By: Richard L. Smith
This Memorial Day weekend, three frightening incidents involving children in Newark and North Brunswick, New Jersey, have prompted officials to remind parents and guardians about the importance of vigilant supervision.
RLS Media learned that on Saturday around 9 p.m. in Newark's North Ward, police were called to the vicinity of 16 Chester Street Avenue after a toddler was found wandering alone.
The child, who witnesses say narrowly escaped being struck by a car, was attended to by police who had EMS evaluate the child and safely returned them to their guardian unharmed.
Tragically, another incident of what's believed to be a wandering incident in North Brunswick ended in heartbreak.
Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone reported that local police received a distress call around 7:46 p.m. on Saturday about a child found unresponsive in a swimming pool.
Despite immediate CPR efforts and emergency medical attention at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, Prosecutor Ciccone said the young child was pronounced dead.
Details regarding how long the child had been unsupervised and the specific circumstances leading to the drowning remain under close investigation by authorities.
Back in Newark on Sunday around 2 p.m., another child was found wandering in Newark’s North Ward and was brought to Lincoln Avenue Police precinct.
EMS evaluated the toddler as a precaution, thankfully finding no injuries.
Guiding Toddler Exploration Safely: Insights from the Parenting Now Blog
The Parenting Now Blog by the Triple P Team highlights that toddlers' natural curiosity drives them to explore their environment using all senses.
This behavior is crucial for their development of independence. Toddlers often wander slightly away from their parents to explore but keep visual contact for security, demonstrating their trust in their parents as a safe base.
The blog stresses that wandering is a form of learning and not disobedience. It's important for parents to manage this behavior by arranging safe exploratory activities in secure locations like neighborhood parks, avoiding times when toddlers are tired or hungry.
Engaging in activities such as "I Spy" during these outings can encourage both safe exploration and independence while maintaining necessary safety.
Parents and guardians around NJ are urged to maintain close supervision of their children to prevent such possible tragedies.
