Re: safety ideas

[Guest guest]

This has been a concern for us also. We finally settled on chimes on the front

door and sliding glass door in back. This way we hear the door open each time.

This has worked for us, although our children are a little older.

>

> I am in need of help/ideas from all the moms who have traveled this road

before me. I just had the worst scare of my life. My two little girls were

playing upstairs quietly, I thought. I was trying to do school with the 7 yr

old. I asked my mom to go check on the girls and she couldn't find them, then

she realized the front door was open. My 2 year old has in the past few days

learned how to open doors and my 4 yr old (with Ds) will gladly follow her

sister anywhere. We just moved into a new house that has an overflow pond and

stream behind it. I found my two little girls had walked to the back of the

house and over to the pond. Sophia (Ds) was standing at the edge of the pond

with her feet in the water! I think my heart stopped for a few seconds. I ran

to them as fast as I could and grabbed Sophia away from the water. It's going

to take me a while to calm down and recover from this. But now I need advice on

how to keep them safe. Door alarms? Gates covering the front door? New locks?

The biggest obstacle will be my four older boys who go in and out of the door

ALL THE TIME. I've got to come up with a way to keep the door secured with all

the in and out of the older kids. Theres no way they will lock the door every

time they go out- any suggestions?

>

> Ruby

>

[Guest guest]

Rubyfencing maybe - but what comes to mind is teaching water saftey what if she fell in could she save herself - not knowing how deep it is there was a family who I remember reading about years ago he would take the kids to the pond it was on the their landand kids being kids he knew they would go there even though itwas forbidded and felt that it would be better to be proactive not forbid it and actually push them in when they were looking at things or when they were skipping stonesclothes and all to teach them how to not panic and to get out I have taught my

kids all my kids water safety starting their first summer - and how to help someone who fell in - get a stick or if you have to talk calmly and get them from the back never the front we having a pool -I made kids pass my life guard test and then that was their job - on that day to be the life guard - they were the onesto lock the door if they were not out there - it was easy being right off thekitchen but still if I found no one out there and door not locked the life guard of the day was fired and had to weed - filling a 5 gal pail so I could standon it and not sink - that did not happen to often - we had 12 kids at that time and those little boys - 5 of them well

I could not be everywhere - now the pool is across the driveway with a 6 footfence - not as easy to get in as 2 sides are walls of shop and garageI wish we would have put it back next to the kitchen - I felt we used it more thatway rox

To: DownSyndromeInfoExchange <DownSyndromeInfoExchange > Sent: Wednesday, May 16, 2012 11:43 AM Subject: [DownSyndromeInfoExchange] safety ideas

I am in need of help/ideas from all the moms who have traveled this road before me. I just had the worst scare of my life. My two little girls were playing upstairs quietly, I thought. I was trying to do school with the 7 yr old. I asked my mom to go check on the girls and she couldn't find them, then she realized the front door was open. My 2 year old has in the past few days learned how to open doors and my 4 yr old (with Ds) will gladly follow her sister anywhere. We just moved into a new house that has an overflow pond and stream behind it. I found my two little girls had walked to the back of the house and over to the pond. Sophia (Ds) was standing at the edge of the pond with her feet in the water! I think my heart stopped for a few seconds. I ran to them as fast as I could and grabbed Sophia away from the water. It's going to take me a while to calm down and recover from this. But now I need advice on how to keep them safe. Door alarms? Gates covering the front door? New locks? The biggest obstacle will be my four older boys who go in and out of the door ALL THE TIME. I've got to come up with a way to keep the door secured with all the in and out of the older kids. Theres no way they will lock the door every time they go out- any suggestions?

Ruby

[Guest guest]

Someone I know has a child who is severely brain damaged. (Now, at age 14,

cannot sit or feed self) because of a near drowning around age 2. Slipped in a

neighbor's backyard pond and knocked himself out. He had gotten out the back

door and went wandering.

IMO Only a very tall Fence will help this situation- AND special HIGH UP locks

on all the doors nobody but an adult can undo, just imagine your crafty 6 year

old with DS gets up on a tall chair....

Liora

[Guest guest]

wind chimes are good.

Just saw the in and out kids info.

Maybe you can get those angled deadbolt locks that lock themselves when the door

is shut. (you just turn the knob from the inside, need a key from the outside,

hang the key on a hook outside the door and bring it in at dinnertime).

Your older boys might have to be sat down to a family meeting and be made to

understand whazzup. They don't know it now, but you're doing them a favor too.

They would not want to live with having a role in a tragedy. They might just

have to enter and exit a little less, too. Less wear and tear on the front

porch wood and screen door and door frame etc!

[Guest guest]

I saw one idea that used a large picture of a stop sign. Put the stop sign on

every door and teach the young ones that it reminds them to come and ask you

before going outside. The visual aspect helps a bunch because this age

constantly forgets ( both typical and delayed!). I found that the important

part is consistently teaching " what to do " over and ever. I also taught my just

turned four year old to notice how far away from me he was. He can't be fully

trusted but now realizes the distance and doesn't run off the same way he did

before. He now thinks about it before going outside (usually!). Hope this

helps.

Margaret

Sent from my iPad

[Guest guest]

I had a company come in and put door alarms on each of my doors that go outside. I have the monitor inside and plugs in and I can carry from room to room. If door 1 is opened, it will chime 1 time, door 2, 2 times, etc. for 3 and 4. It also flashes on the monitor so I can look and see what door is opened so I don't have to wait for all the chimes to sound. Love it!! I also have older kids, that don't live at home but they have keys. So when they open the door I know someone has come in the house, like late at night when little ones are in bed.

[DownSyndromeInfoExchange] safety ideas

I am in need of help/ideas from all the moms who have traveled this road before me. I just had the worst scare of my life. My two little girls were playing upstairs quietly, I thought. I was trying to do school with the 7 yr old. I asked my mom to go check on the girls and she couldn't find them, then she realized the front door was open. My 2 year old has in the past few days learned how to open doors and my 4 yr old (with Ds) will gladly follow her sister anywhere. We just moved into a new house that has an overflow pond and stream behind it. I found my two little girls had walked to the back of the house and over to the pond. Sophia (Ds) was standing at the edge of the pond with her feet in the water! I think my heart stopped for a few seconds. I ran to them as fast as I could and grabbed Sophia away from the water. It's going to take me a while to calm down and recover from this. But now I need advice on how to keep them safe. Door alarms? Gates covering the front door? New locks? The biggest obstacle will be my four older boys who go in and out of the door ALL THE TIME. I've got to come up with a way to keep the door secured with all the in and out of the older kids. Theres no way they will lock the door every time they go out- any suggestions?Ruby

[Guest guest]

I know there are devices available that you can buy and install. You attach one piece to the door and one piece to the facing (matching). When contact is broken, an alarm sounds.

They can be put on windows too. (I think people use them to be aware of burglars, etc.)

When we were caring for our mom with dementia, we installed knobs on the doors that had a key entry on both knobs. Key to get in or out. We had noticed that she was going in the garage....down a couple steps in the dark...to through stuff away.....while we were asleep. We were afraid she would get hurt (or wander) and we wouldn't know it. That meant that we had to have a key "in our pocket" at all times so we could get out if/when needed. So that is one possibility.

I'm sure there are other technologies available. Maybe you will get more ideas from others. I think there are new technologies developed to help keep track of Alzheimer's patients. Don't think DS gets nearly the national attention that Alzheimer's does.

Shirley

[DownSyndromeInfoExchange] safety ideas

I am in need of help/ideas from all the moms who have traveled this road before me. I just had the worst scare of my life. My two little girls were playing upstairs quietly, I thought. I was trying to do school with the 7 yr old. I asked my mom to go check on the girls and she couldn't find them, then she realized the front door was open. My 2 year old has in the past few days learned how to open doors and my 4 yr old (with Ds) will gladly follow her sister anywhere. We just moved into a new house that has an overflow pond and stream behind it. I found my two little girls had walked to the back of the house and over to the pond. Sophia (Ds) was standing at the edge of the pond with her feet in the water! I think my heart stopped for a few seconds. I ran to them as fast as I could and grabbed Sophia away from the water. It's going to take me a while to calm down and recover from this. But now I need advice on how to keep them safe. Door alarms? Gates covering the front door? New locks? The biggest obstacle will be my four older boys who go in and out of the door ALL THE TIME. I've got to come up with a way to keep the door secured with all the in and out of the older kids. Theres no way they will lock the door every time they go out- any suggestions?Ruby

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[Guest guest]

Ruby,

My guy is 6 now and we're just getting to where I don't panic when a door is

left open. He may go out, but just plays in the yard and doesn't bolt anymore.

A very easy, transportable, and inexpensive devise is a plastic doorknob cover.

You have to be able to pinch the doorknob with your fingers through the holes on

the devise and Gabe just does not have the fine motor control to manage it. I

don't think your two-year-old could do it either. My grandchildren are two and

they can't get it. We have them on all of our outside doors and in the bedroom

he shares with his brother. I looked into getting alarms or attaching something

to him that would set off an alarm but they were a bit impractical for our big

family with lots of older siblings and married families visiting frequently.

The knob covers have been wonderful--as long as I can get everyone to remember

to shut the doors during the nice weather!

Another problem for us is hotel doors/locks. If the safety latch or chain is

too low Gabe can open it and take off. I've had to sleep on the floor in front

of the door before to prevent him from quietly sneaking out! The last time we

traveled I took the round ring that my cars keys are hooked to and wound a few

of the chain links closer together so that the chain couldn't slide off unless

the ring was removed. The down-side is that it is a bit tedious during an

emergency (which I was willing to risk rather than have him escape and get into

the pool room which was right off the main lobby and did not require a key for

entry!). I thought it would be good to look for a small carabiner hook that

would fit instead.

--northern Wisconsin mom

[Guest guest]

Thanks for your ideas !Ruby

Ruby,

My guy is 6 now and we're just getting to where I don't panic when a door is left open. He may go out, but just plays in the yard and doesn't bolt anymore. A very easy, transportable, and inexpensive devise is a plastic doorknob cover. You have to be able to pinch the doorknob with your fingers through the holes on the devise and Gabe just does not have the fine motor control to manage it. I don't think your two-year-old could do it either. My grandchildren are two and they can't get it. We have them on all of our outside doors and in the bedroom he shares with his brother. I looked into getting alarms or attaching something to him that would set off an alarm but they were a bit impractical for our big family with lots of older siblings and married families visiting frequently. The knob covers have been wonderful--as long as I can get everyone to remember to shut the doors during the nice weather!

Another problem for us is hotel doors/locks. If the safety latch or chain is too low Gabe can open it and take off. I've had to sleep on the floor in front of the door before to prevent him from quietly sneaking out! The last time we traveled I took the round ring that my cars keys are hooked to and wound a few of the chain links closer together so that the chain couldn't slide off unless the ring was removed. The down-side is that it is a bit tedious during an emergency (which I was willing to risk rather than have him escape and get into the pool room which was right off the main lobby and did not require a key for entry!). I thought it would be good to look for a small carabiner hook that would fit instead.

--northern Wisconsin mom