When the Unexpected Happens: SAFE Start Isn’t Just for Newborn Care

This morning did not go as planned.

While dropping my daughter off at school, I had a minor collision. No one was hurt, but suddenly I had decisions to make that I was not expecting.

Was my car safe to drive? Who did I need to call? What needed to happen first?

As I worked through it, I realized I was using SAFE Start, the same framework I created for newborn care.

Support. Assess. Facilitate. Engage.

A couple of dads at my daughter’s school helped me right away. Next, I called my friend who manages a collision shop, and she helped me understand the claim process and what needed to happen next.

That was Support.

Then I needed to Assess the situation. Most importantly, was the car safe to drive? It was. That one answer gave me enough clarity to move forward without trying to solve everything at once.

Next came Facilitate. In SAFE Start, facilitate is about creating simple, safe routines. For me, that meant following the process: contact the insurance company, file the claim and get the estimate. 

Finally, I had to Engage. I asked questions about the rental, the repair process, and what I needed to do next. With the right support and a clear process for next steps, everything went smoothly, and I was in my rental and on with my day.

SAFE Start is the framework I discuss in detail in The First 12 Weeks: Newborn Care Made Simple. I created it to help parents move through newborn care with more clarity, less second guessing, and a practical way to know where to start.

But this morning reminded me that SAFE Start works in practical life too.

When something unexpected happens, you do not need to have everything figured out.

You may just need somewhere to start.

Support. Assess. Facilitate. Engage.

Want to learn more about SAFE Start? Purchase The First 12 Weeks: Newborn Care Made Simple and learn how to use the framework throughout the newborn stage and beyond.