Coping with emergencies thus becomes a very important thing if you are living with a preschooler. Whether it is just a simple scratch or a major accident, an efficiently arranged emergency contact list helps in the response is vital. A complete list means that you, your family and any carers can have immediate access to important information should there be a need to safeguard your child. 

Let’s take a look at how to create an emergency contact list when living with a preschooler.

Identify Essential Contacts

The first thing that one must do so as to develop an emergency contact list is to consider and define the contacts that are crucial. These should include people and services that one can depend on at some time. 

Here’s a breakdown of the essential contacts to include in the book. 

Primary Caregiver Contacts

Individual phone numbers of both parents or the primary caregivers, cellular telephone numbers, work telephone numbers, and email addresses. If you are a single parent, add next of kin or a close friend who may be able to take care of the children if the need arises.

Emergency Services

Enumerate the local emergency numbers as well as the other emergency numbers. This should also not be missed; it is well essential in case there is a situation that involves swallowing of toxic products.

Paediatricians and Healthcare Providers

List down the phone numbers and addresses of your child’s paediatrician and any specialists he or she might be seeing on a regular basis. Listing the nearest hospital or the emergency health care centre, their address, and telephone numbers is also useful.

Nearby Relatives or Friends

First of all, it is desirable to indicate 1-2 close relatives or friends who can come to help immediately, if necessary. These should be individuals from whom you would want your child to be picked from school, daycare or home if the need arises.

School or Daycare Contacts

If your child attends preschool or daycare, please provide the main phone number, physical address, and personnel names. In addition, you need to identify each emergency procedure that has been put in place in the school.

Work Contacts

If the person cannot be contacted directly, then give the contact details of the workplace either yours or your partners so that someone out there can always get in touch with you in case of an emergency.

Include Medical Information

Besides the contact numbers, some important medical information concerning your child when he or she is in preschool should be included in your emergency list. This makes sure that any caregiver or the first responder gets to have details of a given individual’s health at their disposal. Here’s what to include in the list. 

Allergies

It is recommended to report any and all allergies your child may have; it could be food, medicine, or environment. This would help avoid contact with such products that trigger allergic reactions and also enhance good care.

Medications

Include any prescription medication that your child is at the moment using and the frequency of the dosing times. Also, the place where these medications are kept at home should be noted.

Medical Conditions

If your child has any of the habitual illnesses, like asthma, diabetes, or epilepsy, write down about them, and special instructions to be followed in an emergency.

Health Insurance Information

Provide details of your child’s health insurance, including the policy number and the name of the provider. This can be important if emergency medical treatment is needed.

Develop a Caregiver Quick Reference List

Preschool children often have babysitters, grandparents, aunties, or other people who may occasionally look after them, or pick them up from school. If you use such a service often, it is useful to have a separate line in the emergency contact list. 

Step-by-Step Emergency Instructions

Prescribe what the child should do in the event of an emergency which could be a fall, fever, or when one is choking. These instructions must be rather clear and convey the most necessary information concerning first aid.

Your Location

Inform your caregiver always what you are going to be doing and the numbers you are going to be using in that particular place. Should you be out of the city or country for some time please avail additional contacts to be called in case of emergencies.

Neighbours or Nearby Friends

Include the phone numbers of other neighbours or friends that you can call in case of an emergency. This comes in handy especially if the caregiver is new, or if he or she is not conversant with your locale.

Organise and Display the List

After you have gathered all the required information and data, assembling all the information and data in a neat, well-structured and easily understandable format is also potent.

Here’s how to ensure your emergency contact list is both functional and accessible.

Digital and Hard Copies

Prepare two copies of the list: an electronic and a paper copy. Maintain a soft copy of the digital version that is easily accessible on your phone and other devices. Make copies of the forms on paper and leave them in a place where you can quickly reference them – for instance, on the fridge, by the telephone, or in your survival kit.

Keep It Updated

Maintain the list in the event of an emergency, ensuring that the phone numbers, addresses and medical information are up-to-date. It is advisable to regularly go over this list, at least in the first several months of the project.

Teach Your Child

Make it a habit that as your child becomes a little older, particularly when they join preschool, explain to them the emergency contact list. Teach them where it lies and when and how to employ it. Although they may be in a situation to grasp it, it may not be necessary for now but getting them used to the idea may prove useful in future.

One of the prerequisites for a preschooler’s safety is an emergency contact list. It enables you or anybody attending to your child in the event of an emergency, to have the right information for the right action. When you have been able to come up with a list that is comprehensive and have developed the discipline to update it as necessary, then you have gone a long way in safeguarding your child. These are instruments that can go a long way into making the difference between life and death when every moment matters most as is the case with emergency situations.