September is Child Safety Month! Until you have a toddler, it is hard to understand how many facets there are to keeping your littlest family members safe; car seats, childproofing (at home and on the go!), infant/child CPR classes, baby monitors, identification tags, cribs, toys, strollers - and the list goes on and on!
However, one of the most basic things you can do to keep your children safe is to create a comprehensive listing of all medical and emergency contact information. Print multiple copies so that you can post one on your refrigerator at home, pack one in your wallet for whenever you go out, and provide a copy to each of your children's caregivers (i.e. pre-school, after care, sitters, relatives, etc.). Be sure to include:
Emergency Numbers:
- Parent's cell phone numbers;
- Parent's work phone numbers;
- 911;
- Non-emergency Police Department phone number;
- Poison control phone number;
- Fire department phone number;
- Child's doctor's practice, name, and phone number;
- Off-hours doctor's phone number;
- Child's chart number;
- Child's dentist's practice, name, and phone number;
- Address, phone number, and directions to preferred hospital;
- Emergency contact information for two people other than parents, including:
- Name;
- Phone number(s);
- Relation.
Emergency Information:
- Home address;
- Mom's full name;
- Dad's full name;
- Child's full name;
- Child's date of birth;
- Any allergies, medications, or special conditions;
- Insurance provider;
- Insurance provider phone;
- Insured name and ID;
- Group ID;
- Policy ID.
Travel-Tot is pleased to provide an easy-to-use Emergency Information Form here for our readers! Having such information available all in one place in an easy-to-distribute format could be the difference between life and death, particularly when your child is under the care of someone who may not have all that information committed to memory!
Safe and happy September!
-Destination Mom
