Host families are advised to discuss child safety tips with their newly arrived au pairs and review them occasionally during the year to make au pairs are well informed and follow family’s safety rules.

Fire Safety

• Never play with matches or cigarette lighters.  Both should be out of reach from young children.
• Check with your family about an escape plan if there is a fire in the house.
• Have emergency numbers posted by the telephone. Children can be taught to call these numbers in an emergency.
• Know where a fire extinguisher is in the house and how to use it.
• Make sure to turn the stove off after use.

Water Safety

• Never leave children and infants unsupervised in a bathtub. Children can drown in a couple of inches of water.
• Never leave buckets of water unattended around young children.
• Make sure children are closely supervised when swimming in a pool.

Street Safety

• Look both ways before crossing the street.
• Discuss traffic lights – Green means go, Yellow means wait, Red means stop.
• Never chase a ball into the street.
• Streets are for cars – children should play in a yard, not the street.
• Learn street signs and what they mean (STOP sign, CROSSWALK, etc.).
• Never play behind parked cars on the driveway.
• Watch carefully when walking behind parked cars.

Home Safety

• Chemicals, bleaches, sharp knives, plastic bags, spray cans, pills and medications should all be out of reach from children.
• Emergency Phone Numbers, including poison control center, should be posted near a telephone.
• Inform children that leaves, stems and berries are not food and should be kept out of their mouths.   Never eat wild plants. Many of them are poisonous.   Never eat or touch toadstools that may grow around trees or in grass.
• Unused electrical outlets should be covered.
• Make sure smoke detectors are working.

Strangers

• Never talk to strangers or go near a stranger’s car.
• Do not accept money, candy or gifts from strangers.
• Never take a ride from a stranger.

Au pairs should check with their host parents to clearly understand where children are permitted to go alone or with others. Children should always let their parents or au pair know where they are.