I'm having Panic Attacks about losing DS(5) at Magic Kingdom

[devotedchristian]

Have you ever gone through this?

Me, DH, DD16 and DS5 will be at MK next Saturday. The closer it gets I feel anxiety over losing him in a large crowd.

Now, let me say I don't normally worry like this but I picture MK being a huge place (this our first trip) and I can't help but feel worry because DS is a "spirited child" and will take off in a minute.

I know ME when it comes to DS, (he's my only biological child, DD is my stepdaughter but I love her like she's my own, don't get me wrong!) but when we were at Six Flags over GA, I never took my eyes off him for one second even though DH said he was watching him like a hawk as well.

So I can imagine what I'll be like at MK.

Did you go through this at Disney World park?

 

[RMulieri]

Honestly I didn't stress. We took our 4 yr old daughter who refused to ride in a stroller and liked to wander, and I didn't lose her once. I had a kids ID tatoo on her and explained what to do if she became separated.

 

[longing2Batdisney]

I am having the same feeling with DS2. I purchased two dog tags engraved w/ info (since he does not talk very well). They also have tattoo's. There is a link for "Lost Children", as I am learning the system it will be easier for me to bump the thread look for it. There were some really great ideas.

Its on the Disney tips thread Lost Children

 

[ngneer98]

If it makes you feel any better, we HAVE lost a child in the Magic Kingdom, and even though it was the scariest 5 minutes of my life, I was beyond impressed with the CMs that came to our aid.

Here's the story: (short version!)

Just as Wishes started, I'd just set up my tripod (ameteur photog here) right outside Philharmagic in Fantasyland, so behind the castle, and JUST as they shut out all the lights, we notice DD6 was gone! So not only could we not find her, but it was pitch black to boot! I found the nearest CM, who happened to be a security guy with a radio (thank heavens), showed him a picture on my camera of what she was wearing, told him her height, etc. and he relayed all that info over the radio to who knows how many other security guards in the MK. While I was doing that, another CM watched our 2 DSs (one asleep in a stroller) while DH went back to the last place we remembered her being with us (a popcorn stand very close by).

Just a couple minutes later (it was still dark, other than the light from the fireworks themselves), a CM came walking up, hand in hand with my daughter! She'd heard the radio message from security somehow and brought her right to us!

So......long story short, while losing a kid is ALWAYS a very scary thing to go through, there's NOWHERE I'd rather have it happen (if it has to) than at Disney. Those CMs were SO FAST, efficient, professional and nice to us it was just amazing. I wish I'd thought to get their names to thank them, but I was so upset I just forgot! The CMs at Disney are more than trained and prepared to handle lost kids, so I no longer worry (more than usual!) about losing the kids there. The worry is always there, but I'd rather they wander off at Disneyworld than at the local mall.....

And DD had done what we always tell our kids to do....."If you get separated from Mommy/Daddy, find someone with a nametag and tell them you're lost".......make sure you tell your kids that and they will be fine.

HTH!!
Diana

 

[adventure_woman]

I used to be a cast member and I can tell you that if you were to lose your child, there is no better place in the world than in Disney for that to happen. We were trained to 'spot' the lost children and even go up to them and ask them where mommy or daddy are. One time I remember there was about a 10 yr old or so, wandering around, looking for his parents. I had to make him stay with me to find his parents, we did - but he was just wandering aimlessly around.

Two stories that scared me though:
1. I was working on the parade route on Main Street before the 3:00 parade. A couple of guests said to me - I think that little girl is alone. She was only 2 or 3!! I went up to her, and she was so little and scared that I picked her up. (we weren't supposed to, but in this case, there was no other option). She was crying. We stood there about 10 min. I asked her - do you like Mickey? She shook her head no. Do you like Minnie? No again. I kept going through characters, finally found one she liked and she stopped crying. Still no parents, so I started telling all the other cast members I was taking her to baby care - where lost kids go. As I'm walking down there, I hear a mother behind me, obviously her mom. The only thing she said was "I'm never going to let my DH watch her again!!"

2. I was a conductor on the platform at Main Street. After the train left, I happened to notice a stroller at the end of the platform (where the wheelchairs load). I just had a gut feeling (funny how you get those well before you even have kids). I walked down there and THERE WAS A NEWBORN LEFT IN THE STROLLER!! I knew that the family was coming back to the station, they had also left an ECV there. In the meantime, I had another train coming in! I pushed the stroller down by where I'm supposed to be, called my manager, etc. About 2 minutes before the family pulled back into the station (20 min ride), 2 men from the family came running up the stairs. They had gotten off at Frontierland and ran the whole way back. The train came in, with the whole family sobbing. I doubt they left the baby again...

Lesson is this - if the unthinkable happens, just know that the cast members are trained to handle the situation. You need to contact someone asap, and you will be reunited with your LO.

 

[wdwmom0f3]

I was worried about losing my son too when he was about that age. He must have been nervous too because he never let go of my hand. I think the best thing to do is to have him hold your hand while walking around, not so much in line, but while walking from one place to another.

Also, I always told my DH when he needed to watch him, like when I was busy getting fast passes. Never assume that he will do it, although he probably would. Miss communication can also lead to a lost child. I have seen it happen at Disney World.

Have a great trip!!!

 

[koolaidmoms]

Yes, we were worried. We also lost DD then 2 in a store. She went between the circular racks and came up on the other side and got confused. We lost her for about 5 minutes. She was scared, we were scared and everyone was so nice helping us. We used that as a catalyst to talk about why we need to be able to see each other at all times and when we ask to hold her hand she needs to do it. (We also invested in a harness after that!) She never has wandered again!

DS had no choice but to wear the harness - he was a runner when he was 2 and 3. He would jump out of the stroller and run if he saw anything that he wanted.

I noticed your name - pray about it, prepare your child and let God take care of the rest.

 

[bumbershoot]

Since you know he'll take off, it's time to stop worrying and start preparing. He's old enough to have serious talks about why not to run, and if he gets separated, what to do.

Get him temp tattooes with your cell phone info on it, or the silicone bands with your cellphone info. Get him on of those "baby lojack" devices, LOL. Get a harness for him.

Prepare for it if you know he'll do it. Worrying isn't helping at all.

 

[princessmom29]

We just got back from a trip with a five year old who is also our only. I say chill out! We did just fine and you will too. Teach your child what to do if they do happen to get lost. Find the closest adult in a uniform and give them mom's cell number. Other than that do your best to keep an eye on them and have a GREAT time. You can't spend ALL your time obsessing about everything that could happen. You have to do your best to teach your kids well, do you best to look out for them and trust that it is enough.

 

[nessz79]

I was worried about losing my son too when he was about that age. He must have been nervous too because he never let go of my hand. I think the best thing to do is to have him hold your hand while walking around, not so much in line, but while walking from one place to another.

Also, I always told my DH when he needed to watch him, like when I was busy getting fast passes. Never assume that he will do it, although he probably would. Miss communication can also lead to a lost child. I have seen it happen at Disney World.

Have a great trip!!!

I agree with this. My kids don't like strollers anymore, but they BETTER hold my hand when we're walking from place to place. I'm too paranoid of a mother ...they know that the hold Mommy's hand or they're in trouble!

Also agree to talk to your son. At 5, he's old enough to know basic instructions of what to do if he gets lost. Tell him to find the nearest CM (somone with a badge/name tag on) and tell the CM that he's lost. Have him memorize your cell phone # or "tag" him somehow with it. He should tell the CM your first name and where or what the phone # is.

 

[2Kds2K9]

I've always had my kids wear bright colored shirts. I've had them in yellow and red. Helps to keep an eye on them at all times.

I've also go a story about a wonderful CM finding my son. They are certainly taught well in that aspect. My DS had wondered off, DH was in charge, and found a toy cart. The CM there noticed no parent around and gently grabbed his hand and held him there until we found him. Again, I was so distraught and grateful that I forgot to get her name.

Go have fun, but just be careful. If you stress the whole time, you'll miss the Magic of Disney!

 

[tami82]

I have had on two occassions something stupid happen with each of my kids. Once at a waterpark, my older daughter was going to get food so i thought my then 4 year old went with her. As it turned out she didnt and found her on the other side of where i was thank god. Another time at a beach didnt expect my daughter to go off so fast. It was the worst feeling i ever had in my life, luckily a guy kind of put two and two together and pointed me to her. To this day i dont know how he even put us together (i had a look of panic and she was just walking down by the water where there were many other people). Now i have eyes in the back of my head because there is nothing worse than that feeling of your child being gone in a big crowd. I am a little worried about our trip in August but hopefully with my husband there it will be an extra pair of eyes.
I was looking on e-bay and they have these bears that attach to the child and the parent also wears some sort of transmitter - it beeps or something like that when the child is out of range. I have seen them sold in twos & threes and thinking of getting them for our trip. For two it was around $44 shipping included and under $25 for one.

 

[MrsTink04]

LOL! I invested in a harness just for that reason! He is 2 (but about the size if a 4yo) and WILL NOT hold our hands. I figure with a harness, he can run and we still have a hold on him.

 

[jpkkld]

Another good tip I've seen regarding hand-holding: make it a non-negotiable rule as you exit rides, especially inside a building. Make sure your ds knows this rule before you get there. My dd4 is one of those kids who LIKES to hold hands, but even I don't expect her to do this non-stop for 7 days. The only times we will insist on it is exiting rides and shows, and after parades and fireworks. We'll also reward her every evening for not arguing about it! (stickers or something)
-Kristin

 

[smiths02]

I agree with the hand holding rule...DS (2) used to be terrible, but he knows now that that if he is not holding a hand, right into the stroller or being carried he goes (he doesn't love either).

DH is a parole officer, so I have seriously considered cuffing DS to me when we go...I guess one of those harnesses would be a little more appropriate

 

[mjmoon]

My kids are pretty spirited and I never had issues with them running off while we were walking the parks.

The ONE place where I began to freak was the Boneyard at Animal Kingdom. It's a huge playground and when you first walk in there you don't realize how big. It took two seconds for both my boys to disappear on the equipment. I took me forever to find them because it's impossible to see the entire playground from any one place.. in fact, it has a bridge that carries it over to another side entirely where there is a "dig". This is where my little one ran off too.. I didn't even know it was there.

Needless to say my boys loved the playground dearly and when we returned I made DH follow one around the entire time and I kept up with my younger one so they were never out of our sight.

The good news is there is only one place a child can exit the Boneyard and it's closely watched by cast members so I don't think a child would be able to leave without an adult.. but still.. it was very scary.

 

[Schmeck]

If you do invest in a harness, please do not buy the ones with the curlicue stretchy cords. Those are dangerous. Also, the beeper things don't work all that well in the noise of the theme parks, but they have mini GPS things now that track the kids, don't they? If you get the beeper things don't forget to turn them off in an attraction if you are in separate ride vehicles!

 

[debster812]

At 5 years old, your child is definitely old enough to have the 'talk' about what to do if he loses you. Couple of notes on some of the great tips on this thread:

Don't just tell them to find someone with a name tag, find someone with a WHITE nametag (those are CMs). Guests can purchase red namebadges.

When DS was much younger and we were out, I would tell him to find someone who worked wherever we were. If he could not, he was to find a mom or dad with a baby. You know as a parent, if a little one comes up to you, and says they're lost, you WILL help them.

When we were at WDW, I would take a picture of DS every morning with the digital camera (one head shot, one full body shot) so we could show CMs what he looked like, and tell them what he was wearing.

I would also put our cellphone numbers on a piece of paper, in his pocket. He had not yet memorized those numbers, but was old enough to show it to a CM.

Above all, don't worry overly about it. As others have said, if you must have a child go missing, WDW is definitely the place for it to happen. Prepare them for any potential problems, and then relax, and have FUN!!!!

 

[Leajess99]

Have you ever gone through this?

Me, DH, DD16 and DS5 will be at MK next Saturday. The closer it gets I feel anxiety over losing him in a large crowd.

Now, let me say I don't normally worry like this but I picture MK being a huge place (this our first trip) and I can't help but feel worry because DS is a "spirited child" and will take off in a minute.

I know ME when it comes to DS, (he's my only biological child, DD is my stepdaughter but I love her like she's my own, don't get me wrong!) but when we were at Six Flags over GA, I never took my eyes off him for one second even though DH said he was watching him like a hawk as well.

So I can imagine what I'll be like at MK.

Did you go through this at Disney World park?

I actually gave my 5 year old the choice of a stroller or a backpack harness and she chose the harness. She will take off in a minute as well and actually has so I was not willing to risk it at WDW. It may be worth it to get him one so that you know he is with you at all times.

 

[Disney1fan2002]

My DH liost our 4yo DS in Epcot....I am telling my story to let you know that is your kid does get lost, it's not the end of the world. Chances are, you WON'T lose him, so please stop worrying about it. Here is my story.....

We took DH's parents with us in 2004. We were there for Thanksgiving, and MIL wanted to get her sister a tea set that has the little cups to set the tea bags on, for Christmas. She couldn't find them anywhere around here. I told her that I am sure they probably sold them in the gift shop in the UK. So, before we left for the day, I sent DH off with the kids and papa to ride the Maelstrom in Norway. Our plan was to meet at Spaceship Earth, and leave.

When MIL found what she was looking for and was done shopping, I called DH to see where they werer at as we headed in the direction of Spaceship earth.Dh seemed very annoyed, and I asked him when he was planning on heading over. He replied..."Well, I need to find Danny first!" WHAT??? He got seperated from DH in the crowd coming out of the ride. I asked DH how long he had been missing, he said ten minutes. TEN MINUTES!!! I told him I was coming over, and he screamed at me to stay there. He didn't need me. (He knew I was going to make mince meat out of him). Confused and scared, MIL and I head to Spaceship earth. I didn't know what the hell to do. DH had told me not to report him missing, as he was sure he would find him any second. The security office is right next door to Spaceship Earth, so I went in. I stood in line like a patient person, while the whole time I wanted to scream "HURRY UP!! MY KID IS MISSING!!! as I listened to people complain that they couldn't get a fastpass for two rides at the same time!!! It was finally my turn, I went up to the girl, and all I could get out was "My four year old is missing." Then my throat tightened up, and I knew if I said another word, I was going to start bawling. She could tell I was in no shape to talk, so she handed me a pad of paper, and I wrote down his age, his description, and what he was wearing. She picked up the phone and I could only hear her side of the conversation, I don't know who she called but she told the person that little 4 year old Danny was missing, what he looked like and what he was wearing. I heard he say thank you, with a smile. She hung up and told me to head over to the babycare center, they had him there. OH THANK THE GOOD LORD, JESUS!!!

I came out, and poor MIL was in her ECV. I told her to please sit on the little wall they had. She got up, and I hopped on and screamed over there. I managed to manuever around people pretty good, but I swear I would of flattened them if I had to! AS I turned into the babycare center on tow wheels, there were two couples walking towards me. They said I must be Danny's mom. Yes I was. They were just coming to check on him, because they found him, and they wanted to see if he found his family yet. I couldn't thank them enough! DH had also found his way there, as he was walking up behind them. We could see Danny playing with a cool train set, happy as a clam. I walked in and as soon as he saw me, we both started bawling like babies. (Ok, so he was a baby, LOL). He was missing for a toal of about twenty minutes.

Now, I tell you this not to scare you, but to let you know that Disney has a protocol for missing kids. The couples that found Danny brought him to a security guard, who took him to the babycare center. When I reported him missing, the girl calmly called over there first, to see if he was there, and he was. It was the scariest twenty minutes of my life, but if my kid is going to be speperated from me, I am glad we were in Disney!