Strategies for not loosing kids

[Amommy21]

The reason I always told my DS to look for a mom with kids is because

#1 teaching kids to find a police officer won't help them at target, the mall, most anywhere really there just aren't police standing around.

#2 a mom with kids is most likely to make him feel comfortable and quickly be able to get help

#3 moms with kids are easy to find most places we go, target, the mall, the ball park, etc. The point is the faster they say, "hey, i'm lost" the faster we will be able to reunited. The longer they wander around looking for a police, store employee or cast memeber the more lost they may become.

We have never had trouble loosing track of DS. And I have always made it a point to help him learn his way around places, not just blindly following me. When DS was little I also started purposely walking around an aisle at target or something while still keeping an eye on DS to kind of test him and help him become more aware/responsbile for keeping track of me. I think those things also helped him be more prepared to be independant as at the age of 12 he now is becoming.

 

[Disney_Ohana]

One of the things we talked to my 7 year old (the one most likely to wander haha) about was that if we were ever separated in the parks- was to go into one of the stores or restaurants and find a cast member with a name tag & tell them that her parents were lost. I also told her that they will then take them to the Lost Child Center where she will play with toys until we came and got her. She knows our phone numbers(with area code ) and so we told her she should call if she needed to too.

She didnt get lost this past trip but it happened at WDW before.

 

[5ofus]

Really, if you have raised kids to be attentive and follow instructions you'll be fine.

If only it were that simple! I have three boys - the first two, no problems in crowds. The third is a runner. They were clearly all brought up the same way. Personalities have a lot to do with it, very little has to do with the way he was raised.

 

[Mugglemama]

We've been in the parks a gazillion times with littles as our kids were growing up. DH and I have always simply handled the "getting lost" issue by making sure we're actually physically holding onto anyone small enough to get lost and who wouldn't know how to immediately go to city hall and wait for us.

We have 4 kids and always kept track of them just fine. If they were old enough to not be in a stroller anymore, then one of us was holding their hand. It's inconvenient, but hey....they never got lost. We didn't really have a "runner" per se, but we do have a "wanderer". Once my oldest was in her teens, she became one of the "handlers", lol.

It's so much easier now of course, since they are older and big. The only one we have to physically hold onto when walking through a crowded space is the youngest....and he has grown a TON since our last visit and we won't be going back for a bit, so we are probably officially out of the "hold onto them" stage while in the parks.

If it were me, and I was *really* concerned about the 2.5 year old making a run for it...I'd just take one of those leash/harness things for kids. My oldest son went through a "running" phase when he was about the same age, and we used the leash at places like the zoo. It worked great. I know a lot of people have issues with "kid leashes", but they are gentle, safe, and usually a LOT easier than trying to hold the hand of a toddler...especially if that toddler happens to be one of the "wriggly" ones, who is constantly trying to pull their hand out of yours.

 

[MamaTroubl]

We are planning on going in the fall, and my DS is a runner. He'll be 5, but I'm just on edge about him going. I love the idea of the phone number on the arm with the sharpie. Guess I should start working on him for asking if he is lost. If we ever go out with DS, he's either in a shopping cart, or we have a hold of him. Even at the local park, I follow him around the playground like a hawk.

 

[dadofnicholas]

On both trips, my son was always next to me. When there were areas where separation was a possibility, I ensured he held my hand. After saying that, I did put an ID bracelet on him as well as a tag on his shoes. I brought along one of the belt attachment leashes but never used it. Perhaps it was the times of the year that we went but I never found myself unaware of my son's presence.

On a side note, on each trip, I had a lost child come up to me and ask me for help. I guess their parents never read that book

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

This is our Thread of the Week for the podcast coming out on 3/21.

 

[mjlum]

When my daughter was 2, I brought a "leash" to DL. My husband refused to use it. He took her to the bathroom. While he was using the bathroom, she took off under the stall, ran out of the bathroom. He could not find her & was panicking (he NEVER panicks) because he couldn't find her after about 15 minutes. A Cast Member found her and brought her to him.

When I found out, I whipped the "leash" out and put it on her - and me. Don't worry about what other people think or say... better to prevent them getting lost in the first place. Not everyone they run into will be a CM or kind- even at DL. She's almost 4 and learned to stay near us, but at the age of 2-3, she didn't understand.

 

[californiamomof4grls]

I am a mother of 5 and have been in Early Education my whole life. I tell my girls to look for a CM or to go into a restarunt or store and look for one in there. We talk about what to do if you are seperated from us STOP and YELL LINDA or ARMANDO everyone is a Mom every one is a Dad and we become desensitized to that name but when you hear your name you look up. The chances are we are not very far from each other. If we don't answer after a few mintues go in to a store. We drill in to our girls you may not wander. If you want to see something away from us, ask first. We call our daughters the bigs the littles and the baby. A "big" always holds hands with a little during our time in the park. They are partners for the day. I match ALL of us in Tshirts from the disney store.(with the same color they don't make many princess shirts for the men folk ) I don't let the baby out of the stroller when we travel from land to land. I write our phone number on the fore arm of each girl and tell them not to leave or walk away with any adult. The adult can go get a CM and bring them to the child. I am always with my husband in the park and I would never walk off with someones kid I would get someone to come to the kid and leave my husband and girls to stay with the kid or vice versa. Instill in your children saftey first! We will see everything together! These are just phrases that they will repeat in their minds when they see something and want to run to it. Some children do have impulse issues and you just have to teach them what you want them to do when they get lost. We talk about it each day as we walk into the park. What does a CM look like on Main Street? What does a CM look like in Fantasyland? Is it the same? NO! We look for the name tags too... Comunication with your children even the young ones are the key. Yes they may get away but what do they know what to do if that happens. That's your best defense!