Steps

1. Make sure all windows, doors, and anything big enough for even a child to slip through are locked (unless they are being used).
2. Make sure you know the location of each and every family member that is at home, no matter what.
3. Make sure you know of any visitors (who they are and why they are there), and that you are informed that the person is expected by a family member. If they are not expected, make sure someone knows who they are and what they want before letting them in.
4. Keep track of all children when it comes to the phone, internet, weekend plans, activities, etc. Do not assume that your child has everything under control. Make sure of it.
5. Check on any family member that is outside and out of contact for more than ten minutes.
6. Pay attention to any unusual noise or behavior.
7. Make sure the family introduces absolutely everyone that comes into the house. Allow no one to be a stranger.
8. Do a random check throughout the entire home to make sure nothing is going on that can cause a fire or explosion. Make sure that nothing with any kind of a sharp edge is lying around where someone could accidentally run into it and cause an accident. Make sure that no electrical equipment is anywhere near water or moisture.
9. It is generally a good idea to get to know all your neighbors (and everyone that walks past your home frequently). Make sure the children do not talk to anyone you do not know. If you do have a stranger that keeps popping up from wherever, make every effort you can (even if it is a group effort) to track the person down and learn as much as possible about them.
10. When at home, make sure all the doors on all the vehicles are locked and shut securely. Make sure to maintain air pressure in the tires, and carry plenty of gas.
11. If your phone is in frequent use, consider a second phone line, a three-way calling feature, or a cell phone (even if prepaid) for emergencies.
12. Always keep flashlights handy (with working batteries). If nothing else is available, glow sticks will work.
13. Keep emergency phone numbers and first aid kits handy and easy to access.
14. Never rely on yourself to solve a problem alone. When in doubt, call a friend, local law enforcement, the fire department, or a similar agency for assistance.
15. Always go with your gut feeling about someone until you know for a fact (beyond any doubt at all) that you were wrong.
16. Never allow a child to play with something dangerous, while assuming that they are too young to hurt themselves or another. Things are childproof for a reason.
    

Tips

• Never trust anyone completely. Everyone has a devil inside, with secret fantasies or hatred.
• Never trust a good neighborhood too much. Good thieves, molestors, rapists, killers, and similar criminals are always on the lookout for easy targets. No neighborhood is completely safe.
• Do not make any exceptions for the children. Always know what they are doing, where, and with whom - even if you have to do it secretly.
• If your child is old enough, a cell phone may be a good idea. Even if the child cannot make a phone call, the serial number and phone number can most likely be traced by the FBI or local police.
• Run your family through a series of drills for emergencies until total boredom sets in.
• As a rule of thumb, have a time to be at home and inside, and enforce it (if needed).
• Surveillance cameras inside and outside are not completely safe, but they can aid in some situations. It's better to have them than not to.
• Keep keys to vehicles, guns, hunting supplies, and such items away from kids, no matter how responsible they are.
• When children are old enough, it may be a good idea to teach them how to do things like driving, CPR, and self-defense, so that (if needed) they may be able to help in some way.
• Above all else, be safe and trust nothing completely.
• Cell Phone - Program family cell phones as follows - on Mom's phone #2 dials Dad, on Dad's phone #2 dials Mom. If something happens to a parent while a child is with them, they just dial 2 and reach the other parent. If the children have their own cell phones, program 1 for Mom and 2 for Dad and 3 for sibling, etc.
  

Warnings

• Never trust anything that seems too good, never trust anyone you have not met and at least talked to, never allow your kids to go with someone who seems nice, never allow anyone to see fear in your eyes, never put anyone in a bad situation that could cause them to react psychotically, and always think about your situation.
• Remember, no one knows everything. Everyone learns and teaches.