Paranoid of "losing" children in the park!

[hrh_disney_queen]

We leave in 2 days and i am paranoid i will lose a child in the park! My youngest is 4 and can step away from you. But anyone knows when you are shopping or distracted, especially in a crowd with more than one child to watch, it literally takes 1 second to lose your sight on them! Any suggestions other than me attached to a leash and collars around them!>?

Nothing wrong with leashes on kids!! As my DMIL of 7 kids says, "Whatever works!" I lost sight of DS5 (4 at the time) at the Lego building area of DTD, with 3 adults watching 2 kids. It can happen in an instant. There is nothing more distressing than hearing a mommy yelling frantically for her child. So between leashes and stroller restraint, I don't look down on anything that buys you some peace of mind!!

I once saw an ad for some kind of monitor that you put on a child and if they got a few feet away from you, it would sound off. It would also sound off if it was removed. I actually considered it for my first trip with my two DS's (aged 2 and 3 at the time.) Couldn't get enough info, but we did fine without them....

good luck, I know how terrifying crowds can be when you have little ones to keep track of.

 

[Yensid_MD]

I just have to share a quick story. When we were there in March (I was there for a conference and my wife brought the four kids) she was very worried our 4 year old would wander off. So she wrote down her cell phone number and mine and stuck them in his pocket and told him if he got lost he was to show it to a CM and have them call us. Of course he decided to show someone the number and said "This is for when I get lost" which of course cracked my wife up as she was sure he would get lost now. He did not and all worked out well.

 

[solferino]

This company makes products for athletes...but could maybe be something to consider (like the shoe tags?). www.roadid.com

Great service, and quick!!

Yes, the roadID tags are great. And you're right about service- they're quick. DH wears one as he's a roadie (cycling) who can be up to 100 miles away from home for a ride.

 

[minijeanie]

believe it is every parents nightmare....

saying that...heard this from a reliable source:

put two different socks on your child. if something happens, they are easier to find.

can't hurt and heck they will look cute

 

[qtwns]

We just returned from a family trip to NYC. My 3 ds had strict instructions of what to do if we got separated--surprisingly it was much the same as when we're in WDW. Before we left the room each day the boys had to have my cell number in their pocket and their whistle around their necks. I bought 3 whistles and each had to wear them the whole time. They were to only blow the whistles if they got separated from us or couldn't see us (typically a lost child is only feet away). They were told not to "cry wolf" b/c NYC is a big place and we needed to act fast if we heard a whislte. This worked great! We only had one whistle incident and that was in our hotel when one son took a wrong turn. He blew his heart out--we heard him and found him immediately and the one of the hotel staff saw what was happening and helped us get back together. I was proud of my boys--they stuck close to us the whole time. They truly used their crowd management skills that they've learned in WDW over the years!

 

[ILuvWDWorld]

Our children usually all wear the same color shirt (brightly colored). We also have taught our older kids who to go to for help inside the park. (i.e. a CM first, then a "grandmother.") We put a sticker tag on the back of our 2-year-old with our cell phone number.

 

[mndisfam]

I don't know if anyone suggested this - didn't have time to read the posts - but renting a stroller (a Disney stroller) worked great for us during the years the kids were 3-7. THat way, they can enjoy everything, and you can look around while you push them...

 

[pezpam]

My DD is old enough that she carries a small backpack into the parks so she can carry her own water and tidbits. I've made up a special tag for her to keep in the backpack.

I got a clear luggage tag holder - it attaches to the loops you almost always find inside backpacks, so she can't lose it easily. The one I found is clear on both sides, so one side shows a card I wrote up with my name and cellphone number, plus any other info I feel is necessary for that trip. I'm paranoid about celphone coverage, so I even include a note that lets people know that if I don't answer, they should leave a message because even if I cannot get a call, my phone will beep immediately and allow me to check the message if they leave one. (It's amazing how many people won't leave that message if they call your celphone and you don't pick up.....) The other side of the tag carries a picture of the two of us together so that CMs can match us up quickly and know that yes, I am her mommy and not someone pretending to be looking for a lost kid. Probably not as necessary now that she can speak up for herself, but it reassures me and probably the CM who would be responsible for releasing her to me.....

DD is old enough to easily pick out CMs, but has always known that she should go to either a CM or another mommy. I also carry my digital camera and take enough pictures of her each day that having a current photo is never a problem.

At the end of the day, losing track of a child is scary and that won't change, but even if there are scary people looking for kids at WDW, they are WAYWAYWAY outnumbered by CMs, who should notice a stray child.

 

[SandrA9810]

Kari told me that her parents tried to put one of the leash things on her and she didn't like it very much. So she managed to get herself tangled up in it, sat down immediatly and wouldn't move. So they rented a stroller and she wasn't allowed to get out of it.

Plus with little ones, they always want to get tired in the middle of the day. So it's better to have a stroller. Plus it's good for carrying around all the stuff you buy.

 

[amylucinda]

We did the "find a mommy" training with our littles ones last year. Because my daughter was not yet 4, we were worried that she would have a hard time with what a different mom looks like, especially when you consider what's in the line of sight of a 4-year old...typically not your most flattering asset!!! Anyway, we refined it to "find a mommy with a stroller". Strollers are very identifiable and most certainly on the same level as a 4 year old!

We also did a home-made ID bracelet for the kids. Then, each in our party carried an ID card with a headshot and child information. The ID cards were designed as a quick means of communication with CMs or law enforcement, considering what the mental state of the person who lost the child would be! I know I would NOT be coherent.

And we do the "stay were you can see me" system.

When we've gone, it's been with a large group of adults with 2 kids. Sounds like an ideal situation, but it turned out to be rather scary. There's a tendancy to assume the children are in the care of another in the party, if they are not right by your side at the moment. We had to train ourselves to stay focused when we were the one responsible, and to actively give and receive responsibility for the kids. It's particularly bad in stores, when EVERYONE is wandering around, looking at things.

 

[LaLa]

I have to agree that having DD4 in her stroller is a big help. I don't have to worry about her running off. The only downside is you can't take the strollers through the lines with you. We bought WHO'S SHOES ID tags for our kids' shoes. It velcroes (sp?) right onto their laces and you write their name, your name, and your cell# on it. It closes up so it is secure and the average Joe cannot not see their name without causing some major attention. Thank God we never had to find out if they work, but I felt somewhat more reassured with them wearing them.

A couple of years ago when DS was 5, we (group of 10) were just getting off Space Mountain, talking and laughing, and I literally looked at him one second and the next he was gone in a sea of people. It was July, by the way, and the crowds were in top form. It was like something out of a bad movie. I looked everywhere, practically screaming his name, he was nowhere to be found. Finally he came running up with that look on his face, like "What'd I do????" He had run over to play on something nearby and heard me calling him. Sorry to scare you, but it can happen sooner than you could ever imagine. Keep those babies close.