If you have a preschool age child, you know how impulsive and unpredictable they can be at times. While you (mostly) have control over making your home environment as safe as possible, going out in public can present countless dangers for little ones.

While there isn't anything safer than holding your child's hand, here are two Mom-invented products to help train your preschool-age child to stay close by while out and about. 

The first one is the Tag*a*long. In just seconds, it easily attaches to the side of your stroller or shopping cart to give your little one his own special place to hold on. I use one with Levi {blue is his favorite} and it really does help to keep him focused on where he is to be when we are in a store. Any time he wanders too far from me, I direct him back to his handle. 

The Tag*a*long comes in an array of bright, fruity colors and the handle part looks like a cute smiley face with a single tooth. The regular retail price is $9.99, but is on sale for $7.99! 

Another attention-grabbing helper is the Parking Pal. This nifty magnet attaches to the side of your vehicle, giving your child a place to "park" himself while he waits for you to load or unload siblings or groceries. All it takes is a trip to the mall to see that parking lots are dangerous places for small children.

However, the Parking Pal is not magic! It's simply a training aid, so use common sense. Keep your eye on your child as best you can and talk to him while you are unloading the baby or whatever. 

You could leave it attached to the side of your van {What? Not every mom drives a van?}, but I worry about someone taking it or it falling off while I'm driving, so I store it in the pocket behind the passenger seat. Parking Pals come in a variety of popular patterns to suit boys and girls. The regular retail price is $8.99, but they are on sale for $7.50.

Of course, child safety training isn't complete without tackling stranger safety. The concept of strangers can be confusing to little kids. They may believe that all strangers are bad or that if a person doesn't look like what they think a "bad guy" looks like, then they must be okay.

One way to help them understand who is safe and who isn't is to watch The Safe Side DVDs with them. All of my kids, including my 17yo, got a kick out of watching Stranger Safety. The zany main character, Safe Side Super Chick, teaches kids about "Don't Knows", "Kinda Knows", and "Safe Side Adults". While some adults and exceptionally mature children may not appreciate the wacky-ness, most children will enjoy watching Safe Side Super Chick as she teaches them what to do in certain situations in a non-threatening manner. {For those who need to know, there is a chihuahua, a man in a gorilla suit, and a clown. You've been warned.}

There are two Safe Side DVDs available: Stranger Safety and Internet Safety. Stranger Safety is also popular with child care providers and teachers. The DVDs are regularly priced at $12.99 each, but on sale for $10.99 for a limited time.
 
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My New Business - A Sneak Peek

For a few months, I've been busy researching, planning, and working on a new business venture. As I get closer to being ready for the grand opening, I'd like to give you a sneak peek at what I've been doing and get some feedback. 

Would you please go to To Love and Protect, take a look around, and let me know what you think so far? Do you see anything that needs to be fixed (broken links, grammar, spelling, etc.)? What do you think of the homepage collage? Is it too busy? Keep in mind that it is still under construction. I have been ordering and adding inventory this week and there is plenty of content to be added. But after you have looked at something for so long, it's difficult to see it objectively. Your comments are greatly appreciated. 

Make sure you are following or a subscriber because once my store opens, you may see a giveaway or two here at Raising Knights. Oh, and at the blog for To Love and Protect. Thank you for your support!