Have You Made A 'Contingency Plan'? Parents Share The Ones They Swear By

Do you have back-up plans in place for if things go pear-shaped – especially when you’re out and about with kids? It’s not something I’ve really sat down and thought about. But it turns out I should probably be making some plans, and sharing those plans with the kids as they get older – especially as we head to more public places where there’s greater potential for things to go wrong.On Reddit’s r/Parenting thread, a parent asked the internet masses: “What are contingency plans you train your kids for?”, before sharing three of their own. One plan they have in place is that if they get on public transport and the rest of the family doesn’t (for whatever reason) their child is told to get off immediately at the next stop, walk to the nearest wall, and wait. Another is that if they get lost, they go back and wait at the last place they were all sitting or standing together. “This stops the constant moving and searching which causes more chaos,” noted the parent. Their other contingency is if their child comes home from school and, unexpectedly, no one is home, they are told to go inside, grab an iPad and “start Facetiming from the top of the list down”. If nobody answers, they should go to the neighbour next door and tell them, the parent added. “Love these!” responded another caregiver. “The train one is so great, and as much as we travel we’ve never made a plan like that. Thank you for sharing!”The mum then shared her own plans, which included if evacuating their home because of a fire, they have a designated gathering point outside where they have to stand and wait – “you do not go into someone else’s house (trusted neighbour) or car,” she added, before relaying the important reason why.“The father of a local family died when he went back into their burning home to save one of their missing children. Turns out the child had gone into a neighbour’s home because it was cold outside but in the confusion everyone assumed the child hadn’t made it out.”The parent said she’s stressed to her child that she will “always take the blame” if they need to get out of a situation because they’re uncomfortable. She added: “I will be the mean mom, the uncool mom, the strict mom, the unreasonable mom, whatever. If you’re not comfortable somewhere or with someone, or if you’re being invited somewhere that you’re not comfortable going, you can always blame it on me.”Another parent admitted their child is only three years old, but they’ve already got them to memorise their phone number. (Impressive.)“We mostly emphasise finding a worker nearby and telling them my phone number. We only made them memorise one number because it’s 10 digits in Canada and didn’t want them getting confused trying to memorise too many,” they explained. “We’ve discussed how to find workers at malls and events and to talk to the driver of buses, how to press the emergency button on trains, and that it’s totally okay to shout when you’re alone so that more than one adult realises that you need help. Thankfully, we haven’t needed to use any of these before, but I feel better knowing we have a plan and I hope my kid does, too.”In response, some parents shared how they’ve used radio jingles and even setting their iPad security codes as phone numbers to help kids memorise them.Lastly, multiple caregivers mentioned about scoping out evacuation routes in hotels and Airbnbs with their kids, should they need to escape quickly. “We walk to the stairwell and count the doors to the exit,” said one parent. “We look at how to open the windows and doors at vacation rentals. We also look at exit routes when we go into venues and places.”It pays to be prepared!Related...These 4 Reddit Hacks For Getting Toddlers To Comply Are *Chef's Kiss*‘I Sit And Colour While Other Kids Play’: Disabled Children Shut Out Of UK Playgrounds'I Want To Give My Friend's Kids Millions – But I'm Worried She'll Hate Me For It'

Comments

Breaking news

Oh Good: Stress Might Cancel Out Your Workout, PT Says

Huffpost uk

Comments

Breaking news

Oh Good: Stress Might Cancel Out Your Workout, PT Says

Wednesday Season 2's Latest Trailer Includes Tease Of Lady Gaga's Character

Red Arrows fly past: Where and when to see the VJ Day display today

Everything we know about Trump and Putin’s Alaska summit today

Prison officer ‘faces jail over inappropriate relationships with inmates’

Hunter Biden's Response To Melania Trump's Apology Demand Rhymes With 'Duck Fat'

And Just Like That's Finale Has Viewers All Saying The Same Thing

Trump Goes After 'Nutjob' Senator Elizabeth Warren: ‘She's Got To Take A Drug Test’

Cabinet Minister Dismisses Nigel Farage's Plea For Reform Peers With 1 Brutal Comment

Taylor Swift Breaks A Record Previously Held By Trump, And She Did It In Just An Hour

King Charles says war heroes will ‘never be forgotten’ in VJ Day national address

How Princess Anne earned her nickname as ‘hardest working royal’

Manchester Airport flights grounded after easyJet planes ‘clip wings’ on runway

Manchester airport flight delays after easyJet planes ‘clip wings’ on runway

Flash floods triggered by heavy rains kill at least 49 people in northwestern Pakistan

Business news live: FTSE 100 rises and Warren Buffett’s new $1bn investment

Shein’s UK sales surge 32% higher amid stock market float plans

Australian lawyer apologizes for AI-generated errors in murder case

Shiite Muslims mark the end of the Arbaeen pilgrimage in photos

How Russia is preparing for conflict in Nato’s new Arctic battleground

Three women charged over newborn’s death in female genital mutilation case

Tax the rich more to fill black hole in public finances, Labour members tell Starmer

On India's Independence Day, Modi vows to punish Pakistan for future attacks

Edinburgh tattoo artist who started working in studio on a whim found social media fame

United Airlines passenger with 'biohazard diarrhoea' admits mistake as flights cancelled

JOHN MURDOCH'S DRIVE TIME: We sample the new Polestar 4 and reveal prices for the new Nissan Micra model

Liverpool parade suspect in tears as he faces 24 new charges

'Disney ghost village' stands frozen in time with hundreds of 'mini castle' homes

Thug caught with axe while on early release faces lengthy spell behind bars

King uses VJ Day address to send stark message about current global conflicts

TikTok stars help govt highlight risks of travelling abroad for cosmetic procedures

'I struggled to eat sandwich at work and now have six months to live'

'I had shoulder pain - now I can't escape feeling I will die next week'

Exact date and time you should book this weekend for huge holiday savings

Stripper in court over 'jiggling breasts' of bride-to-be and 'forcing legs open'

Haunting last photos of people seconds before animals mauled them to death

Warped husband wants 'better sex' with secret lover but pregnant wife is problem

Eerie Disney ghost village where 587 mini castle-like houses are frozen in time

MIKE TAPP: 'I have seen first-hand how legacy of those who served in World War II lives on'

Princess Anne's strict birthday rule revealed that Royal Family must follow

Putin comes to America: Russian leader heads to Pacific Coast in heavily armoured limo before jetting to Alaska for historic meeting with Trump

Tenant's savage response to his landlord's 'absolutely crazy' eviction excuse: 'So dodgy'

The 8 key signs 'puffy-faced' Putin could be hiding a secret illness as he heads to Alaska to meet with Trump

'Migrant from Canary Wharf hotel' is arrested on suspicion of common assault after allegedly entering a blind woman's flat

Doctor reveals the best day to inject weight loss jab to avoid calorific bingeing at the weekend

Airport chaos hits Britain yet again as planes 'clip wings' at Manchester Airport and stop ALL flights

Instant karma! Moment suspected thief rams police with quadbike during chase in Liverpool before getting flipped upside down and arrested

And Just Like That finale SLAMMED as 'most disgusting episode ever' with foul scene involving Miranda's toilet proving too much for fans

Inside Trump's make-or-break Alaska mission as Putin attempts to seduce the president, shatter western unity and rewrite history

The 'toxic' new dating trend that is leaving romantic hopefuls 'blindsided'

Europe's most eligible bachelor Crown Prince Christian of Denmark makes swoon-worthy appearance at military training after he was caught kissing mystery 'girlfriend' at music festival

Meet the new Premier League WAGs - including a former Miss Universe contestant, a maternity nurse and a makeup influencer

Bryan Kohberger's graphic internet searches revealed in never-before-seen evidence

The endearing nickname Prince Philip gave Princess Anne, who turns 75 today, and how he supported her during a 'rocky patch' in her marriage

Jack Nicholson's grandson hit with restraining order from ex-girlfriend after brutal alleged assault

Tom Cruise turns down Trump's Kennedy Center Lifetime Achievement Award over 'scheduling conflicts'

I ignored my itchy legs and common sleep complaint. Then doctors found something horrifying on a scan. I'd left it far too late

PC goes undercover as runner to catch 'icky' catcallers

What do Alaskans make of the geopolitical circus arriving in their city?

Man arrested after sandwich thrown at federal agent in Washington DC