Parenting With Home Automation: How to Make Things Safer for Kids

If you are like most people, you probably think of home automation as a way to make your life more convenient. And why not? Convenience is a big draw. But what if someone told you that you could transform your home automation system from a mere convenience platform to one that creates an active yet invisible safety net around your kids?

You reveal the real magic of home automation when you start digging into device features and figuring out ways to make them work together for a better combined benefit. That is exactly what you can do when you start thinking of home automation as a way to make your home safer.

Parents Can Do a Lot

Home automation can help busy parents protect those toddlers who love to roam. It can address the reality of teenagers coming home to an empty house after school. There is so much parents can do that it would take dozens of blog posts to explain it all. Here are three examples, courtesy of Vivint. Vivint is a nationwide leader in home automation and security technology.

1. Perimeter Protection

A nightmare for any parent is a young child slipping out of the house with no one noticing. We have all read stories of an innocently curious child being injured or killed after walking through the door to explore the world outside. Home automation can reduce that risk by way of perimeter protection:

• Window and Door Sensors – Contact sensors on windows and doors alert parents whenever a window or door is opened. Parents can be alerted through a chime, a push notification, or a smart speaker announcement.

• Gate Monitoring – Gates guarding both yards and swimming pools can be equipped with sensors as well. Those sensors trigger whenever a gate is opened. For greater protection, a gate can be fitted with a smart lock that will not allow it to be opened without a PIN code.

GPS technology makes it possible to always know a child’s location by putting a tracking tag in a pocket or attaching it to a shirt. In short, home automation can reduce the risk of wandering children getting into trouble.

2. Indoor Hazard Protection

Home automation can help make kids safer by protecting against indoor hazards. For example, smart cabinet and drawer locks can keep everything from medications to cleaning supplies out of the hands of kids. Parents can also deploy smart plugs so that kids can’t accidentally burn themselves with devices like curling irons.

Motion and contact sensors can alert parents to kids approaching hazardous areas, like staircases and garage doors. Even while sensors are protecting them, kids can be gradually trained to stay away from hazards.

3. After School Transition

One of my favorite applications of family home automation is the after-school transition. Smart locks provide keyless entry through custom PIN codes. Kids do not have to carry keys they can lose.

In addition, a system can be programmed with a ‘welcome home’ routine. Maybe at 3 PM, the security system automatically disarms, and an exterior camera begins monitoring for a child’s arrival. Interior cameras with built-in audio make it possible for mom and dad to communicate with the kids until their work shifts end.

Making the most automation for a safer home starts with understanding your family’s needs and then investing in devices that will meet those needs. From cameras to smart lighting systems to smart locks and thermostats, the possibilities are limited only by your vision. Home automation technology truly can help you build an electronic safety net around those you love most.