leaving in 2 days- sudden panic about losing a kid!

[momof2inapril06]

We are leaving in 2 days and my mom just asked me what I plan to do incase we get separated from one of our kids (ages 5.5 & 3) while in a park. I just started to panic! My oldest can remember DH's cell number, but what if he forgets it if he is scared? My youngest has no clue! He cant remember where to meet or what to tell someone!

What do you guys all do? I would like to attach an ID of some sort, but I am at a loss. They dont have belt loops on their pants and I dont have time to order special tatoos or anything.

Open to suggestions!!

 

[ChelleinNC]

We are leaving in 2 days and my mom just asked me what I plan to do incase we get separated from one of our kids (ages 5.5 & 3) while in a park. I just started to panic! My oldest can remember DH's cell number, but what if he forgets it if he is scared? My youngest has no clue! He cant remember where to meet or what to tell someone!

What do you guys all do? I would like to attach an ID of some sort, but I am at a loss. They dont have belt loops on their pants and I dont have time to order special tatoos or anything.

Open to suggestions!!

Take a deep breath, now relax

When you get to Disney, introduce your kids to Cast Members, show them the special name tags they wear and play "where do you find a CM?"--at snack carts, rides, restaurants, etc. Tell them if they get seperated from you they are to go to the closest CM and tell them they can't find mommy.

 

[sueh]

My girls wore lanyards with a holder on the end. I made a card with my their name, my name and cell phone # and what resort we were staying at.

 

[MinnieForMe]

Could you use a sharpie pen on the inside of their sandal and just put your cell number? You could also buy some type of Disney pin and write your number on the back.

I'm planning on making my daughter (3) an elastic bead anklet with my cell number on it. We've been 8 times two weeks with toddlers each time and have only lost a child for 30 seconds once. She came off of a slide on a different side than we expected. Because you are a worrier, you'll find that you are extra vigilant. Will the youngest be in a stroller most of the time? That's one less to worry about!

I agree with the above poster about pointing out CM's. I also told my kids that it's acceptable to scream mommy or daddy at the top of their lungs if we were separated. I've also told them that asking a mom with a baby for help is most likely safe.

Hope this helps a little.
Above all I've told them NEVER to wander away the moment they realize they are lost and that we will always come back for them so staying put is important.

 

[scootch]

I put a piece of tape with my phone number in their shoes(even now when they are 7 and 10) and my best advise is to pay the extra money to rent a double stroller. They are confined and much less likely to get lost. I take my girls without hubby and have since they were 2 1/2 and 5 and the stroller was truly a priceless item for me. have fun.

 

[smurfie]

we have shoe ID tags to use but since you're leaving in 2 days some ideas are:

pen/marker on upper arm each day.
if you have blank labels/stickers write info and stick inside shirt (near tag)
write on those rubber bracelets if you have any laying around.



Make sure you have updated pics of your kids on you.

 

[JerseyMamaBear]

Its like the Family Guy episode where they take all of the lost children and force them to work in It's a small world! So minus the annoying song, they will be fine

All serious though, teach them to find a CM and to know where on their clothing you placed your cell phone number. You guys will be fine, enjoy your trip

 

[dansamy]

A trip to the dollar store for a sharpie marker is all you need, hon. Just write it on their belly. Teach them all day, each day what a CM tag looks like and to show them your phone number. We parents aren't pros at lost kids, but Disney is!

Also, while you don't have time for ordering tatoos, etc., you can go to Walmart or Petsmart where they have the engrave your own dog tag machines. These can be worn as a necklace or attached to shoelaces or pinned inside a pocket. They are usually about $5.

 

[Kimmumum]

When my boys were little we always wore the same shirts (now we usually but not always wear the same color). This way if they got lost they could tell the CM exactly what their parents were wearing without having to remember. It was easier to keep track of everyone. It made for some really nice vacation pictures too!!

 

[adventure_woman]

I used to be a CM, gosh forbid if your child gets lost, there is no better place for them to get lost. They will be okay. Just make sure the kids know not to wander off, and introduce them to CMs, as the PPs have stated. I have also read about people printing labels and sticking them to the child's back. Also, take a picture of your child every morning with your cell phone or camera, that way you have a picture of what they are wearing that day. The important thing to remember, is that if they do get lost, DO NOT PANIC. Just go to the nearest cast member and tell them you can't find your child. They will be okay, and you'll be reunited with them in a few minutes.

 

[Principessa1284]

I also vote for the sharpie - go for their upper arm with your first name and cell number. And if they do get lost, don't worry.. they're not going to get real far before someone notices them by themselves. CM here also and the longest I've ever heard is take to find a lost child under the age of 8 or 9 is 10 minutes or so. (The 8+ kiddies sometimes like to make themselves "lost").

Like we always tell the kids.. you're not lost, we have you! It's mommy and daddy who are lost.

 

[disneymarie]

I lost dh twice, he just had to sneak off to the smoking sites...

But, with the kids and my electronics I use print lables from Avery on the home computer. I can put our cell, hotel, write the family meeting site if we get lost. Older years we used walkie talkie devices.
That is how I lost the dh, he did not turn his on....
I went to tinkle and he smoked peeking for me. I ended up in circles for an hour in frontier land.....NOT HAPPY!

I did not put lynards on the younger kids, but did by 6 yrs old. I placed a label on the kids shirt hem, inside the shirt. I would print a sheet to take to the world.

I wish they made a wrist band as you entered that would have numerics to link to a parents cell phone just in case and peace of mind.Like a Chucky Cheese system..

It is so inexpensive now to pick up a tracfone for $19.99 with 120 minutes that the older kids could have a small one in their pockets.Pre set the phone numbers in it. set in ICE for CM's to locate. Let them know you just can't see each other, but are very near if seperated, to only talk with a CM, and sit on a bench do not walk looking for you.

I use to tell the kids they are not lost, they know right were they are and to sit on the nearest seat until I get unlost... never lost a child, 34 years counting.

 

[WeLoveLilo05]

We are leaving in 2 days and my mom just asked me what I plan to do incase we get separated from one of our kids (ages 5.5 & 3) while in a park. I just started to panic! My oldest can remember DH's cell number, but what if he forgets it if he is scared? My youngest has no clue! He cant remember where to meet or what to tell someone!

What do you guys all do? I would like to attach an ID of some sort, but I am at a loss. They dont have belt loops on their pants and I dont have time to order special tatoos or anything.

Open to suggestions!!

We didn't attach anything to DD last year b/c there was 5 adults and 1 kid and she was in the stroller most of the time. However, we did get separated from my dad (haha!) and as we were waiting a CM approached us and started talking to us. He said he knew we were missing someone from our party but when we told him it was an adult he laughed. He was very nice and told us that he was assigned (along with thousands of other CMs) to roam the parks and they are trained and know what to do if a child is lost. He said they shadow the child for a while and then approach the child....just thought you should be aware of that

 

[jennb529]

We bought those metal hook things at an camping-type store (called caribiner hooks or something like that) and I plan to get "dog tags" with our cell phone numbers made to put on them and then I will hook them to DS's belt loops or shoe laces so they won't loose them. I always keep a sharpie in my bag anyway, so that will be my backup plan.

 

[Ratpack]

These are all great ideas...but I wouldn't stress out in "thinking" that you may lose a child. You will overwork yourself to where you won't enjoy yourself.

We try to all dress alike, if possible. Yes, very cheesy, I know..but if they happen to get lost, it is easy for them to say "they are dressed like me" or cast members can pick you out easier to match you up again.

I happened to be in the baby station one day when a little one was lost...the child really couldn't say much, but...within minutes..the parents were reunited with this little boy. It was magical!! The WDW are really great at this part.

 

[timzagain]

My youngest DD, then 9, got separated from us in Sea World two years ago. We were in the kid zone with the fountains etc and she decided to explore. She wasn't gone for long but it seemed like an eternity. She was safe, enjoying the "jungle gym on steroids" as my DSD called it. DD was completely oblivious to the mayhem she caused.

Here are a few things we tried, that turned out not to work:

1. We wrote our cell numbers on rubber bracelets in permanent marker. She was wearing two bracelets, just in case she lost one. When we checked the bracelets, the numbers were completely gone thanks to the sweating and the frolicking in the water.

2. We'd also printed all the contact info, laminated it and put it on a lanyard. The problem is that it wasn't waterproof, so she took it off to go play in the fountains.

3. We also made sure that she dressed in a brightly coloured T-shirt but of course, she took it off to play in the fountain. So there was no way I could pick her out in a crowd in a swimsuit that looked just like everyone else's.

4. Contact info in or on the shoe, is only useful if the child is actually wearing the shoe! Of course DD had kicked off her sneakers to play in the water and scampered off, barefooted, to climb on the jungle gym!

So here are my suggestions:-

1. Write your numbers in permanent marker on the inside/ hem of the T-shirt.
2. If you're going to a water park, invest in rash guards (brightly colored) and write the numbers on the hem. The child will not need to remove the rash guard to play in water
3. A pet tag is a good idea if your child will actually wear it constantly
4. If your child is old enough, give them a cell phone with your numbers saved in the contact list.

DD is now 11, but I would appreciate any suggestions that will keep her safe.

 

[LuvOrlando]

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[3boymthr]

It's funny this topic came up. DH and I just ordered dog tags for our kids tonight. You can order them online but you can also get them right away at a lot of stores - especially the local army navy store. We put the kid's name, our cell numbers and grandma's home number on it (in case there's an emergency and/or our cell phones don't work in WDW).
Here's a quick thought if you don't have a place near you that can do dog tags same day or by next day. Try Things Remembered or your local jeweler or gift shop. Costs a lot more, but these stores have charms that can be engraved with name/phone number and you can usually get them the same or next day. Some would be very cute for a little girl. Things remembered had some that started at $20.

We're planning on having the kids wear them under their shirts. But if your kid won't wear them as a necklace the tags can be pinned with a safety pin to the shirt or pants

 

[matt&suzanne]

Before we went with our 3.5 yr DD last year, I had two different bead bracelets made for her with my cell phone number on it. We gave them to her a few days before our trip and reminded her several times that if she were to get lost, she should find one of "Mickey's friends" (a CM) and point to her bracelet and ask them to call her parents. Luckily, we didn't have to use the system, but I felt better knowing that she had something on her with my cell phone number.

You can buy the number beads at arts and craft stores.

Suzanne

 

[Alesia]

We had a silicone bracelet made with our cell phone numbers on it. It cost less than 3 dollars.