Parents worst nightmare

[mommaU4]

Anyone ever lose their child in one of the parks? I watched an Oprah the other day about missing kids, so maybe that's what made me think of this. I know it's very scary to think about but we have 4 kids so DH and I are definately outnumbered and with all the things to see and distract a child, I could see how even the "best behaved" kids might be tempted to wander off. I plan to keep an eagles eye on my 5 yr. old twins especially, and as the trip gets closer I am going to have a talk with the two older kids reinforcing all the things we've talked about before regarding strangers and what to do if they get seperated from us. I don't want to put a damper on a fun vacation, but God forbid something should ever happen to them.

 

[mattsdragon]

Not a parent, but I have a good loss story.

I got lost at Betsy Ross' house in Philadelphia when I was a kid. My mother was a basket case.

Just felt like passing that on.

 

[Momof4girls]

I got lost at a state fair - uugh - what a nightmare (found a cop, he took me to the grandstand and they announced my description over the loudspeakers).

We tag our kids - with contact info, etc. We watch them like hawks and hold hands or strollers at all times and never walk away from them - and that goes for home, too - I think it's more likely that something will happen at home when our guard is down than at WDW.

But, we watch 'em.

Oh - and I make up an ID for each of them with the computer - a recent headshot of them from the digital camera (cropped) and a height/weight description, etc. We bring those with us.

 

[MareSINY]

Last month while I was walking towards Pooh's Playful Spot with my sister and nieces we saw this little boy crying and we thought he was with a woman sitting on a bench near him. As we were passing her she said, "oops someone's lost a kid!" My sister turned and asked the woman if the child was with her and she said no. Her motherly instincts kicked in, she went racing after the boy and told me to watch the girls. We walked over to the play area and I began loudly asking if anyone had lost a little boy. Just then I saw a couple looking around and I asked if they were missing a little boy. Turns out he was theirs. I pointed out where he was and that my sister was heading back with him. They ran over and collected their son and as they ran away they were asking each other how he possibly managed to get away from them.

That was one of two missing kids we experienced on our trip. On our last day we were sitting around the Contemporary's Concourse after lunch and we saw a little girl watching cartoons with a large family. The family got up and left, but the little girl stayed. We thought they left her behind, but then she started calling out, "Grandma!" So my sister went over and asked her if she was lost, but the girl wouldn't really speak to her, so she went over to the Concourse Steakhouse (great food, btw LOL) and let them know about the girl. She began walking around looking for a grandparent missing a kid and the man working at the steakhouse tried to get the girl to go with him. Eventually she walked over to the bench that's against the wall of the steakhouse, climbed up on it and began talking to her grandparents who were sitting there eating lunch. I bet that girls parents would be real happy to know grandma and grandpa let her wander off alone while they had a quiet lunch.

 

[etink67]

My three year old wandered off at a Thomas the Tank Engine event. I thought he stayed with DH (who went to buy something), DH thought he was with me (on line to ride Thomas). When we realized I was calm for about 5 minutes thinking he was close by. When we didn't immediately find him, I started imagining all the predators who would hang out at a place like that. Our friends told me that they could tell the instant it hit me because all color drained from my face, I began to panick. Fortunately my son had only wandered ahead into a store. I've always told him that if he gets lost he should find a mom with kids to ask for help. That's what he did and security reunited us pretty quickly.


As far as Disney goes. I've never lost my kids there. I did find one however. We were walking through epcot from Future World to WS. A family was walking about 10 feet in front and a little girl started walking next to me and my daughter. I assumed she was with the family in front of us because they kept looking back. Finally after like 10 minutes they said "is she yours?". I said "no, I thought she was yours". She couldn't have been older than 21/2-3 years old. I picked her up and stayed right there for a few minutes looking for a panicked family. No one seemed to be looking. I took her to the guest relations. She clung to me and didn't want to go to the cast member. I felt bad and asked if I could stay with her until they found her mother. They said they had to take her. I checked later and the they did find her family shortly after.

 

[disneyfan719]

I grew up going to Disney every summer and I was the oldest of 6. The first time we went, I was 9 (the siblings were 7, 6, 4 yo twins & 9 months). We always had a meeting spot so that if someone did wander off, we all knew where to go to find them. We usually picked somewhere everyone knew (usually in the Magic Kingdom, it was the baby changing station on Main Street ~ we'd been there so many times with the 9 month old that we all knew how to find it). It helps to have a meeting spot in each park. Fortunately for us, in all of our trips there, we never lost anyone.

 

[LadyDulcinea1]

That has got to be the worst feeling. On this last trip, saw a poor terrified little girl standing near Peter Pan's Flight crying and clutching her little stuffed dog yelling for her PopPop....broke my heart! Luckily, a character member picked her up and DM and I slowed down long enough to see her get reunited with her family, who looked very relieved.

 

[Skroops]

I am one of "those" Moms who have a leash on my toddler. I have gotten mixed reviews from on lookers. My DS is too fast, and can get away from me too easily. If it is not crowded, I won't make him wear it. Bless his little heart when he stands still as I fumble to get the darn thing on him!
I got the harness at Target. Great invention in my book.

 

[jenimay]

Yes, on our recent (and only) trip to Disney. On our first day at the parks-at MK my 2nd child, ds, 6.5 got lost. We were all walking from around BTMR to Pirates of the Carabbean. I had been trying to read and then fold a map and when we were by Pacos Bills, I turned around and saw only one son. I ran up to dh(who is always walking ahead) and had the stroller and asked if my son was with him. I went back and looked and couldn't find him. Dh went around the whole area(for almost 10 minutes) and couldn't find him either. I really felt he was okay, but knew my son was scared, and started panicing. I approached a CM, but he didn't speak English, and so I went over to another one, who didn't speak English. CM #3 was helpful and while I was talking to him, a couple approached me, (I'm sure they heard our conversation) and stated that they had helped my son and he was being taken care of over by Splash Mountain. Turns out he was at BTMR, and started crying when he saw me. The CM's were great, and they had given him a pin. I just held him for awhile, and then we talked about what happened. He had stopped to get a drink, and when he was done he couldn't find us. I told him I was sorry for not paying attention and enforced that he needs to tell us if he is stopping for any reason. The rest of the trip was fine, although I paid extra attention to where my kids were at!

Jeni

 

[Pooh Crew]

Our son got swept away in a crowd exiting a show at Sea World two years ago. Those few seconds we could not find him felt like an eternity. We put our four kids (ages 5, 5, 5, and 4) in two double strollers during our recent trip to WDW and never regretted it for an instant.

 

[mjmcca]

I lost my DD 3.5 at AK near the petrifries stand at the entrance to dinoland. I was buying some drinks and she wandered away while i was paying. I had 4 kids with me that day and my 2 and my friends 2 and her mom who doesn't speak English. I relied too much on her to help me watch the kids. She is the one who found her whuile i was talking to the CM telling them what she looked like and what she was wearing. A security CM was there in less than 2 minutes he must have been inthe area. When i was completely alone with the 4 of them I didn't lose anyone. We found her in about 5 minutes. I couldn't even remember what she was wearing I had to ask my poor DS who is only 4 what his sister was wearing.

 

[LoveWDW]

Similar to what was written above, and not at WDW, I thought my little son was with my husband and he thought he was with me in a shopping mall. I was just starting to panic when a lady who had him by the hand brought him to me. Bless her.

 

[BlondeAlligator]

Along these lines, I read above about someone who uses a harness. My DH and I disagree on this issue, but my DD is so speedy that I am afraid if I blink she could take off on her own. DH doesn't want to put her on a leash...what do you all think about this? I don't recall many people using them at WDW but then again, I do recall seeing many lost kids during our past trips. I don't want my DD to be one of them in 2 weeks. DH seems embarassed about using the leash, like we'd be the only ones "walking" our little girl. Thoughts?

 

[DisneyObsessive]

when i was about 8, i got lost in a BJs wholesale club store. The place seemed so huge. I went up to the front desk and had them call for my parents over the PA but i was pretty much in tears. They tried to give me a can of coke to cheer me up lol.

random story.

Never got lost at disney, nope. And dont plan on having kids of my own to lose there in the future either lol. so im safe on that one!

 

[daisyduck123]

My thoughts on the leash:
If any of those kids who have been lost at DW had been on a leash...they would never have gotten lost to begin with.

 

[MagneticxBoy]

I got lost once in Typhoon Lagoon.. I told a employee I didn't know where my parents went and they took care of me for awhile tell my parents arrived.. lol

I can't really rember, but I think I got off the lazy river before everyone else got out and off I went.. lol

 

[minkydog]

I am one of "those" Moms who have a leash on my toddler. I have gotten mixed reviews from on lookers. My DS is too fast, and can get away from me too easily. If it is not crowded, I won't make him wear it. Bless his little heart when he stands still as I fumble to get the darn thing on him!
I got the harness at Target. Great invention in my book.

Count me in there with you. I used a harness on all three kids to one degree or another. I never lost a kid until last year. My youngest(10) is autistic and he pulled away from me unexpectedly. Before i could get my bearings he had turned a corner in the store and disappeared. Usually i can find him quickly but this time he was just gone! My two other kids (12 &19) fanned out while I got on my knees looking for him amongst the clothes racks. Eventually they found him several aisles over, in the lingerie Shoulda known he'd go for silky things (Obviously, we would have called Security if Christian has not shown up quickly.)

 

[sue1013]

I've recently changed my mind about leashes. My kids are grown and I'd never used on with either of them didn't like the looks of a child on a leash neither of them ever got lost. This past Easter we went to WDW with extended family. Turned out 4 yr old nephew is a wanderer that would not get in stroller he got lost numerous times for a few minutes. Made me a nervous wreck. DH and I were going to take him for a day so his parents could have some time to themselves. The night before we went to the resort gift shop and bought a leash. He was fine with the leash but when SIL met up with us at the end of the day she said my son is not a dog I don't want a leash on him. Nephew told his mother he had fun being a dog liked his leash because we didn't get away from him!

 

[AStamm]

On the very first day of our very first family trip to DW we had reservations for lunch at Sci-Fi Dine-In. The was a larger than normal group of us (3 from PA, 4 from NY) and we got busy visiting. I thought DH had 3 year old DS and he thought I had him. Needless to say, we we finally got taken into the restaurant to our car in the near dark we found out he was gone. Frantically searched around the restaurant and out in the waiting area and finally found DS outside in the car having a ball. DH was a mess during that lunch--nerves completely shot and couldn't eat a bite.

Thank God that was the first and only time we lost him, and it was only for a few moments. We're much more in tune with each other about whose got DS and have been back to DW 3 times without any problems. Can't wait for trip #5 in just under 4 weeks!

One thing that we have drilled into my son's head since this incident is that if we are ever separated he is to find a CM at a stand and they will help him find us.

 

[Lucky4me]

My dd got separated from us a couple of times at age 2 at DIsney World. Only for a few terrifying seconds. At 3 we got her a leash, but she'd only get tangled up in it and it drove us nuts. The rest of the trip we forced her into the stroller between attractions. Same at age 4. By the time she was 5 she was calm enough and smart enough to stick to us like glue.
I still have Disney nightmares where we put her on a ride and she doesn't come out of the exit.