you do not
have to supervise him or her to prevent this
misbehavior. Lock the outside doors to keep children
inside. Leave them outside alone only if you have a
safe, fenced-in yard.
RUNNING AWAY FROM THE PARENT WHEN WALKING
- The rule
"Stay on the sidewalk or path when you're walking with
me," and "Hold my hand when we cross the street."
- Discipline technique
If your child starts to run off, catch him immediately.
Make this a very serious matter and tell him sternly,
"Never run off again." Don't let your child tease you
about this, or allow running off to become a game. Say
firmly, "That's not funny."
- If your child repeats running off, routinely hold his
hand when you go walking.
- If this is unsuccessful, take a children's harness
with you when you go walking. The harness can be put
on if your child breaks the rule and taken off after
approximately 5 minutes. If your child breaks the
rule a second time, the harness can be put on for 10
minutes. Using a harness occasionally is harmless.
- Praise
Praise your child for staying close to you.
- Model
Cross streets carefully.
PLAYING WITH ELECTRICITY OR GAS
- Examples
Chewing on electrical cords, playing with electrical
outlets, turning the knobs on the stove.
- The rule
"Never touch that, because you can get hurt."
- Discipline technique
Give your child strong verbal disapproval. Don't let
this behavior become something your child can tease you
about. Also, put your child in time-out. Some of these
hazards can be eliminated by using safety plugs or
rerouting electrical cords. Since chewing on an
electrical cord can cause severe burns to the mouth, you
may wish to underscore your special concern about this
behavior by slapping your child once on the hand.
LIGHTING MATCHES
- The rule
"Don't play with matches. They can start fires."
- Discipline technique
Remove all matches from your child's reach. Consider
teaching your child how to use matches properly after
age 8.
- Model
Use matches appropriately.
CLIMBING TREES OR FENCES
- The rule
"Don't climb trees or fences, because you can fall and
be seriously hurt." You might specify that your child
can climb certain trees after reaching an appropriate
age, such as 6.
- Discipline technique
Time-out. To help your child through this phase,
consider designating a safe place to practice climbing,
such as on an old sofa or a jungle gym at the
playground.
UNFASTENING SEAT BELTS IN THE CAR
- The rule
"We don't drive unless everyone is buckled up."
- Discipline technique
Immediate time-out. Don't start the car until all
passengers have buckled their seat belts. As soon as
anyone unbuckles, pull your car off the road into a
boring place, such as a parking lot. Read a book until
your child puts the seat belt on. Children usually want
to go somewhere rather than sit in the car.
- Praise
Praise your child for keeping his seat belt buckled.
- Model
Buckle yourself in.
UNSAFE BICYCLE RIDING
- The rule
"Obey the bicycle safety rules."
- Discipline technique
Logical consequences of not being able to use the bike
for 2 or 3 days.
- Praise
Praise your child for riding a bike safely.
- Model
Use your bicycle safely and wear your helmet.
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Written by B.D. Schmitt, M.D., author of "Your Child's Health," Bantam Books.
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Copyright 1999 Clinical Reference Systems
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