Is this overkill? Bracelets for kids with our cell phone numbers

[Indiana Rose Lee]

I think the rubber bracelets for the younger children are a great idea. Plus in the waterparks the bracelets can't be ruined by running ink or partly wash away like the temporary ID tats. Thanks for another good tip.

lol, they would just slip off those little wrists and ankles. I doubt there is anything perfect.

 

[flying_babyb]

im going with a ten and nine ear old. there soooo excied about the dog tags i bought with moms and mines cell numbers. there totll proud to wear them and i feel safer.

 

[dis75ney]

My DS was 8 on our last trip, and begged to not wear his "If my parents are lost..." bracelet. He told us he was a big boy and knew our phone number by heart (which he does), so if he got separated from us, he'd know to look for a cast member and ask them to call my cell. I flat out refused to let him get off of wearing the bracelet and used the reasoning "What if you got hit in the head and you couldn't talk?" DS grudgingly wore the bracelet after that, and boy am I glad I stuck to my guns!

DS got separated from us at The Seas in Epcot, and I never thought about how huge the observation level really is until DH was running all over trying to find our son (I parked myself at the exit in case DS didn't know better and left to see if we were outside). Five minutes after I told a cast member DS was lost, I got a call on my cell phone from another cast member saying that he had found DS huddled in the "Shark Room." DS was crying hysterically and there was no way he would have been able to remember my cell phone number in his state of mind - when the cast member approached him, he just stuck out his "If my parents are lost..." bracelet. The CMs thought it was the best thing they had ever seen and mentioned that too many people can forget basic things in the heat of the moment...

I had also taken a pic of DS that morning and showed it to the CM when I reported my son lost, since I couldn't remember what he was wearing at the time. When the CM announced the lost child on the radio, she said that my son was wearing an orange shirt with a bear face on it. The CM that found my son was from Chicago and knew instantly that DS was wearing a Chicago Bears shirt - he said it made it a lot easier to find him, since he knew which shade of orange to look for...

So, to make a long story short (too late), yes, I'd either use the bracelet or some other identifier, even if you think they're too old. I hope that they wouldn't get separated, but if they do, and God forbid something happens to them where they can't talk, someone'll need to get a hold of you...better to be safe than sorry...

 

[Kallista]

I put dog tags on my kids with a cell phone numbers. I get the engraved metal tags from Pet Smart and pin them to their shirts.

WDW is a huge place and it's very crowded. My kids are 6 and 4. They're bad about wandering off and I need to know that a CM can find me easily, if necessary.

BTW, I've been to events that use similar systems. I went to a large gaming/science fiction convention this year called Gen Con. What they do as a matter of policy is register every kid and put a red wrist band on them. To be at the event, every kid MUST be wearing a wrist band. The number on the wrist band is put in a computer database. Each number is registered to a parent and a cell phone number. If a kid wanders off, a volunteer who finds the kid can check the wrist band number and match it to a parent's name and cell phone number. They do this for several thousand children. Love them!

 

[Indiana Rose Lee]

There is a huge difference maturity wise between an 8 year old and 11 year old. And some kids are just more mature than others. We lost my 5 year old on one trip for about 5 minutes. As soon as he figured out that we were missing he found a CM, and they gave us a call.

 

[MyDizneyBoyz]

Our boys wear bracelets from Shanrene AND tatoos from SafetyTat.

Seriously, what is the possible downside of your kids carrying or wearing ID? It's common sense and not something mine have a choice about.

In any given situation it'll be 99% unnecessary. I like to be prepared for that other 1%.

Keep in mind for those with younger kids, CM's won't / aren't allowed to look inside clothing so won't find any ID unless it's immediately visible.

 

[mickimousemama]

I think that its a great idea, while my 11 year old knows very well what my cell number is, my DS6 gets confused because both his parents, his grandparents and atleast 5 other relatives have similar numbers. When asked by his teacher he told her the wrong number, even tho we work with him daily on memorizing ONLY MY cell number he still gets flustered. Two weeks ago we were at the state fair and I had yes placed the toxic sharpie on my kids with my number and instructed them to show an adult if they were lost. Well THANK GOD I had because my DS6 got lost in the shuffle of the crowd and ended up almost 2 blocks away from me, when my cell rang with a lady to tell me she had him and where they were waiting for us.... I will always have my number on them when we could possibly get seperated.

 

[Indiana Rose Lee]

You bad mom, writing on your child! J/K!!! I'm glad he was safe and sound.

 

[aestapa]

I haven't read the other responses, but I can tell you immediately from past experience that it is worth it.

We put the dog tags from Walmart on our boys shoes for our trips a few years ago. Ironically...

Our son somehow got out of the Boneyard and decided to go shopping. He was 3. He went up the play structure and I never saw him come down, so he obviously exited on the opposite side. We found him an hour later happy as a clam shopping up near the Dinoland carnival. Of course, in this instance, he didn't know he was lost, so he didn't know to ask for help! We, on the other hand were nervous wrecks!!!

A few weeks later, we had been at the local Costco. My DH gets a call on his cell a few minutes after we left. My sons tag had fallen off his shoe and a customer had found it. Worried that there was no child attached, he called us immediately. Nice to know people care!!

I guess, for me, the bottom line is that a kid can wander off when they see something shiny. And, people are kind enough to call.

 

[diamondpixienc]

You can never be too cautious. My kids will be (7&5) my oldest know both our cell and home number's etc. The 5yo only knows the home but she will at least I hope know the other info by the time we visit. But, nontheless I still plan on using some type of ID system while we're in the parks whether it be the bracelet, dog tags, etc.

 

[FayeW]

I think the personalized bracelets are probably the most sane and reasonable solution for child safety and peace of mind that I have ever heard on these boards! It doesn't give too much information so that a stranger could identify your child, but it tells people how to reach you if your child is separated from you and unable (either from fear or injury) to give the information to someone verbally. Perfect!