4 Safety Measures for Stay-at-Home Moms
As a busy stay-at-home mom, it's easy to take for granted the safety of your home. But the truth is, your home is only safe when you're proactively taking the steps to make it a safe environment. Beyond baby-proofing and cleaning up slippery messes, there are measures you can take to mitigate dangers that come from outside the home that you can't expect or predict. These include physical dangers like home intrusion, as well as digital ones like cybertheft of your sensitive data. Thankfully, you don't need to become a self-defense guru to stay safe. The right technology, tools and practices can put your mind at ease.
1. Use Smart Locks
Smart locks are electromechanical locks you install into your doors that lock or unlock based on commands from your smartphone. You can check your phone to see whether your doors are locked, and lock the door from away from home if you forgot. Smart locks also prevent toddlers from being able to unlock doors and leave the house unnoticed. Another safety benefit is you don’t need to keep track of a house key, which could get lost, stolen or duplicated.
2. Install a Front Door Camera
When the doorbell rings, you should know who it is before you decide to open the door. Install a security camera that covers your front door and as much of the surrounding area as possible. If you have a two-story home, place your front door camera at the second-story level. The camera should be triggered by motion so that it starts recording as soon as someone approaches your front door.
3. Get Identity Theft Protection
We share and store data on our computers and in online accounts more than ever before, and criminals have become experts on stealing personal data they can use to commit fraud. If someone gets access to your name, Social Security number, date of birth, address or bank account numbers, they can use it to open lines of credit or even buy property in your name.
With all the stress and risks that come with identity theft, investing in identity theft protection is more valuable than ever. It serves as insurance for any legal fees and damages that occur if identity theft happens. Plus, it reduces your risk of identity theft occurring in the first place by alerting you when your identity is used to create a new financial account. This way, you can immediately close the account before financial damage occurs.
4. Secure Your Computer and Internet Connection
If your Wi-Fi connection isn't encrypted or password-protected, hackers can get access to your computer and steal personal information through your network. Create a unique and strong password for your Wi-Fi network using a combination of letters, characters and numbers. Enable network encryption, which prevents others from accessing your Wi-Fi network's signal. You can also secure your surfing on the web using a virtual private network (VPN) so that criminals can't collect your data. Finally, protect your computer's private files with antivirus software.
Keeping Your Family and Your Data Safe and Secure at Home
Putting these tips into practice may seem like more on your plate. But once you've taken these steps, it feels good knowing that you're doing what it takes to keep criminals from targeting your home, your family and your sensitive information.
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