Save Your Child from the Dangers of Holiday Shopping
Holiday shopping is a battle where no excuses are made for age or gender. Malls can be a hazardous place during the season of giving because no one’s interested in giving way; everyone’s too busy taking, paying, and running instead. Use the tips below to keep your kid safe while you fight for your rights to spend your money.
Leave Your Kid at Home
Why bring your kids with you in the first place? Why expose them to the dangers of holiday shopping when there’s no need to? Let them keep their innocence a little while longer; prevent them from realizing that adults can be terribly impolite, selfish, and a lot more bad things when they’re after the last items on sale.
If necessary, ask a friend or neighbor to come over and keep an eye on your children. Hire a babysitter. Indeed, the best way to keep kids safe while holiday shopping is not to bring them with you.
Stick Close Like Glue
Now, if there’s an imperative need to have your children with you while holiday shopping then rule #1 must be to have them stick to you like glue. There are safety cords, for instance, that you can clasp around your child’s wrist to prevent him from accidentally – or deliberately, because you never know with kids -straying.
Prepare and Be Prepared
Equip your child with a name card complete with your contact details and a message requesting for assistance. If possible, teach your child how to contact you by phone if he does get lost. Teach him where the paging booth is and how to ask for help. Last but not the least, choose a place easy to find as your pre-selected spot to meet in case you and your child get separated.
Of course, getting lost isn’t only the possible emergency that could occur when you’re doing your holiday shopping with your kid. He could get an asthma attack while you’re in Aisle 5. Or he could suddenly get hungry while you’re next in line at the cashier. You need to be prepared for these things, as well.
Don’t Expect, Don’t Assume
Never leave your kid unattended. Don’t turn away even just for a second and expect him to be at the same place you left him. Such risks are too great to take. If he has to pee, go with him and vice versa.
Keeping your child safe while holiday shopping can be a trial, but then again, why let the holidays be a barrier to family bonding if you can help it?
image credit to malingering