Safety tips from a CM

[cruiseonmagic]

Hi everybody!

I've seen a lot of great suggestions here about coming to WDW. One thing that I don't see enough of are tips to keep your kids safe. It may be common sense to just keep your little ones with you, but I've seen 3-6 yr olds walking around without their folks being within 30 ft. One day I actually found a little guy by himself on the way into the park!

While you are talking about all of the fantastic things that you'll be seeing and doing, take some time to plan what you will do if you get separated in the parks. Meet in front of city hall, or at the walt and mickey statue, etc. Pick a specific place--not something that it will take 20 min to walk around, like spaceship earth.

Teach the little ones about CMs and tell them about our white name tags with tink on top. Point out the name tags when you get here. Introduce them to one of our security people and tell them about the uniforms they should look for. Talk to one of our bus drivers--those who wear the purple pants or a boat pilot with the striped shirt. Tell them if they get lost to go to one of the popcorn or ice cream people and go behind the counter, or go into any store and go behind the counter by the cash register, and tell them to tell a CM that their "mom and dad are lost!"

I read a post where someone mentioned a dog tag with mom and dad's cell #--that is great! Just make sure that the tag is on a break away cord, or clipped to a belt loop, or shoe lace.

Keep behind, and do not open any gate, rope, or chain without a CMs ok. It may look safe for you to open, but they were put there for a reason. If it is not a seat, do not sit on it(especially gates, ropes, and chains).

If you are in a hurry to catch one of the boats to a resort, and you see the CM casting off, please slow down and wait for the next one. We can not go back after we untie the line. The next one should be 15 min or less.
Any others?

 

[DeniseD]

Thanks for the great tips and I agree that this minor detail of how to keep our children with us in the midst of tens of thousands of people is too often overlooked. We sat down with our DDs and had a "what if" meeting before we left. We also laminated detailed name tags and pinned them to their clothes. When we got there we made them very farmiliar with the CMs name tags as apposed to the guest of honor badges. Make sure that your children, if they are old enough know your cell phone number and the name of the hotel you are staying at.

 

[Princess Wannabe]

Great tips! Alot of them are common sense, but it is always nice to be reminded of things. I would never have thought of telling my 5-year old to go to the cash register area.... And I like your ideas about using the colors to help the children (such as the purple pants on the bus driver...purple is my daughter's favorite color, so she would remember this!)

I will definitely incorporate these with my DD when we arrive in April. I have already laminated an ID card for her to wear, as well as purchasing the Who's Shoes ID tag that is advertised on Deb's site. (www.allearsnet.com)

You can NEVER be too safe in today's world!

 

[Schweet]

I think one thing parents need to teach their kids to do as soon as they figure out they are lost is to stand very still! If you see a whole crowd of moving people, it seems that one person standing still stands out like a sore thumb. So many kids don't see a parent and take off running in a panic. I always taught my kids to stand very still as soon as they realized they didn't know where I was. I could be 5 feet away and if they didn't see me they could be running the wrong direction and then it would be harder for me to find them. If after standing still for a minute I still didn't show up, then they should walk, not run, to the nearest cast member to have them find me. That way too, I would be looking for them closer to where I lost them and be able to find them sooner. It always helped them knowing that if I couldn't find them I'd be looking for them right away, right near where they got lost. I reminded them every time we were going to be in a crowd about standing still.

My kids never got lost but when DD was 15 we were in Disneyland and she found out what I had meant about standing out when you stand still. In a whole sea of moving people she saw some men wearing suits standing still in the middle of Main Street.

She said, "Mom! It's Michael EISNER!" She grabbed her autograph book and got his autograph. We ran back to our group, she grabbed the camera and her brother 13 and ran back down the street.

 

[PaulaSue]

Great tips!!!! Thanks you so much for your time to post. I would have never thought to tell my girls about the CMers to help (They know police) if lost and the tag idea. Thank you!

 

[jenr812]

Great tips! Thanks for taking time to share them!

 

[SylviaL]

Great tips. Thank you. I have also read somewhere on these boards the suggestion of taking a digital picture (if you have a digital camera) of your kids before you leave your hotel in the morning. If your kids get lost, you can show a CM exactly who to look for and know what they are wearing. It drives me crazy to see little ones alone. If I see a young child alone, I try to stay near until I can identify who they are with or I may tell a CM.

 

[Selket]

I love the "stand still" tip - that is very true that your first instinct is to panic and run off. I got lost from my great aunt in a store once as a child and had I just stayed where I was she would have found me in 5 seconds! Instead I walked all the way back to her house (I was 5 years old!). Fortunately a very small town so I was safe enough I guess but she almost died of fear.

Other great tips too - thanks for starting this topic.

 

[Bellefan66]

Great tips.Thanks so much for posting them.This coming up trip,our DD's who will be 17 & 10 will be allowed to go off from time to time by themselves.These tips will come in handy.

 

[estherhead]

We have taught our kids all of the above things and yet have a few space cadets in the group who get lost fairly easily. The stand still idea or going to a CM just doesn't work because they don't KNOW they are lost, they are just following the magic, wherever it takes them. WE know they are lost and panic. And we're talking too old for a leash, too young for cell phones- the 4-8 yr old range. Our plan has been to have one adult assigned to each kid. Unfortunately we have 4 adults and 5 kids plus two strollers which means we consistently lose at least one child at least 2x's a day.

When we find them they turn around to look at us and point to whatever they are looking at, having no clue that the parent wasn't behind them all along. You cannot believe how far away from you a 5 year old can wander in 15 seconds. One time while getting in line for It's a Small World my bil had his 4 yr old by the hand. He let go to fasten a snap on the Baby Bjorn, 10 seconds max! We found the 4 year old less than 5 minutes later almost at Space Mountain. HELP!

Anyone have a tip on how to not have this heart attack every day at the parks?

Esther

 

[mom2threeboys]

Thanks for the great tips!

esterhead - It seems to me that if the child isn't old enough to pay attention and stay together, they're not too old for a leash. I had one for our oldest on the last trip and he was 5. We didn't use often as he's very responsible, but in large crowds it gave us peace of mind. You can also get the velcro wristbands, they might be a bit less baby-ish. :?
Btw, I didn't mean that first statemnet to be harsh, I grew up with a sister like you're describing, and I have a DS who is the same - just lost in their own world. I think these people enjoy life so much! However its really not safe for a young child to be alone, espcially some place so large and crowded as DisneyWorld. I hope you're able to find something that works for you!

 

[swilphil]

Can you assign the older kids to help look after the younger ones? I have 1 child who is a wanderer and he spent quite a bit more time in the stroller.

 

[sweetinmaine]

Thanks for reminding us of the really important things! Nothing is more important than our little and keeping them safe. And one more reminder if I might - Mom's and Dad's please slow down if your child is not in a stroller. Their little feet have to move a lot more than ours do. I feel so bad for kids when I see their parents pulling them along to keep up and the kids are pretty much hanging by their arms. Make an effort to enjoy these Disney moments with the kids...They grow up much too fast as it is

 

[sweetinmaine]

Anyone have a tip on how to not have this heart attack every day at the parks?

If an adult lets go of a child to tie a shoe, the Baby Bjorn or whatever, have the adult pass the childs hand to another adult to hold. You could also have the child hold onto the shirt or pants of the adult.

 

[SouthFLMommy]

Thanks so much for the great tips. We're going next month and I can really use these!

 

[lindaso]

You could also have the child hold onto the shirt or pants of the adult.

I like this idea. I do this in the parking lot if I have my hands full with dry cleaning or whatever. They grab my jacket or shirt and I can feel it if they let go and I know I need to stop them right away. Great tip for the park.

 

[JCTigger]

Another thing to is that if a child does get seperated from the group of adults dont split your party up trying to find the child stay in one group i know that is is instinct for people to say ok you go check over here and ill go over here... but what if one person finds the child but the other party is gone off still looking then you have to spend more time looking for more members of your party... i know that will the advent of cell phones that that is easily fixed but still you might not hear the phone ring, the battery might have died. So other food for thought is keep the family together when looking for some one in your party that has wondered off....

 

[ucfsweetie82]

Always have a meeting place if your children are a little on the older side. When I was young(I'm 22 now) We used to meet outside pirates of the carribean. this is a good place because even on the most crowded days a person out front standing can still stand out. My other suggestion is too put your kid in purple or blue and that will help them stand out more because white and black are such popular colors, and also as parents try to wear a bright colored shirt and constantly remind them of what shirt you are wearing. This helps your children recognize you if they get ahead or behind you, and if they are in the preschool range learn their colors.
The only other thing I have to say is do not yell at your kids unless it is truly warranted. I was there on the Feb 19 and we were taking the ferry over to MK and we sat down. This 11 year old girl comes on pushing her mother in a wheel chair. Another adult says why did you get the wheelchair, and she said I was tired of walking. This lady was no older than 40, and then her daughter asks if she can sit next to grandmother because her feet hurt(it was 10pm). The grandmother says "I'm tired of you pulling this ______, if you say your feet hurt tommorrow we are going straight home." It was so mean, you could tell this little girl had been run ragged. Seeing that stuff gets me so mad because when you become parents, going to disney isn't about u, its about making magic for your kids. Sorry so long I'm done now.
Seeing the Mouse March 14-17

 

[amylucinda]

We've taught our kids the typical "find a police man or cast member" process, but, because they are so young (3 and 5), felt that may be difficult for them. Pretty much all they can see from their height in a crowd is a sea of bottoms and knees. That may make it a bit harder to find someone with a nametag way up on his or her chest.

So, per some tip I read somewhere, we teach them to "find a mommy". They're pretty familiar with mommy-looking figures, and at Disney, mommies are everywhere. They don't have to go far! And at Disney, you can refine it to "find a mommy with a stroller", to really guarantee a mommy-type person. Strollers are at their height and easy to spot. Mommies are pretty receptive to helping, and this tipster (a former law enforcement type) felt that may be a safer choice, especially for very young children who may not be able to identify a policeman or cast member, especially when stressed.

I like the other tips, too....especially the one about going behind the cash register! What a quick way to get attention and get the problem resolved before they go too far. I would have never thought of that.

We also use homemade ID bracelets with cell phone info, and our local hotel information. We may switch to the shoe idea, as bracelets can get pretty gross after a few days at Disney, and can be a pain when it comes to hand-washing.

And, we like using the stroller. Keeps them from wandering off and we are much more relaxed. We don't have to keep tabs on "who has the kids?", since we travel with in-laws and friends.

Amy

 

[fausz4]

Thank you for all your posts! We are taking DS3 and DS8 for their first visit in Septemeber and these tips will help!

My question is do cell phones work in all parks? Has anyone used the hand held walkie talkies?

Thanks!