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Many babies, once they can walk, tend to get a lot of attention from strangers. Even toddler age kids, are just so cute, naturally get a lot of people that want to shake their hands, touch their cheeks or give them gifts.

What do you say? What do you do? As a parent you don’t want your child to think that it’s ok for someone they don’t know well to touch them in any way or to accept gifts of any sort. At the same time, you also don’t want to offend people who are simply, in today’s world, misguided in their actions and generosity towards children.

Article by Keeping Kids Safe

Teaching your infant security and safety from the day they are born is what being a parent is all about. At this age it is mostly unspoken but still appropriate to set the stage for “Stranger Danger.” What does a parent do or say outside of being downright rude with, “Don’t touch my child please!”

Today, it is not “OK” for strangers to touch your child or give them gifts. And, you absolutely do not want your child growing up thinking that it is okay for strangers to touch them or give them gifts. The balancing act for you as a parent, however, is that at the same time you don’t want your child to grow up to be suspicious or fearful of people either. The good news is, there are some very simple and easy things you can do as a parent of a baby or toddler, when you are out in public that will instill the right feelings and foundation of safety for you and them.

At this stage of development, when strangers approach your child, they are learning that people are nice. This is “OK.” Unfortunately, they are too young to realize or understand that someone may use that same approach to gain their trust in order to put them in a situation that may compromise their safety.

So, you as they parent must create that safety barrier. When you go out, most people will tend to approach when you are sitting down or are still. If you are carrying your child that is great. If they are in a stroller, such as on public transportation, have your child sit on your lap. When your child is sitting on your lap they are developing a “blanket of safety”.

In other words, they are developing the feeling and knowledge that you will keep him safe from harm. This is also a first step in them learning how to “Keep Themselves Safe”. As they grow, they need to know that they can come to you about anything and trust that you are there to help. This is building that foundation of trust.

Secondly, with sitting on your lap, people are less likely to touch your child as they will be encroaching on your personal space. With them in your lap, it also provides the opportunity to move them or reposition them. This communicates to a stranger subconsciously, that you don’t want him to be touched. This is a much more subtle form of communication and less offensive than if you told someone not to touch him.

Also, by sitting on your lap your child will “feel” when you are comfortable or uncomfortable. This helps them to develop the understanding that not all people are the same. This too, is subconscious and is the beginning of your child developing their “Belly Brain” sensation. This is their instinctual “gut reaction” we all have. We want kids to learn to listen to their “Belly Brain” because it is never wrong and can help them keep themselves safe. Instilling safety, even in infants and toddlers, is a very simple, easy yet effective means to build a safe child for their lifetime.

Preston Jones and Joyce Jackson are child safety experts in the San Francisco Bay Area, California, USA. Keeping Kids Safe^TM is a comprehensive personal safety program covering the full gamut of the things kids need to know today to be safe in their world for their entire lifetime. Their entire APPROACH to total child safety is UNIQUE. One, they teach kids to keep themselves safe. Two, they teach parents to reinforce their safety techniques at home by making families better with safer kids. For more information go to www.KeepingKidsSafeToday.com.