Yasmin Rafeek, Sri Lankan
Mother of a 5-year-old boy
Lives in Abu Dhabi

In this day and age where families are smaller and living with fewer helping hands, safety and awareness are paramount regardless of where you live, said Rafeek.

In her case, being a homemaker, it helps in some ways but she is also pragmatic about the fact that she cannot be shadowing her child every minute of the day. “So, we take measures knowing I cannot hover over my 5-year-old all the time,” she said.

“Safety at this stage is about physical aspects like keeping doors and balconies locked as well as being wary of strangers, never opening the door without either parent being present and learning our phone numbers by heart.

“When my kid was a toddler, all breakable and sharp objects were kept out of reach as were medications, cleaning chemicals and small items that could cause choking.

“Balcony doors were locked and a heavy article of furniture used to be placed in front. Sharp corners were covered with bumpers and electric sockets were covered up. We used a wedge for doors to prevent them from suddenly slamming shut and cupboards with childproof latches.

The challenges are ever present. “For example, till recently, I hadn’t realised that a curtain cord could lead to a child being strangled to death,” said Rafeek.

The most important lesson they have learned though is no matter how many times you teach your child about safety, “it is never enough to just let them be. Continuous repetition is needed as is our presence and awareness, especially outdoors,” she said.

Maheen Ali, German
Mother of two boys (aged 7 and 3)
Lives in Dubai

‘Inside the home, I feel it is a [comparatively] safe zone as we always keep a watch on the boys and take precautions to prevent accidents,” says Ali. “The boys are always reminded about dangers outside the home,” she said.

“Outside the house, they always need to hold my hand while walking on the road. Car seats appropriate for their age are a must. I never let my children be in the car alone, even for a minute.”

At the beach, her younger son wears his guard vest even in shallow waters.

“I am a stay at home mum and if I leave them with the maid, then it’s always the same part-time maid. My older son knows my phone number and I leave keys at home too so they can get out of the house in case of a fire.”

When it comes to creating awareness of danger, she communicates to her children through practical demonstrations. “When my younger son once climbed up an item of furniture, we told him to stop and showed him visually where the danger lay.”

Potentially dangerous items in the house are stowed out of sight. “Candles are kept out of reach. We always lock the front door and put the key on a key hanger and use tamper-proof cables. We have also fixed clips at unreachable height on our balcony sliding door.

But the challenges persist. “Hiding away all small toys or other hazardous items is a challenge at home. We tell them not to go near windows and don’t usually keep them open and when we do need to open windows we keep a tight watch on our boys.”

“My two sons are very different in nature,” said Ali. “The elder one didn’t require much supervision in safety matters whereas the younger one needs reminders.

“We are not immune to accidents so we need to be careful always. But at the same time, we should not go overboard with safety instructions and raise the kids in a fearful environment.”

Allen Christlen, Indian
Working mother of two boys, aged 8 and 3
Lives in Sharjah

“The safety of our children is the prime concern in life,” said Christlen. “We do our best to not leave them alone but we also have provided them with all the guidelines that teach them to keep themselves safe in case my husband and I are not around.

As a working couple, the Christlens have hired a maid for their children, who is a trusted person with strong references from back home in India. Additionally, they have installed a camera in the house to be able to keep track of their kids.

She strives to make her boys understand the importance of staying safe, and at every stage of their growing up, adapted the home environment to maintain safety at all times.

“I used to keep a firm mattress on either side of the bed so prevent them from being injured due to a fall. Kitchen doors are kept closed when not in use. The corners of all tables are child proofed. Knives, peelers, scissors and all sharp objects are kept in places where they cannot be reached. Soft toys are avoided since they can cause allergy problems. The main door is always kept locked. All perfumes, creams, powders find no place on the dressing table.”

Though there is a water problem in her apartment complex, Christlen does not keep the bath tub filled, as her neighbours do. “I believe it is not a good idea when there are small children at home.

“We have told them never to open the door without our or the maid’s supervision.”

But despite the constant vigilance, accidents can happen, she said.

The big challenge as a working mother is to stay in the loop about everything that is happening back home while she is at work. “Teaching them safety rules repeatedly and providing them examples from real life would help them learn the lessons of safety,” she said.

“Gradually, they will learn to avoid situations which would harm them and know how to keep themselves safe.”