It's a natural instinct: You see a TV report about a violent prowler a hundred miles away, and that night you double-bolt your front door and wonder if your 4-year-old's bedroom window is unlocked.
The next morning, running late, you let your son -- just this once -- get strapped into the backseat without climbing into his booster seat because he's already had one tantrum this morning (over the new cereal that turned his milk a funny color), because he insists that the seat is "for babies," and because...did we mention you're running late? Yes, car accidents are a lot more common than prowlers, but you'll drive slowly. Let's face it: We're not always smart about which safety precautions make a difference. "Everyone's bombarded with information about different risks, and it can be tricky to sort out what's truly big," says Kim Thompson, an associate professor of risk analysis at the Harvard School of Public Health, where she directs the Kids Risk Project. "Scary, sensational news can lead us to believe that less common risks are bigger than what really matters."
Yet for every danger we blow out of proportion, there's a crucial one we let slip. It's easy to be derailed -- by our moms ("We didn't do that with you, and you're still here"), other moms ("Aren't you being a little neurotic?"), even doctors who downplay concerns ("That's okay, if you want to").
For a simple plan to protect kids, read on.
