Worried about losing kids at Disney. Advice?

[DVCBELLE]

If you don't want to do Tie dye every day - BRIGHT shirts work - orange, lime green, red, hot pink...they will make it easier to spot them!

 

[Kallista]

Put some ID on them and don't worry about it. If kids were disappearing from Disney, or getting lost for more than a little while, it would be all over the news. Have you ever heard about a kid getting kidnapped from Disney or lost for more than a little while? No. Don't worry about it.

It is a good idea to put ID on them. I buy engraved dog tags for them at PetSmart and then pin it to the bottom of their shirts. This makes it hard to read casually, but easy for a CM to find.

I usually put the kid's name, a cell phone #, and the name of our resort on it. I assume that if they have a full name and resort name, it would be very easy for Disney to find our reservation and complete information for our family.

 

[Rekenna]

Hi! Our youngest son DS3 has Autism and doesn't respond to his name if he gets away from you. We used the safety tats-you can order them with your cell phone number on them. For instance, my son's read, "I have non-verbal Autism" and my cell phone number.

Also, many people just write their cell number with sharpie on the child's arm. I also use a harness for DS3 and he wears the brightest color crocs I can find-I can always see his feet in a crowd of tall adults.

Good luck-have fun!

I also wanted to add that we wore the same color t-shirts a couple of days and that was great! We had lime green Disney shirts for all of us.

 

[Debella]

Thanks for the link. That seems like a more sensible approach than my husband's (to look for GPS tracking anklets ).

This will be our first time at Disney, or any theme park for that matter, and I'm going to start role playing different scenarios with my kids so they know how to handle any issues.

Don't laugh...but we are actually renting a GPS for my younger dd. We leave on Monday and I'm paranoid too. She is almost 4 and has never been to WDW. We actually found the link on Orlando Stroller Rentals website and decided to get it.

 

[Bell30012]

Debella, I certainly won't laugh. While WDW has a great track record, better safe than sorry. I've had my daughter for eight years and in that time I've grown pretty attached to her.

 

[elcodfish]

We introduced our 3 year old nephew to the first cast member we met and showed him their nametag and told him to go right to one of them if he was lost, since there are stores/restaurants every 2 feet we told him to go to one, skip the line and tell them that he was lost. We put our cell phone information in his shoe which he knew to show the cast member. He also knows in general if he is lost to find a woman with kids and ask for help.

 

[kohlby]

I always had a plan of putting a cell phone number and the child's name on a piece of paper in their pockets. But I admit to forgetting to do that most days on our last trip. I instructed my kids what to do if lost, but it was never an issue. If you're in a more crowded area, you can have the older two kids put a hand on the stroller. Or, if your sling has extra material, they can grab that.

*I used a harness for ODS when he was 3. He didn't like it however so I told him he didn't have to be hooked to me as long as he stood next to me. By the end of the first day, he had proven himself enough that the harness was not used again. (However, I brought the harness with me every day and made sure he knew I had it and wasn't afraid to use it if needed!)

 

[1308Miles]

Great ideas, everyone!

I read this thread last night before going to bed. I clicked on the link to order silicone bracelets, personalized two for my kids, then got a phone call and forgot to come back to order them. I then went to bed and had an awful, vivid nightmare about losing my DS at Disney. I woke up completely freaked out. You had better believe that I'm ordering them today!

 

[crisi]

Great ideas, everyone!

I read this thread last night before going to bed. I clicked on the link to order silicone bracelets, personalized two for my kids, then got a phone call and forgot to come back to order them. I then went to bed and had an awful, vivid nightmare about losing my DS at Disney. I woke up completely freaked out. You had better believe that I'm ordering them today!

Its good to be safe - certainly good to label your kids with your cell phone number, but - to ease your mind a little - I discovered that Disney is one place where my kids tend to stick close to me. They seemed to be aware at a young age of how easy it would be to get lost. And as I said, I had one that was a daydreamer (easy to just leave her behind when she stops to look) and one that was a runner (if you stop for her, he'd see his opportunity to be OFF). Although we had leashes, like a previous poster, we didn't use them much. And while we Sharpie'd our kids for a few years, we never needed it.

And if they DO escape and get lost, Disney is a good place to do it. There are thousands of parents who can recognize a lost kid. Thousands of cast members to help. I won't say it won't be terrifying, but being separated from your kids is likely to only last a few minutes.

Now they are the age where they might go to the other end of the park by themselves and its "cell phones charged?" They spent the whole day at Blizzard Beach running around without me while I read a book in a pool chair.

 

[Mouse House Mama]

I am a bit paranoid around large crowds. Our kids are 7, 5, 3, and 1. The oldest has some sensory issues and is prone to wandering. The youngest one will be worn or in the stroller and I might be able to talk my 3 yr old into riding in the stroller, but she's pretty independent. I think one of my biggest fears is my kids getting separated from us. I just read about putting our info in each child's pocket and think that's great. Aside from strapping harnesses on all four of them, can anyone give me some ideas that have helped you? I wondered if I should try to find a line like schoolkids sometimes walk with and hold onto in a row.

Do you take them out at home? It is the same thing. You will be fine. Also- don't talk your 3 year old into getting into the stroller if it makes you feel better- tell her! Have the 7 and 5 year old hold onto the stroller. It will be fine.

 

[wlake]

On our first trip, my DS who has sensory issues was 7 too. I made little cards with all of the important data on them and made sure one was in their pockets each day. We practiced the "what would you do?" things too. For the last trip, I had cards made at Kodak Gallery. I think they're called mom cards.

Anyway, my DS was overwhelmed by the parks and stayed close by at all times. There was so much visual and auditory stimulation that I think he needed us close to keep him calm. He ended up holding our hands a lot. Sometimes we'd have him push the stroller with his little brother in it -- good heavy work and it helped us keep track of him! Hope that helps! Have a great trip!

 

[DanielleandBrady]

Thank you for the tips. I am going to WDW in April with my son..just the 2 of us..and I am starting to get a little nervous about losing him!

 

[Riles_and_Gabe]

These are really great ideas. My concern is that my son will be 21 months old for our March trip and at this point can say Hi, juice, and tah dah. None of these will be helpful if he is lost and needs to let someone know. The good news is he will never dehydrated because I am sure he will be demanded juice.

I have been trying to think of the best option to put on him so someone knows who he belongs to and how to contact us. Something that he will not pull of during the day. I am liking the idea of the temporary tattoo or maybe making a button to put on him.

 

[Bell30012]

You could just write his name, your name and a phone number on the upper part of his socks with a Sharpie. One year I saw a lady writing her phone number on a toddler's diaper with a Sharpie. When I commented she said she knows someone will see that as often as his butt needed changed.