It’s the season for chocolate and sunshine! While everyone looks forward to the Easter holidays, let’s not forget they can also bring potential hazards like risky road travel, overcrowded places, unsupervised swimming pools and sun exposure. To ensure your children remain safe, here are a few pointers on how to protect them during the break.

Before you hit the road  

 

Whether you're heading off for a weekend getaway or visiting family across town for a braai, buckle everyone up, including children in car seats; stick to the speed limit and, whatever you do, don’t drink and drive. While you might be a sober driver, many people overindulge over the holidays so drive extra carefully as others might not. This is why it’s a good idea to have comprehensive car insurance. For the record, if you have a policy with MiWay, it will include 24-hour roadside assistance plus the use of MiWay’s take-me-home service.

Be careful of crowds

Losing their child in a crowd is every parent’s worst nightmare. Before heading out, explain the importance of staying close and set clear rules, like how they should never wander further than two large steps away from you. If you get separated, instruct them to look for a "safe stranger" like another parent with children. Teach them your phone number and practice what they should say if they need help. You could also agree on a safe meeting spot that’s easy to find in case you lose each other.

Watch out around water

The jury is out on which age is appropriate for a child to swim alone. Ideally, nobody should be swimming on their own as even experienced adults can run into difficulty in the water. As the holidays are prime pool time, be extra cautious around water. If young children have playdates where you’re not around, you want to ensure they’ll be supervised by an adult at all times to ensure they don’t end up in the swimming pool without being watched.

Be safe in the sun

South Africa has a high UV index all year round so your children should even be wearing sunscreen in winter. However, the holidays, when they’re more likely to spend prolonged periods outdoors, are prime time to get a sunburn or accumulate sun damage that will increase their risk of developing skin cancer later on. This is why ensuring your children wear an SPF 30 or higher every day is a must as it will become a habit that will protect their health in the future.

Life insurance is another way to protect your family

Something else that you can do today to safeguard your children in the future is to invest in a life insurance policy with MiWayLife. Our 4-in-1 policy gives you comprehensive life insurance for a cover amount of your choosing and also includes an accelerated funeral benefit, terminal illness benefit and funeral cover for you and your family members – all for one low monthly premium! This way, you can relax and enjoy the holidays – and every holiday after that – knowing you’ve created a lifelong financial safety net for your family.

Did You Know:

You can now take out life cover with us online in a few simple steps. No calls and no agents! Make sure to take care of those you love today by buying MiWayLife cover online.