Need Advice to Prep Kids on Not Getting Lost at DW

[katrocity]

We'll be travelling to DW in December for the first visit with our 7 yr old twin boys. Our boys are extremely curious and tend to go in two different directions every time they get excited about something they want to look at. I'm nervous about losing them in the parks.

How did you prepare your kids for their first time? The parks are going to blow their minds and staying with us in the crowds is not going to be easy for them to do.

I want to talk to them and prepare them for the importance of staying with us, and also for what to do if they get lost. Did you have a plan with your kids?

I really need advice.

Thanks a bunch!

Kate

 

[A Mickeyfan]

I always use to tell my kids to stay with us, but in the event we were to become seperated, they were to go to directly to a Cast Member and tell them they have lost their parents. They were to speak to no one other than a Cast Member. Also, take a picture of them with your digital camera so that you have what they look like and what they are wearing so you can go to guest services and show them.

 

[Cibahwewah]

I introduced them to a CM and told them to find a CM or a mommy with a stroller if they got lost. I also put "dog tags" on necklaces for them to wear under their clothes that had their names, our names and our cell phone numbers.

 

[mama2evanabby]

I bought those name ID tags from a machine in Walmart. I heard this advice on the boards. My kids loved wearing them. They even had a Tink tag. On the back, I just put "Mom's cell phone # --- --- ----" If they got separated from us they had to show a cast member their tag and then someone could call to find me.

 

[DisneyGrampa]

We had five, so I understand your concern. I would suggest that you each take responsibilitry for keeping track of one of them, and put something on them that will stand out at a distace so neither of you gets confused about which one is being looked at. Then, when they take off, each of you can follow the right one.
We saw a young girl around seven, lost in MK on our last trip.
You could try cheap, $20 disposable cell phones, if you think they can handle them.
Disney definitely puts you all into sensory overload, but just keep reminding them that they have to stay with you.
Of course, in the old days, we could just chain them to the stroller, but they frown on that kind of thing now!

 

[Hannathy]

The number one rule if you are lost no matter if you are a 7 year old at Disney or a 70 yr old on a hike is STOP and STAY where you are as soon as you think you are lost.. the minute they realize you aren't right with them tell them to immediately stay where they are. Do not continue walking or looking for you. Generally speaking it is only going to be a moment or two that you would have been separated if they stop and wait. You can tell them that if you don't come in a few minutes then tell a CM what is happening. We always reviewed cell numbers and if younger gave them the number written out.

 

[yrdlyprincess]

I sooo like the dog tags-- my kids wore them last trip, cause Mickey asked them to. Anyhow I like the idea of cphone maybe for DD but I still will drill it into both their heads "look for a CM"

 

[cbg1027]

You might want to designate a very specific meeting place for the kids to go if they get lost. Make sure you don't pick something like the castle...cause that is big and has a lot of spots! I would pick somewhere with accessible CM' like a specific store - but make sure you show the kids the place first when you get there.

I would also show them how CM's all have similar name tags and tell the kids that if they are lost or need help, that anyone with those name tags would be OK for them to talk to.

 

[Good Morning Dewdrop]

Ditto the tag or some kind of information type thing. Remember CMs are not going to look in clothing so it needs to be something they will show someone easily.

We saw one girl with a bandaid looking tag on her upper arm with a note "if I'm lost call" type message on it.

In each park I do highly recommend a specific meeting point. In MK we used the sword by Cinderella's Carousel. Easy to locate and specific. Each time we entered a park we all 3 (dh, myself and dd age 9) reminded each other where our meeting point was so we were all clear on it.

 

[disneycruising]

My kids are know 15,14, 11, &9. We have been to WDW many times. This is some of the things I did.

* I put all the kids in the same color t-shirt. The brighter the better...yellow & orange are great!

* Told my kids from a very young age, you have to told hands in WDW. It is so easy to get seperated.

*I told them if they got lost to stop and scream!

*I showed them on our first day, what a "cast member" looks like & explained that any of them could help.

* told them if they can't find a cast member ask any "mommy" for help.

* All my kids carry a family business card with all cell numbers listed.

I would make the rules very clear before you go. Tell them that it is a big & busy place and they have to stay with you...period.

 

[Cruz91]

Nametags are good, going to CM is good.

Another thing that worked for me - telling them to stay with me or else they would have to hold my hand every where they went for the rest of the day. They may run off once, but the humiliation (especially to a 7 YO boy) of walking around holding mommy's hand for an hour or two will help him remember to stay close.

 

[DebbieB]

The number one rule if you are lost no matter if you are a 7 year old at Disney or a 70 yr old on a hike is STOP and STAY where you are as soon as you think you are lost.. the minute they realize you aren't right with them tell them to immediately stay where they are. Do not continue walking or looking for you. Generally speaking it is only going to be a moment or two that you would have been separated if they stop and wait. You can tell them that if you don't come in a few minutes then tell a CM what is happening. We always reviewed cell numbers and if younger gave them the number written out.

When I took my nieces, that was the advice I gave. If we are both walking around it will be harder to find each other.

 

[Faldred]

Definitely give them something to keep on their person that has your cell phone number on it, in case they get lost.

With 7-year-olds, I agree with the advice to have them seek out cast members; they should be old enough to identify them easily. With younger children, I'd suggest instructing them to find "another mommy" (a woman with children in tow is unlikely to be a safety hazard... call it reverse profiling).

Our (at the time) not-quite-four-year-old was momentarily separated from us twice on our last trip, but each time, he followed directions and pulled out his dog tag necklace to show somebody as soon as he realized he was lost. In both cases, it was only a matte of seconds and we found him without needing to be called, but I was very relieved (and proud!) that he was capable and collected enough to do the right thing.

 

[Tinkermom76]

I bought the safety Tattoos with my cell phone number on them.. just in case since I am taking them by myself. Also when we get there I will show them a CM badge and tell them to go to a cart or a store for help

 

[bratmomma]

I bought the safety Tattoos with my cell phone number on them.. just in case since I am taking them by myself. Also when we get there I will show them a CM badge and tell them to go to a cart or a store for help

Although we had three adults in our group I did this as well for my two youngest. My 8yr old DS couldn't remember my cell number no matter how many times I tried to make him memorize it. Obviously my DD3 was too young to be able to recite it (she knows our home phone though..). MY DS8 wandered off looking for a water fountain while we were in Harmony Barber shop but found his way back when he was done (after Mom and Dad had mini-strokes), and DD3 got lost in the shuffle outside the HDDR after we had our picture taken and I was fiddling with the tickets and DH went off to park the stroller and the poor baby girl got left standing by the photogs (while my MIL wandered around aimlessly staring at Spanish Moss). I felt awful. Luckily it was only about a minute and a half that she was separated from us but I was really glad that she had her tattoo on though, in case it came to that. I was so happy to find her that I don't even know if I thanked the photog that kept her occupied. If he happens to read this.... THANK YOU!!!!

If you don't do it often, you might want to "train them" by going to a large mall or department store. Let them practice staying by you even when they see the toy aisle (store) as you walk on by it.

 

[RumpleMom]

I like the dog tag idea.

We used to have the kids wear their own fanny pack for carrying their own snacks, but it also contained Dad's business card with our numbers.

Also we bought a pin with our resort name and put that on them, so a CM would know where we were staying.

 

[tjackson8685]

As others have said tell the kids to contact a cast member if they get lost. Also a good idea to make sure they have you cell phone number on a card in their pocket.

 

[Febe]

I used one our spare luggage tags with the castle on the back for DD4 when we went last month. I looped it around a belt loop on her shorts or a sash on her dress. I put our numbers and her name on the print side and turned it around. On the front side in big letters I had ICE - if lost. It was usually at her back but she knew that if she got separated from Mummy or Daddy she just needed to show this to a cast member and that they would know how to reach us. It didn't bother her and it wasn't something that she could easily take off. Actually I got a lot of positive comments on it from a lot of other Mum's.

 

[Pills]

We also did the business card idea. We actually put them in the strollers, too, besides giving one to the 7 YO. We also showed her the cast member name tags and told her to immediately find the nearest one if she got lost.

The 2 YO we told "either you go in the stroller or you hold hands". After the first screaming fit in her stroller after she tried to get away, she learned her lesson.

 

[dmccarty]

All of the replies are the usual and VERY good answers.

The ones that we do is to point out the CMs and tell the kids to find a CM if we get separated.

We try to have the kids and us wearing the same colored shirts. Its just helps to quickly find each other in a crowd. Even if the kids have the same colored shirt but the parents are wearing the same colored shirts but different from the kids it still helps find them.

If there are two adults and two kids then each adult should be watching a specific child. This way both parents are not looking at Sue while Joe runs off to catch a duck.

The kids like it if we actually split at up some point so that each child gets to have some alone time with one parent. They and we like it. If the grandparents are there we do the same. Course TWO sets of the Mark I eyeballs on each kid is even better!

Later,
Dan