Do any of you use a GPS or child locator for your "runners?"

[ireland_nicole]

Hi ya'll; I just finished the thread about Justin and his dog (so cute!) And started thinking about viable solutions for us re: DS and his incredible ability to disappear in an instant. Although a service dog isn't an option for us (due to cost and other factors), he's getting too big for a leash, and when off, even watching him closely, I can quickly lose him. For instance, this weekend was the church picnic. I watched him constantly- if someone wanted to talk to me, they had to stand next to me watching him- and still had a huge difficulty keeping track of him. I even had to have a team help 3 count em 3 times. He almost fell in the retention pond, got stuck in bramble bushes, and somehow got stuck in a bathroom I didn't know he had gotten in. For those without silent elopers, I know this probably sounds like really bad parenting, but hopefully someone out there understands what kids like my little pumpkin are like.

Anyway, I figure the time has come for some help of the high tech kind. I tried one of those little locater units years ago, but it didn't work and apparently they've come a long way since then. I'm not sure if a GPS unit (pricey, oy! 299-499) or a locator is the better option, so I'm looking for your experiences and feedback
Thanks, ya'll!
Nicole

 

[1stluvispooh]

Well I didn't use a GPS on my DS who was my runner (and he's the NT one! ) What I used was an angle alarm. I don't know if they still make them his going to 11 next week!! Anyway it was a 2 piece alarm that you had 1 and the child had the other. When the child wandered too far from the parent an alarm goes off. Now the manufacture had the parents end be the alarm but a teacher friend suggested that the alarm be his so then he knows when to stop. It worked for the most part, some days better than others but even now he knows when he gets too far away from me in a public place to wait until I have caught up with him. I realize the sound it makes may be a bigger problem for you. I don' t know if your DS has sound sensitivity or not but I just thought I would let you know what I did and it only cost like $10 so... Oh yeah got it at Wal Mart. Hope this helps

 

[mechurchlady]

GPS would work but the problem is that he runs and gets in trouble while you are fiddling with the GPS and then follow the signal to him. A runner darts across a busy street while you are looking for him. Not much you can do with runners other than harness and leash or tying the kid to a horse, goat, or dog.

I like the alarm idea and maybe that will work. He needs to learn that he is not to wonder off. I am not a mean person or I would have suggested a dog collar type device on the wrist that shocks when out of bounds.

 

[ireland_nicole]

Hi Laurie; yeah, we considered the dog collar, but figured a visit from child protective services would probably ensue, so we nixed it (just kidding)

I'm thinking that the unit beeping could work as a deterrent, just hoping it's not too loud and completely freaks him out, he's pretty sensory avoiding for auditory. Then again, might not be a bad thing...

Anyway, thanks for your feedback guys! BTW, here's the one we're thinking about:
http://www.brickhouse-childsafety.c...ign=Duracell&gclid=CLqWnJbY3ZkCFQVinAodhUX0VA

On the plus side, it's got a 300-600 ft. range, comes with two kids tags (handy for me) that can be individually set for alarm ranges; the kids tags also have a panic button that alerts the locator unit. The locator unit is kind of like a metal detector; it shows the direction you want to go, but beeps more rapidly when you get "hotter" or closer. The downside is that walls, uneven terrain, etc. can interfere with the signal.

 

[pudge the fish]

ok now I've gone and done it- had to tell hubby about this thread
my hubby says he needs one for me as I wander off-
I am kinda the "LOOK THERE's a " ..... and I am off in mid sentence.
they lose me now and then.
I am so thankful for cell phones...
sorry for the Hijack

 

[ireland_nicole]

you know, your posts remind me of a speaker I love, Marcos Witt. He'll be teaching this awesome subject, then literally- OOOhhh, sparkly!!! and then a couple of seconds later he's back with the program until... Hey, did you know the third light from the left is out?...back to the program... I just love him, and admire his ability to be true to himself and still get back to his train of thought...mine tends to leave the station without me
Anyway, I don't mind if you don't

 

[mechurchlady]

My mom would disappear in stores. I would walk one end to the other with my own cart. Then she would magically appear and act like I was hiding or worse nothing happened. I had a dog who hid behind me all the time.

He need to learn that wandering off is bad. It is like any bad habit or underdeveloped skill. He will continue to do it. He needs at the time of the urge to stop himself and that means self awareness. Just like smoking or nail biting it will not stop until he learns to think about things.

I think you can practice in contained areas and use a beeper of some sort. BEEP and the kid jumps and realizes something is wrong. Reward the good behavior even if it is a hug or a gummy bear.

 

[BeckyScott]

I am wondering... this might be a stretch but reading Pudge's post...

Could you buy him his own cell phone? Or maybe a pager? (do they even sell pagers anymore or am I showing my age?)

If he's old enough, you can call him and he'll answer the phone, and you can take it from there.

Download the most obnoxious ring-tone you can find and start calling him. Buy a belt clip too, so it's attached to his body. (and cause you know if the phone is just in his pocket you can't hear it as well)

As long as he doesn't figure out how to put the thing on vibrate. And download some games into it, too, because that's real handy to have.

 

[ireland_nicole]

Becky;
good idea! but since he's only 6 and developmentally delayed, (and would lose his head were it not attached) probably not the best solution for him at the minue lol. We're thinking of that option for DD9 next year, though. The GPS units are really expensive and I think I remember seeing a commercial for the Disney mobile phones where they can track where your kids are. As much as I hate to admit it, I am going to have to start giving her a tiny bit more freedom. And with her ASD/ADHD/RAD, etc. that scares the living daylights out of me. (trust me, I still don't let her cross the street by herself. Of course, she forgets to check for cars, but stil...)
Thanks for the idea Becky, it's a great one.

 

[MinnieVanMom]

We own the Eye on watch locator set. DS wears a watch and I have a clip on remote. I can set the distance and if he goes out of the set limits both watch and remote beep. We used ABA to teach DS when the watch beeps he is to stand perfectly still so I can get to him. IF it beeps on my end I flip the switch and it shows me a grid and points me in the direction to go and keep updating until I get to DS with the watch.

It was about $300 and the waiver would not cover it. We just privately paid for the set.

 

[ireland_nicole]

do you feel like it's working well? Is it reliable? What is it's range? Do you think it was worth the money for the peace of mind and "training"/impulse control potential? Sorry so many questions, I just really want to find out how it works "in real life" so to speak. Thanks!

 

[BeckyScott]

I think I remember seeing a commercial for the Disney mobile phones where they can track where your kids are.

Really? If you find a link or anything, I'd like to take a look at that!

 

[scottsod]

we have somthing simalar link here http://www.mommyimhere.com/
its a little platic teddy bear shaped thing that goes on ur belt or shoelace
and there is a remote that goes on your keychain has a antenna that pulls out you push the button and it beeps so you can find him no map or arrow just beeps so you can help find him it was like 50 bucks less function lot less price maybe try that this new one on that site also goes off if he goes more then 25 feet away

 

[ireland_nicole]

ok; apparently I saw the ad on our homeward bound DVD (my DS's favorite) which came out before they axed the disney mobile program in the US (oops.) However, I did some research and Verizon has a "chaperone" function which provides GPS tracking of enabled phones to your phone or PC; if your interested, it might be worth checking out.

 

[teachallday]

I have been looking at the Brickhouse Child Locator for about a year now. I never could justify the price, considering the little princess rarely goes anywhere other than school and home. When I started planning this trip to Disney, I figured I would build the expense of the device into my Disney budget.

At various times I have looked at the various tracking products. The GPS seem to be good for older kids or kids who are not always immediately with you. The out of range ones are really nice, but when she goes running off or disappears on me, I need to know more than just that she is out of range. I need a way to find her. When I think about crowds and busy places, I know she could be 10 to 20 feet away and I may not be able to find her, especially when she gets into one of her moods. So, the BrickHouse Child Locator starts to look more appealing.

As a special education teacher I have used various things to deal with the runners I have had over the years. My most favorite was putting bells on little ones shoes, so when he went running off to hide in the Library (his favorite place), at least the Librarian would know he had come in. He could easily go running into a room with people in it and hide, but when he had the bells on, the people would here him come in and look over that way. It was low tech, but very effective for the issues I was dealing with. It would not however meet all of my current needs, bringing me back to the BrickHouse Child locator.

With all this said, I am still questioning the cost. I would love to hear from someone who has used the thing. I would especially love to hear from someone who has used it in a place like Disney.

 

[MinnieVanMom]

I found this link for the product we own. If you would like I could ship it to you for you to try before buying. PM me if you would like. The base price is $239.
http://www.ion-kids.com/

I found this on ebay
http://cgi.ebay.com/Ion-kids-Child-...5|66:2|65:12|39:1|240:1318|301:0|293:1|294:50

 

[ireland_nicole]

Thanks; sending a pm

 

[gundy22]

I just purchased a BrickHouse child locator to use on my 3 kids @ WDW. I figure mine as well test the thing before we get to the park. I gave a tag to my 7 yr old and told her to start walking any direction once I wasn't looking. I set the alarm to go off as soon as she roamed 100' away. The alarm went off and the monitor told me to start a search but as soon as I started the search the screen kept flashing unable to locate tag. All my kid did was go around the corner of the house and instantly the tag lost all contact with the locator. I tried to 2 more times with the same result the locator would only find the tag if it was in a direct line of sight. I then took her to the football field to try again this time it worked better so I suggest it for walks in wide open spaces like the Sahara or the moon or if you keep losing your keys then it will find something in the same room but other than that it was a complete waste of time and money. DO NOT BUY, USE, BORROW or have anything to do with this product.

 

[DisneyDreams4P&B]

We are a Project LifeSaver family. My son has been on the program for almost 4 years now.

http://www.projectlifesaver.org/

It is a GPS tracker that goes way beyond the individual tracking devices sold privately. These you get throught your Police Department if they are on the program. The benefits of these are:

Wristband is child proof/water proof - child cannot take them off

When lost most PD's can locate the child with 10 to 15 minutes of being called.

There are many locations across the country that have Project Life Saver and one of those is Orlando. If your child becomes lost, as long as you know their frequency code, they can be found by any Project Life Saver Police Department.

Most PD's offer this at either a free or reduced charge to families who have children/adult family members who have mental or neurological disorders that could cause them to become lost or take off.

GPS, is on a medical frequency (unlike the personal kind mentioned before). GPS satilites can be off due to updates, etc. The medical GPS NEVER changes, so it enables the police to find the missing person quickly.

Police Departments that have this are required to go through extensive training on how to find, and interact with those missing, understanding the special needs of those individuals. PD's should have a picture and personal info on file, and this is dispatched to all units. Our son's tells about how he loves Star Wars, will run if he is chased thinking it is a game, etc.

We have been SO happy with the program.

Hope this helps, if your area doesn't have it..ask them to bring it to your town!

 

[MinnieVanMom]

Nicole,

How is it going? Did you get the unit? Are you practicing and feel comfortable yet? Hope you are doing well and have a great trip.