Child saftey

[olivejuice]

Hey, we are taking my 2 year old daughter for the first time this month. I am being a little worried because she is only 2 and I dont want her to run off. I am looking at this device that ataches to my duaghter and i get a remote and if she gets out of my range or if I press a button an alarm goes off. What do you guys think about that? And what do other parents do for saftey in the parks? I was going to just get the id bracelets for my kids but my daughter is just so young. I feel safe with my son having the id braclet but not my dd. That and she is really sneaky and fast. Thanks for the advice. oh and i dont really want to use the leash thing.

olive

 

[CrazyDuck]

You are talking about the Brick House Child Locator? http://www.brickhouse-childsafety.com/locator.html I actually ordered one but I cancelled my order before it shipped. I didn't want to have an excuse that would allow me to become complacent when it came to the safety of my kids. After reading the description I realized that it would either always be going off if I set the range to short or it would be useless if I set the range too far. I didn't want to have to worry about where the device is in relation to my DD or wether or not I would be able to hear it if it was in my DW's purse. At most I'd get my DD a ID bracelet with mine and my DW's cell phone numbers on it.

 

[abby]

Well, you can try and keep her in a stroller, but if she is not into that, my friend recently bought a kid backpack with an animal that has basically a leash attached, works great.

 

[pumpkin5156]

I have a 2 year old DS and I just keep him in the stroller as much as possible. A good place to let him run off steam is in ToonTown or Pirates Lair on Sawyers Island (or anywhere in DCA). Also just giving her a consequence when she attempts to run off. Then she knows you are serious. That's what works for me.

Have fun!

 

[avalon451]

Wow, that's a tough call. She's sneaky and fast, but you don't want to use the leash thingy, which I can understand; although I do respect parents who choose to use it.

Sy, you make some great points about the brick house device, too. It's like, you would have to have the remote attached to a belt loop or something where you can quickly get at it and hear it... and the parent who will always be with her (i.e. in the bathroom or whatever) would have to be the one to carry the remote. Although I don't quite see why it would be useless if you set the range too far. 25 feet? Close enough that she could play around the California letters in the Esplanade with you standing nearby, but if she gets farther than that, it's still close enough to hear where the alarm is coming from in a crowd.

I think it kind of depends on her personality. Does she TRY to get away? Some kids go through phases like that, where their sole purpose in life is to make a run for it whenever possible, because they think it's funny. I guess if you can talk to her and help her to understand that, when she is out of the stroller, she needs to be holding your hand at all times, to be safe in the crowds. Let her know that if she doesn't, she will need to have a backpack leash thingy on?

Maybe you could have a system with her where you have to be able to say a word or phrase and she has to be close enough answer you, like "Marco" and "Polo" -- dumb example, I know, but kinda like that. Sometimes making a game out of it helps the little ones. 2 year olds can usually understand pretty well, though they can't think through the consequences of their actions so well.

I don't know, when mine were that little, if they were out of the stroller we just kept a death grip on their hands. But some kids just won't put up with that, and if they won't, then maybe it would be time to *gulp* resort to the dreaded leash. I certainly think that whatever it takes to make you feel your child is safe and secure, it is well worth it!

 

[Rapunsel]

I tie a bandana to my belt loop and my DD 3.5 now will hold onto that. She can dance and twirl and spin and as soon as she lets go I tell her to hold her 'dancing scarf' or my hand. No other choice..

 

[disneyfaninaz]

In lieu of an ID bracelet, I bought these for my DD. They go on her shoes.

http://www.whosshoesid.com/index.asp?sectionstr=Order+Here!&cat=134648&cartstep=minfo&prodid=783677

It worked great. As far as running away, I just kept my DD in the stroller when we were on the move and let her get out in Toon Town and where there weren't too many people. I just don't remember it being an issue as I never had to use a backpack leash or similar item with my DD. I'm sure your DD will see all the people and not want to stray too far.

 

[CrazyDuck]

Sy, you make some great points about the brick house device, too. It's like, you would have to have the remote attached to a belt loop or something where you can quickly get at it and hear it... and the parent who will always be with her (i.e. in the bathroom or whatever) would have to be the one to carry the remote. Although I don't quite see why it would be useless if you set the range too far. 25 feet? Close enough that she could play around the California letters in the Esplanade with you standing nearby, but if she gets farther than that, it's still close enough to hear where the alarm is coming from in a crowd.

I was thinking more like; what happens if say my DW and my DD go and ride Peter Pan? Would the alarm go off because the signal gets weak? What if I have to use the bathroom? Do I turn off the device so that the alarm doesn't go off? What if I forget to turn it back on? How many times does it have to go off before I start ignoring the alarms? What if the beacon gets wet? What if the locator gets wet? How do I know if it's working or not?

I don't want to spend a large chunck of my time worrying about this device. I'd rather just hold my DD's hand!

 

[avalon451]

I tie a bandana to my belt loop and my DD 3.5 now will hold onto that. She can dance and twirl and spin and as soon as she lets go I tell her to hold her 'dancing scarf' or my hand. No other choice..

I love this idea.

 

[bumbershoot]

The problem with the alarm thing is that Disney is *loud*. There is simply no guarantee you'd hear the thing. I'm quite sure that I wouldn't, b/c I have a hearing loss for high pitched sounds like digital thermometers and some rings on my cellphone.

When DS was 2 we only did a one-day trip to DLR, but 2 days at SeaWorld (they sold those buy one get 2 days passes), and I wore DS in my Ergo child carrier (on my back) and also used a rental stroller some of the time. He's a slippery and fast child, and can twist his hand out of ANY grip in a heartbeat.

I know that some people don't like using "leashes", but I think they are a sign of love for a child that you know is sneaky. We put collars and leashes on our dogs because we LOVE them and want them to not get stolen or hit by cars. We can put harnesses and leads on our children that we KNOW have problems staying with us, for the same reasons.

My mom used harnesses with me and my brother on days that she took us (and our malamutes) to the beach. She didn't want any of us lost or harmed, so it made sense!

Alas, my son seems to have taken on the characteristics of the sled dogs I grew up with, b/c he runs to the end of the lead and SLAMS into it, requiring me to either let him fall onto his face (to save my shoulder) or to hold onto it for dear life while pleading with him to stand straight so that we don't look like enormous jerks. We never did feel comfy letting him fall, so ultimately we stopped using the harnesses (one a plain blue one, the other a "monkey backpack" with a tail), but man oh man I *wish* it had worked! When I was out and about with the harness, just like whenever I nursed in public, I was so focused on DS that I never noticed any nasty looks, if they were thrown my way, and no one ever talked to me about it.


Anyway, it's worth re-thinking if you wish to, b/c for a child that you know to be sneaky and slippery, it is definitely a viable option! (unless you ingested enough malamute fur as a child that your DNA was changed and your son is part sled dog, LOL)

 

[BC Disney Lover]

I always swore I'd never put my child on a leash. Of course that was before I had my own. I really like the cute backpack ones that look like a stuffed animal with a tail. If I ever needed to I would use that type. We've been lucky with our three because they really don't run off.
Our biggest problem is our middle son. He is quiet and not very observant so we actually would move on expecting him to follow only to look back and see he didn't even notice.

 

[hartyrollins]

Hi, we had this same type of situation when we took our 2.5 year old to the parks a few weeks ago.

He use to love to sit in the the stroller, but recently wants to be OUT! He also can twist out of a hand hold and he is instantly a runner once he is free!

So, we opted to to get him a harness and leash for the trip and it worked out great! We practiced at home walking around the block so he could get the feel of it and understand how far he could go. In fact by the end of the trip he was wearing the harness and we did not have to hold the "leash" part, he stayed close on his own.

Hope that helps!

 

[Brady's Mom]

We have a monkey backpack that we have used with great success for our DS 4. We used it in San Francisco last year when he wasn't quite 3. We went to Pier 39 and it was very crowded. The only issue I have with these backpacks is that sometimes we both don't go the same way around people!! So then someone gets caught in the tail.

They wash up really well (washing machine) and are easy to use and look less like a leash than some other things. My son was receptive to it and willing to use it. I also had several people stop me and ask me where I got it (Target) because they wanted to check them out. I never did have any negative comments or nasty looks using it, that I noticed. Anyone that said anything commented favorably on keeping my child safe, especially in a very crowded place.

We also use the stroller at DLR and it works well. We went when our DS was 2 and although he is not as slippery and sneaky as yours, I always worry about my kids getting lost. So, the stroller was also a very good choice.

 

[olivejuice]

Yeah im a little worried about spending the money on the device if I cant hear it. But yea she likes to run twist away and laugh while she's running away. I always keep right up to her but with the crowds and stuff i dont want to be worried. So the monkey backpack leash mabey just what ill have to do. And the id braclets just what i was planning on doing with my ds so ill get one for my dd too. Im not actually worried horribly about losing her because I will always be with her but you know just in case. oh and i will be taking my stroller too. Thanks for the advice!

 

[jlparedes]

DD is 2 1/2 and we'll be going in a couple weeks. She's not really the sneaky type that will run off, but she also doesn't like to sit in her stroller much. We will have my 9 yo nephew with us to help keep an eye on her. I'll be giving my DN my hubby's cell phone and I'll have mine. I made ID straps for her shoes (kinda like the ones above) and I will explain to her that if she can't find mommy and daddy or Mason to go to a CM or another mommy with kids and show them her ID "pretties" on her shoe. I know she is at the stage where she can remember things, and mimmicks everything I do, so I can just try mentioning it to her several times and hope it sticks. She does know our names too, so that helps. Gosh it has be kinda worried thinking about it haha.

 

[nunzia]

My 2 yo DGD is not the type who will sit in a stroller (my son's DGD 1 and DGD 4 were happy in a stroller), so we got her a little backpack that has a leash. Sometimes she carried her own leash (which, I know, defeats the purpose, but this was when we were in uncrowded areas) and then other times we held it. It worked great.

 

[swimrsal]

We took our ds when he was 21 months and he did great! He was often in the stroller, but I wish I had had an ergo to carry him on my back... that would have been fabulous! I have one now and look forward to using it with my youngest when we go (he'll be 14 months by then).

Good Luck with your decision... I would not want to go the leash route either.

 

[DisneyMom70]

I was concerned for our first big trip with DD who was 2.5 at the time. We got the Safety Tats which were temp tatoos that went on her arm.
It just says "If lost call... and it listed my cell phone." They come in cute designs. My DD actually made her Dad an me wear one as well so we would match.
A little more peace of mind.
She did great, with the crowds she was less inclined to run off and she was able to roam a bit on the island and then also at lunch (we tended to eat in areas that were fenced in (cafe orleans, riverbelle terrace- used the tables to eat our Bengal BBQ).

 

[mickeyfan1]

The problem with the alarm thing is that Disney is *loud*. There is simply no guarantee you'd hear the thing. I'm quite sure that I wouldn't, b/c I have a hearing loss for high pitched sounds like digital thermometers and some rings on my cellphone.

When DS was 2 we only did a one-day trip to DLR, but 2 days at SeaWorld (they sold those buy one get 2 days passes), and I wore DS in my Ergo child carrier (on my back) and also used a rental stroller some of the time. He's a slippery and fast child, and can twist his hand out of ANY grip in a heartbeat.

I know that some people don't like using "leashes", but I think they are a sign of love for a child that you know is sneaky. We put collars and leashes on our dogs because we LOVE them and want them to not get stolen or hit by cars. We can put harnesses and leads on our children that we KNOW have problems staying with us, for the same reasons.

My mom used harnesses with me and my brother on days that she took us (and our malamutes) to the beach. She didn't want any of us lost or harmed, so it made sense!

Alas, my son seems to have taken on the characteristics of the sled dogs I grew up with, b/c he runs to the end of the lead and SLAMS into it, requiring me to either let him fall onto his face (to save my shoulder) or to hold onto it for dear life while pleading with him to stand straight so that we don't look like enormous jerks. We never did feel comfy letting him fall, so ultimately we stopped using the harnesses (one a plain blue one, the other a "monkey backpack" with a tail), but man oh man I *wish* it had worked! When I was out and about with the harness, just like whenever I nursed in public, I was so focused on DS that I never noticed any nasty looks, if they were thrown my way, and no one ever talked to me about it.


Anyway, it's worth re-thinking if you wish to, b/c for a child that you know to be sneaky and slippery, it is definitely a viable option! (unless you ingested enough malamute fur as a child that your DNA was changed and your son is part sled dog, LOL)

I'm sorry, but you are saying that your child likes to be a normal 4 year old and run away at perhaps not the most appropriate time because you had Malamutes as family pets when you were a child? Wow, I had no idea the genes could even be intermingled.

 

[DahliaRW]

At 2, she'll probably be in a stroller most of the time. My 3 1/2 year old would get tired of walking after an hour or so. We also used these on both of my kiddos in case they got lost: www.safetytat.com . Disney is really good about "lost parents".