Keeping your child safe when you’re out and about

Explore these simple, practical tips to help keep your little ones safe while they discover the world beyond your front door. 

Whether you’re walking to school, heading to the park, or off on a family day out, knowing how to travel safely as a family is key. 

Road safety tips

Children don’t naturally understand road dangers, they learn by watching you. Teaching road safety from a young age can help build good habits that can last a lifetime.   

• Hold hands with young children near traffic.  

• Keep them on the inside of the pavement, away from the road.   

• Use walking reins for toddlers to help keep them close.   

• Show children what to do when crossing roads by stopping, looking, and listening before you step onto the road. Talk them through it as you do.   

• Avoid distractions like using phones or headphones while crossing the road and remind older children to do the same.   

• Use safe crossing points like traffic islands, zebra or pelican crossings or cross where there’s a school crossing patrol officer or lollipop person. 

Bikes, scooters, and e-scooter safety 

Cycling or scooting is a great way to stay active and make family memories, here are some tips to do it safely: 

• Safety gear is essential. Helmets are strongly recommended for all ages. Add knee and elbow pads and wear closed-toe shoes for added protection. Bright clothing and reflective gear will help your child be seen. 

• Try and avoid busy roads and stick to safe environments like parks, cycle lanes, or quiet roads for biking and scooting with children. 

• Take part in Bikeability training, a free government programme that teaches road safety and cycling skills. 

• Regularly check brakes, tyres, and frames on bikes or scooters. 

E-scooter rules 

• Personal e-scooters can only be used on private land (with permission) and are illegal on public roads, cycle paths, or pavements.  

• In certain areas you can rent an electric scooter through official rental schemes. To do this you must have a provisional or full driving licence. 

• Helmets and clothing that makes you visible to other road users are recommended. 

Stay up to date with the latest e-scooter rules. 

Car seat safety for babies and children 

By law, your child will need a car seat to travel in a car until they are 12 years old or 135 centimetres tall, whichever comes first.  

From birth, your baby will need to use a rear-facing car seat which offers greater protection for your baby's head, neck, and spine. As they get older you can move them into a forward-facing seat. Choosing the correct child car seat can feel confusing, but it’s a key part of keeping your little one safe on the road.  

• Read the Government’s rules on car seats. 

• RoSPA (the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents) have guides and checklists to use when choosing a car seat.   

• The Child Accident Prevention has useful information about child car seat safety. 

A day outside is great for wellbeing but too much sun or heat can be harmful. Sun safety is particularly important from March to October, especially between 11am and 3pm when the sun is strongest.

How to keep your child safe in the sun 

• Use SPF (Sun Protector Factor) 30+ sunscreen on your child and reapply every 2 hours, especially after swimming or sweating. Check out the NHS sunscreen guide for more advice.   

• Dress children in lightweight, long-sleeved clothing and wide-brimmed hats. 

• Buy sunglasses that offer 100% UV protection to protect young eyes. If possible, allow your child to choose them so that they will want to wear them.   

• During peak sun hours (11am to 3pm), try to stay in the shade as much as possible. Use a sunshade or parasol on your baby's pushchair. Avoid using a blanket to cover the pushchair, as it could trap the heat inside and lead to overheating.  

Keep children hydrated in hot weather 

• Offer water frequently and pack hydrating snacks such as watermelon and cucumber. 

• Babies should continue to have breastmilk or formula. If your baby has formula or solid foods, you can offer them small sips of extra water.   

Dehydration can happen when your body loses more fluids than you take in. If it's not treated, it can get worse and become a serious problem. You can read NHS guidance on spotting the signs of dehydration. 

Children love to play in water, but even shallow depths can be dangerous. Supervision is key, both indoors and out. 

• If you’re next to open water, like beaches or lakes, familiarise yourself with the water conditions, including currents, tides, and potential hazards, before entering. Stick to designated swimming areas and obey warning signs.  

• Check weather forecasts and be aware of changing conditions.    

• Establish family rules for water safety, including no running near pools, no diving in shallow water, and always asking for permission before entering water.   

• Wash hands after playing in the water and before eating to prevent illnesses such as diarrhoea and vomiting.  

You can also check how clean water is before getting in.  

• Find out about the quality of beach and bathing water in England.  

• Find out about the quality of beach and bathing water in Northern Ireland. 

• Find out about the quality of beach and bathing water in Scotland. 

• Find out about the quality of beach and bathing water in Wales. 

Fireworks can be magical for children, but they also pose serious dangers. It’s often safest to attend professional displays, but if you’re hosting your own, take extra care.

Tips on keeping yourself and your children safe around fireworks and sparklers:

• Children under five should not use sparklers. If your child over five is using a sparkler, make sure they wear gloves and always supervise them. Make sure they keep them a safe distance away from their face and body, and others.  

• Only use one sparkler at a time and put used sparklers in a bucket of cold water or sand.   

• Ensure children stay a good distance from bonfires and where fireworks are being set off to avoid them being burned by embers.  

• Wear non-flammable, snug clothes and tie long hair back. 

• If clothing does catch fire remember stop, drop, and roll and make sure someone has called 999 for medical help.   

If someone gets a burn from a firework:   

• Cool the burn under cool, but not cold, running water for at least 10 minutes.   

• Ask someone to call 999 to request medical help.   

• Remove any restrictive clothing or jewellery near the area, unless stuck to the burn.    

• Elevate their legs, if possible, to prevent shock

All of the information on this page was created with practising health professionals. This page was reviewed in December 2025. We will next review the page in 2028.