Sharpies and Masking Tape for IDs?

[ashleymrush]

I was thinking of taking a roll of masking tape and a sharpie to write our cell numbers and the kids names on and tape it to the inside of their t-shirt for when we are in the parks. Hopefully we won't get separated but I figured it would be better to be safe than sorry. Has anyone else done this before? Does the sharpie rub off on their skin or other clothes, especially in the heat? We are going mid-June. If this doesn't work well does anyone have any other ideas? I saw the temporary tattoos that you can order but that seems a bit much for something I can do cheap on my own. Thanks in advance!

 

[mrsgoose8]

I got my kids id bracelets, but i'd probably just write my #on their skin. but that's me

 

[bdcp]

I was thinking of taking a roll of masking tape and a sharpie to write our cell numbers and the kids names on and tape it to the inside of their t-shirt for when we are in the parks. Hopefully we won't get separated but I figured it would be better to be safe than sorry. Has anyone else done this before? Does the sharpie rub off on their skin or other clothes, especially in the heat? We are going mid-June. If this doesn't work well does anyone have any other ideas? I saw the temporary tattoos that you can order but that seems a bit much for something I can do cheap on my own. Thanks in advance!

Don't use masking tape. It peels off in hot (and cold) temps. Why do you think anyone would look inside their t-shirts? Sharpies won't rub off once they are dry. It pretty much has to wear off over time. When my kids were young we didn't do anything and they never got lost. They knew their own names by age 18 months and our phone number by 3. As long as they can tell a CM their name, they'll be fine. WDW is very good at reuniting lost parents with their kids. How old are they? Teach them your cell # but other than that, I wouldn't be concerned. But as I said above, masking tape isn't going to work.

 

[Hannathy]

How old are we talking? all they really need to know is their name and to go to a CM. When mine were like 2-3 We would just write our cell number on a piece of paper and put it in their pocket and tell them to show it to the CM. But mine always knew to go to a CM and they knew their name so that's all they really need to Know. Disney will hold them and you can call Disney.


Critical is to teach all kids from tiny on up that as soon as they think they are not with you to STOP do not look for you but to Stop and stay put, if I don't come back in a minute or two then wait for a CM or go to the closest CM . Kids and adults need to learn to stay put when you are lost and not to keep wandering around making it harder for anyone to find them.

 

[ashleymrush]

They will be 5 and almost 2. I saw someone put the idea up on another thread to do it inside their shirt and tell the kids to show it to a cast member. They'll be trained (at least the 5 year old anyway) on how to recognize a cast member. We've already talked about staying put if they are lost too. I'm sure nothing will go wrong, they listen well and don't wander (usually). The 2 year old will be in a stroller mostly too.

 

[Computermama]

I use mabel's labels bracelets that have both mine and my husband's cells on them. They're strong like the ones you get to go into water parks, and come like 30 to a pack, I ordered mine 2 years ago and havn't run out yet. I did see a cute reusable idea on facebook once where mom and an older child made a beaded bracelet using number beads and some solid color ones for spacers.

 

[WantToGoNow]

When mine were small, I ordered silicone bracelets with our phone numbers. I know many people have "dog tag" IDs made. When we were there in October, I watched a woman at the MK bus stop (I was waiting for an ECV to unload) write their phone number up the inside of each child's arm with sharpie - very tacky looking and one child had to be close to 9-10. If you have magic bands you could write the number inside.

 

[shm_helene]

We did use the temp tattoos. I don't recall the brand - one I got off here. It lasted the entire 10 days we were there - in August heat and pool temps. It was around $10. I still have 5 left.

 

[SamSam]

I used the temporary tattoos on one trip with our twin grandsons, then 2 1/2 and they were great - lasted the whole trip. This last trip 3 1/2, we used a sharpie to write on their Magic Bands...they loved that! We just wrote g-pa's and g-ma's cell phone numbers.

We had taught them to seek out a cm, actually introduced them to several and the cm's were great interacting with them and saying 'yes, just look for us'.

Luckily never needed the numbers but we felt a peace of mind just knowing that our numbers were on their bands and they had been prepared for if gramma or grampa went missing.

 

[Altoqueenkelly]

I think your approach could vary based on age.

When my DD was 2 I used "Who's Shoes" its a neon colored tag that you attach to the shoe to alert someone, its velcro and you have to detatch it and when you open it, it contains contact info.

When my DD was 4 I had a silicone-type bracelet made online, I think the company was Charlaine (something like that) it was like those bracelets that people used to wear for cancer awareness, I had it printed with my phone number for pretty cheap.

Now that my DD is 7, she knows my number, but I know that being lost can be stressful, so we are going to get those number beads from the craft isle of the store and make her a cute bracelet with my phone number on it. So if she gets lost, she can ask someone to call her mom and give them the bracelet.

Something like this, which she can personalize with other beads too:



Its her first trip without a stroller and Im a little more nervous about her getting separated from me now... when they were in the stroller it was easier to keep track of

 

[Wendybird55]

When DS was younger(2-5) I would print up a sheet or 2 of avery labels (30 on sheet) with his first name and then mommy (cell phone #), daddy (cell phone #) and Aunt Da (my sister who was with us and cell phone #)..

Every morning when we went to parks and every time after a clothes change (for whatever reason) I stuck one of the avery labels to the back of my sons shirt (between shoulders). This way it was somewhere he wouldn't be tempted to pull it off or play with it and if he got lost people could see the label on his shirt and call us. We never had any problems with the labels falling off and we went late Aug. early Sept, when it was very hot.

 

[Feberin]

We didn't do anything. Will they have magic bands? I figured if my children got lost then Disney could get information about us (names and cell phone number that was listed on the account) from the magic bands. I mean the bands were connected to our hotel room and in my son's case his ticket. My children were nearly 2 and 4. There were a few times we weren't sure exactly where my son was such as on the Boneyard playground but he never was lost. My daughter is also almost two and she never went anywhere alone or had a chance to run off.

 

[Gracie09]

We didn't do anything. Will they have magic bands? I figured if my children got lost then Disney could get information about us (names and cell phone number that was listed on the account) from the magic bands. I mean the bands were connected to our hotel room and in my son's case his ticket. My children were nearly 2 and 4. There were a few times we weren't sure exactly where my son was such as on the Boneyard playground but he never was lost. My daughter is also almost two and she never went anywhere alone or had a chance to run off.

The cm in the park doesn't necessarily have access to your hotel information and even if they did they may not have access to your contact information. Disney hasn't said the band could be used to find lost children.

Op cm will not look under clothing for contact information. Look at safety tats. They are temporary tattoos that you can personalize. We use them whenever we go to a place that is large, crowded and kids are likely to get lost (NYC, Bronx zoo, beach etc). We put if lost and moms cell and dad's cell.

 

[MSSANDRA]

One trip I used a sharpie and wrote cell # on the inside sole of his tennis shoes. He was about 5 and we had never used anything on other trips and he knew our numbers BUT we ended up going the week of new years and were overwhelmed with crowds and wanted something just in case. It worked well though we were glad it was never needed.

 

[BellsFam]

I disagree with something inside their clothes but that's me. I'm not a monk nor for religious reasons but we've taught DD that what's under our clothes is not for strangers to see under any circumstances...

I'd rather have something in her shoe or hair tie or pocket or a bracelet of some sort...

 

[JillyBean1899]

A dog tag (a military style one may be too big for them, although you can get them with cool characters and designs on them; actual dog collar ID tags come in fun colors and shapes, so those would work, too) with your contact info engraved on it, then either worn as a necklace under their clothes or tied to their shoelace would be good. Just teach them that they need to show it to a CM when they ask for help. And if for some reason they can't find a CM, sit down wherever they are and just start crying loudly. One will find them pretty quickly.

 

[dvczerfs]

How old are we talking? all they really need to know is their name and to go to a CM. When mine were like 2-3 We would just write our cell number on a piece of paper and put it in their pocket and tell them to show it to the CM. But mine always knew to go to a CM and they knew their name so that's all they really need to Know. Disney will hold them and you can call Disney.


Critical is to teach all kids from tiny on up that as soon as they think they are not with you to STOP do not look for you but to Stop and stay put, if I don't come back in a minute or two then wait for a CM or go to the closest CM . Kids and adults need to learn to stay put when you are lost and not to keep wandering around making it harder for anyone to find them.

it happens all the time in the mk. if parents would go to the nearest cm, it will all be over very fast. dd had a parent say there 4 year old was missing for 20 minutes. parents tried to find him on there own.
the best part, he was in line for an attraction and didn't think nothing of it.

best thing to do is take a picture of your child each morning. when you tell a cm your child is lost, they will ask you what there name is and what they are wearing. they put a call out on the radio. chances are by the time that happens, your child was found by a cm and is givin all the stickers he or she can handle.

dd had a lost little girl standing in the middle of main street one night. dd stand was covered and she walked up to her. she held the little girls hand and walked her over to the side walk. her name was meg. she was 3 years old. by that time dd herd the call in her ear of a lost little girl. security took her from there.
meg came back a few days later and her mom and thanked dd and gave her a hug. meg made a new friend at wdw.
dd has a picture of meg and her in her scrap book.

 

[JillyBean1899]

When I worked at IoA, I was sweeping Toon Lagoon and found a girl sitting o a bench, bawling her head off. She was about 12 or so, and I asked her if she was OK, because there didn't seem to be any adults paying attention (you know how sometimes parents will let a kid have their tantrum and be watching from a few feet away, but not giving any attention? It wasn't that type of thing). She could barely talk, she was crying to hard, but I managed to find out that she had lost her parents. I asked what they were wearing, and actually had remembered seeing the dad (he was really tall) walk by me a few minutes before. I called security over the radio to report her, and she said they'd been heading towards Spiderman (which is the direction I'd seen the dad walking), so we walked that way to meet up with security and see if her parents were there. Luckily, they were standing in front of the ride, looking for her.

I explained what had happened, and they were thrilled to discover she had done exactly what her teachers had taught her to do ... sit in one place and attract attention. Turns out she was ASD, but fairly high functioning, and she went to an ASD school that focused on life skills. Getting lost was one of the things they'd been working on the few weeks before their trip. I got a big hug from her and from her mother, and then walked them all right up to the load platform at Spiderman (it was the girl's favorite ride). You would have thought I'd handed her the keys to the park. While they were on the ride I went and grabbed Spiderman and had him meet up with them as they were getting off the ride (benefit of having my supervisor's park office in the same building as entertainment ).

 

[dbramer]

As a parent and long-time camp counselor, the one thing you should ALWAYS know is what kind of shoes your child is wearing. A child's complete appearance can be changed in under 30 secs, except for the shoes. It is too difficult to change the shoes because feet are so different in sizes. Clothes are easy, shoes are another story.

The temp tattoos are a great idea also. They take a great deal of scrubbing to get off. Gaining the attention of CM's is also good advice.

 

[Goddesstree]

As a parent and long-time camp counselor, the one thing you should ALWAYS know is what kind of shoes your child is wearing. A child's complete appearance can be changed in under 30 secs, except for the shoes. It is too difficult to change the shoes because feet are so different in sizes. Clothes are easy, shoes are another story.

The temp tattoos are a great idea also. They take a great deal of scrubbing to get off. Gaining the attention of CM's is also good advice.

30 seconds is quite obtuse. "Complete appearance?" That's a really quick dye job, hair cut, and clothing change in a discreet location, which is part of an urban myth.