Disney: Lost Child policies? Safety tips?

[MentalVacation]

Ok, I was thinking about this issue for two reasons. One, I am taking my toddler son to Disney for the first time, and he is a fast runner. And two, I had one of the most poignant experiences of my life at Disney in 1998. We were at the MVMCP and it was rainy. Everyone was wearing those yellow ponchos. It was like a mass exodus from the park, post fireworks. DH and I were walking down the street and there is this little boy there, maybe 5 years old at the oldest..........bawling in terror. No adult to be seen. He is clearly lost. I tear up to this day remembering this child's look of complete terror.

Anyway, seeing no one around who appeared to be looking for him, I knelt down and talked to him to try to get some information to help find his parents. About four sentences and I decided I didn't really have the ability to do this, so I found the closest CM and basically handed him off. They radioed somewhere else and the CM seemed to know exactly what to do. SHe assured me they would find his parents, and after a few minutes of making sure he was calmed down, I took her at her word and we headed for our bus stop...but to this day, although I know (hope) they found his parents...I still worry. It was just so incredibly sad.

Anyway.................now that I am bringing my own child into the park...what is Disney's policy on missing children? (If they find one? If you report one missing?) Any first hand experiences of a lost and reunited child?

Also, what are some good safety ideas in this regard, for a child too young to know his own phone number/last name/hotel/etc? My sister wrote her cell phone number on all her kid's arm bands at the local amusement park last summer. I was thinking of doing something along those lines with pertinent information on some sort of tag or bracelet 'just in case'....b/c lord knows I am not going to let him out of my sight, but frankly, who knows what can happen, right?

 

[Disneyadore]

I know its sounds very harsh but I wrote the cell phone number with a black marker on my sons arm.
It lasted for a few days and then I renewed it.

He could not loose it and we felled safe but a little bit guilty about the marker. But when you have to choose from two bad things..........

 

[bumbershoot]

They now make temp tattoos with whatever info you want on them, to put on kiddo's skin. Many people use the WDW package luggage tags on their kids' belt loops. The Sharpie idea is also used. And I've seen a site that makes silicone bracelets with the info you want, for kids to wear.

 

[dementia412]

When we were there last year we lost our daughter. She was 8 at the time and somehow let go of whoever's hand she was holding and then went straight when we turned. She went to a cm and so did we and it took almost no time to get her back. She even got a Stitch pin from the cm which made her day.

My brother told me he always regretted finding his lost child, and he'd have left the kid in DW if he'd known all the trouble the kid would cause him.

 

[MichiganKris]

We were waiting in line to meet Winnie the Pooh and Tigger in the Magic Kingdom and a little girl of about 3 wandered away from her family. When they realized she was missing they started looking for her. The CM directing the line got on a walkie talkie and there were about 20 CM's there in what seemed like seconds. It took them less than 5 minutes to find the child and bring her back to the family. I was talking to the CM later and she said the best thing they have found is for the family to stay where they are when they realize they lost their child. The CM's will look for the child, but a lot of times, the child will return to where they saw there family last.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

First of all, children are never lost at WDW. They know where they are at. It is the parents who get lost.

Second, we have lots of procedures in place at WDW to reunited lost parents with their children.

I know that one day last summer at TL we had over 30 children who had misplaced their parents. We have a central area where any children who have misplaced their parents are taken, it gives them a place to play in supervised conditions until the parents are found.

And conversely, if the parents manage to misplace the childen they also go there and we report the information related to the child(ren) to all lifeguards and staff with radios.

To the best of my knowledge we have never had any who were not reunited.

And also we will not let small chiildren out the gates alone.

 

[dburg30]

Things I've read that people do, and it wont be inclusive at all.

Take pictures of their kids in THAT DAY'S outfit and have it on the camera so they can show it if needed.

Write parents name and cell # on the child (as stated above)

get a tag with a string and write the info on it and attach it to the childs clothing (have to be careful as it can tear off).

Give the child a card to carry in a pocket to give to a CM if their parents get lost, again has the lost parents names and #'s on it.

The bracelets are a good idea.

Making sure the children know what CM's look like, including the tags (one of the reasons they probably dont make these for guests anymore they look too much like a CM tag to youngsters) so the children will know who they can goto in case their parents get lost.

THere are PLENTY of stores and food places around, make sure they know they can find people there also (some like this idea as if the person is taking money the child KNOWS it's a CM and not a guest with a tag)

Those GPS tracker things

Cell phones for children that know how to use them, with the parents #'s in them so they can only call them.

I know there are many many more ways that parents have to help their kids find them if they get lost.


And along with what Cheshire Figment has posted about them not letting small children leave without claiming their parents first, I have a sneaky suspicion that certain CM's probably scan the area a lot for youngsters that appear to be too young to be parentless and will inquire if they dont see someone chasing them or heading for them.

 

[ms*mountaineer]

And also we will not let small chiildren out the gates alone.

I think most of us parents are worried about children getting out of the gates with someone that is not the parents. I know this was my concern when we were "lost" from my 7 yr old on our last trip. She got separated from her uncle (who should have been watching better!) and she was on her own for the time it takes her uncle to ride Spaceship Earth.

You were absolutely right - she stayed where she had last seen us. She says no one spoke to her while she waited. (I can't help but wonder if any CM's had their eye on her.) Certainly angels were with her!

 

[skier_pete]

We use a sticker with our cell phone numbers on them, that we then slap on the back of our DD shirt. I suppose writing on the child may be better - but I prefer not to teach my DD that it is OK to write on herself.

We don't put our names on the sticker - for the simple reason that the names could be used by someone unscrupulous. If our DD is missing, we will be looking for that phone call, it doesn't matter if they know our names.

SKierPete

 

[ShannonMB]

I read on a post here awhile ago that someone made tags at the pet store - those little engraved ones with the parents' cell #s on them, then tie them into their shoestrings or on a necklace. I thought that was a smart idea!

 

[Gillettes]

We had dog tags made for our girls last time and plan on using them again this time. They got tucked inside a shirt and had our cell numbers on them. They cost us about 7 dollars at an army supply store. Last time our youngest was 2 so it would have been tougher but now she knows her full name and vital info so she could be of some help to a CM. She did get away from us last visit. We were exiting POTC and she went with DH to retrieve the stroller. Then she decided to join the rest of the family but she overshot us and I had no idea to be looking for her. By the time I realized she was quite a bit ahead of me. I caught her by thunder mountain. She was totally unfazed but it made us realize how quickly things can happen. I am also going to snap a picture of them every day so I can show the cms exactly what they are wearing. I always point out the cms too so they know who to go to. Have a fun trip!

 

[surfer_ed]

We had dog tags made for our girls last time and plan on using them again this time. They got tucked inside a shirt and had our cell numbers on them. They cost us about 7 dollars at an army supply store. Last time our youngest was 2 so it would have been tougher but now she knows her full name and vital info so she could be of some help to a CM. She did get away from us last visit. We were exiting POTC and she went with DH to retrieve the stroller. Then she decided to join the rest of the family but she overshot us and I had no idea to be looking for her. By the time I realized she was quite a bit ahead of me. I caught her by thunder mountain. She was totally unfazed but it made us realize how quickly things can happen. I am also going to snap a picture of them every day so I can show the cms exactly what they are wearing. I always point out the cms too so they know who to go to. Have a fun trip!

I also got dog tags engraved yesterday for our upcoming trip. My DD4 knows not to movw if she gets lost and ask another mommy with a stroller for help. She also knows to show her name tag with my cell number on it. Not sure about DS2, but hhe never gets more than arms reach but he tries.

 

[plucky]

All of the previous posts have excellent ideas! We lost our 7 year old for all of 3 minutes, but it felt like hours at the time! A show had let out a Animal Kingdom, flooding the walkway with tons of people, and even though she was standing right nex to us, she was swept away with the crowd, and we didn't notice!

Thankfully, we had talked to her about what to do if we were seperated. We had given her a Disney wallet at the beginning of vacation, and in it was all of our contact information. We attached the wallet to her belt loop every morning with the Disney luggage tag "thingy". We told her that if we were seperated, she should stay where she was and use her eyes to look for a cast member. If she couldn't see a cast member from where she stood, she was to look for a Mom with kids. She was told to tell them that she didn't know where we were, and to give them her info sheet from her wallet.

When my DH spotted her, she was with a cast member with her wallet out. Good girl! She said that she tried to stay calm, but she was really upset and said that she was glad that we had talked about what to do in detail in advance. She said she was so full of panic, that she went on auto-pilot because we had drilled into her head what to do.

So my advice is to be sure to talk to your child about what to do. We kept it low key, because we didn't want to scare her, but we did talk about it every morning.

 

[disnut8]

One important thing to think about is to not let just anyone be able to see the child's information. Having their name somewhere easily seen might be great for the Cast Members to greet the child by name but then so can everyone else in the world, good and bad. Also, don't put your room number anywhere on your child's information. A stranger who looks at the info would now have the child's name, resort and room number.

After talking to lots of people, my daughter-in-law and I came up with this for my granddaughter. A homemade ID tag with her first name, our resort name, two cell phone numbers, and my daughter-in-law's name. This we pinned inside my granddaughter's shorts. She was five the first time we did this and 7-1/2 the second time. This provided all the info that was needed but it was out of sight. This might now work with a younger child who wouldn't be able to tell a Cast Member where the info was located.

We also made sure everyone in our party knew what the granddaughter was wearing that day. Not just us. Everyone. If there was a big emergency, we could have everyone looking for her, not just us. The granddaughter absolutely loved the extra attention in the morning as we all made a big fuss over her wardrobe!

 

[AJKMOM]

Don't be afraid to get some type of hand-holder or backpack with a strap.

some may not like it, but you can tell them you love your kid enough to keep track of them. I have a son with autism, and used one for him until he grew taller than everyone else.

 

[MentalVacation]

tyvm for all the great ideas! it probably doesn't help that I just started reading "The Shack" either...sigh.

DH wants to just stick a GPS transmitter on him. ITA, having him taken is also a fear. (Leaving park with someone else) I am really glad to hear about the policies. I knew there had to be some, b/c there are LOTS of kids going through WDW every day.

I am definitely going to use some of these ideas! I hope it is all just being overly cautious and we never need it, but it is better safe than sorry.

 

[SyracuseWolvrine]

After talking to lots of people, my daughter-in-law and I came up with this for my granddaughter. A homemade ID tag with her first name, our resort name, two cell phone numbers, and my daughter-in-law's name. This we pinned inside my granddaughter's shorts. She was five the first time we did this and 7-1/2 the second time. This provided all the info that was needed but it was out of sight. This might now work with a younger child who wouldn't be able to tell a Cast Member where the info was located.

I'd like to ask you to please re-consider this. I don't claim to speak for all cast members, but I am certainly NOT going to be looking inside a child's clothing for their parents contact information. Now, a dog tag that can be tucked under a shirt is one thing, and that would probably be a good solution, but a card pinned to the inside of the clothes is probably likely to be less than useful.

I've also heard of people weaving the dog tag into shoelaces, which is a good way to prevent accidental (or intentional) removal of a necklace by the child.

A few things to remember if you get separated from your child
1. Find a CM, and have them help search, rather than trying to conduct the entire search on your own.
2. Stay calm. I've dealt with parents that were so frantic that they couldn't manage to say anything more than "my child is missing", not even provide any information that would be useful to find the child (for example, the child's Name is usually a key point)
3. Stay in the same place. Usually kids will go back to the last place they saw their parents. If another CM finds the kid, they will ask the kid the last place they saw their parents, and then take them to that spot.
4. When you are re-united with your child, the first thing you need to do is give them a hug and tell them you were worried about them, not yell at them "Where were you? Why did you run off?"

 

[MentalVacation]

WHat about kids that are so young they probably couldn't tell you?

I am not PLANNING to lose this kid, but if you asked him where'd he been last, he'd probably tell you "MICKEYMOUSE" no matter where it was.

Things we are doing to prevent losing him, just so you know...LOL:

Bringing Grandma...3 to 1 ratio
Monkey backpack leash (so not above a leash! )
Stroller and/or toddler-wearing devices

But I know things *can* still happen so I just want to be prepared.

 

[AJKMOM]

I am definitely going to use some of these ideas! I hope it is all just being overly cautious and we never need it, but it is better safe than sorry.

all you have to do is lose track of your child once, and you won't think you are overly cautious. Lost DS once in Wonders of Life, lost DD once in Imagination, and I was wishing I had done even one of those things. Don't let anyone talk you into thinking nothing can happen, because it can. when dealing with children, I think there is no such thing as "overly cautious".

 

[kristenrice]

I taught DD5 that if she gets separated from mommy, she needs to look for someone wearing the "special name tag". I pointed out all the CM's nametags to her, hoping that she would recognize it if she got lost.

Well, sure enough, we took a potty break at the bathroom near the Nemo musical at AK. I was finishing up DD3's hand washing when I realized that DD5 had already left the restroom. I started looking around outside for her and then headed down the path to our stroller. I figured that is where she went. Sure enough, I saw her talking to a CM. He said that she calmly approached him, told him her name and that she lost her mom. He said that she knew exactly what to do, she wasn't afraid and she stayed right with him until I showed up. To this day, DD5 tells me what a great friend "Bryan" was and how he helped her find mom. I was very glad that she remembered to find the people with the special nametags.

Unfortunately, it started to become a game. She ran off at AKL and found a CM in the lobby. She started talking to him, telling him that she was lost. Well, she wasn't really lost, I was just a little slower up the stairs than she was. I told her that she can talk to the people with the special nametags all she wants, but she doesn't have to get lost to do it!

DD3 also "got lost" at AK. She was in the Boneyard with me and DD5. I asked the CM at the gate if that was in fact the only entrance and exit. She assured me that it was so I let the kids loose and I hung out by the gate. After about 15 minutes, DD5 wanted to leave. I headed over to the place where DD3 was playing and I couldn't find her. It was then that I realized that there was a bridge that crossed over to the sandbox area. I went over there and found DD3 happily digging in the sand, next to a CM with the "special nametag". The CM said DD had been there about 10 minutes! Apparently, when I thought she was just up in the play structure, she'd actually went the other way. I felt horrible because I thought the CM thought I'd ditched my daughter! I just figured the Boneyard was a good place for them to run around without me having to chase them. I would never expect CM's to babysit children, but it is very reassuring to know that they are "safe" when they get separated from their parents.