Tips for Parents - A parent's nightmare - Lost Kids

[TechGuy]

I wanted to share these tips for parents of little ones. We have been taking our DD since she was 2. She is now 12 and has been to DLR 4 times IIRC.

Losing a child in park would be every parent's nightmare. I heard these tips and it gave me the tools I needed to know I could locate my lost child. Thankfully, I never needed these tools as I never was separated from her.

• Write your name and cell number on a piece of tape and tape it to the inside of the child's shirt, near the neck. If the child gets lost or otherwise separated from you, security can call you. You child may not be able to remember your name and number in a stressful situation. The name on the inside will stay hidden from prying eyes but security should be able to find it in case of need.
• Take photos of your kids each day, on the way to the park. Tell them it's so you can remember the day and what cute outfit they wore that day. This photo can help you to know what the child was wearing in case YOU need to go get assistance in locating your lost child. You can now show the security team exactly who they are looking for and what they are wearing, that day.
• Have a defined time and place to meet in case you get separated from older kids. Such as "Top of the next hour, "right here" at the Walt and Mickey Statue."

 

[707MickeyGirl]

These are great tips, and not just for Disneyland. I take a photo of my DGD6 every day whenever we're going somewhere together. I also made her several bracelets on Stretch Magic (super strong and stretchy) with cute beads and I bought some number beads so I could incorporate my mobile phone number into the bracelet design. She memorized my phone number the first time she wore one of the bracelets but I still make her wear one whenever we go somewhere, just in case.

 

[JadeDarkstar]

Good tips. We have a meeting spot. The moment we notice were separated (adults and kids alike) we go to our meeting spot. We have not lost my son but we made this meeting spot one the first time we went. He will never forget it and Its surrounded by other cast members too. (for safety).

 

[darcie2000]

I have to say I was so impressed with how quick Disney staff are to act when a child goes missing. Last time we were there both my nephews got lost ( separate days ). OMG the staff were on it STRAIGHT away. And I had no idea just how many undercover security staff there were lol.

I really like TechGuys idea of a defined time and place to meet with older kids. I'll be doing this with my teen DD and niece this year.

 

[corinne76]

I also like the idea of a meeting spot. I make the kids where an ID bracelet, like this: http://www.mypreciouskid.com/medical-id-bracelet.html
Even at crowded events at home, they wear it when they are too young to remember my phone number.

 

[Malcon10t]

We've been taking little ones for years. We usually write our phone numbers on their upper arms, under the shirt. We've done bracelets, dog tags, notes in pockets, and found the sharpie on the arm works best for us.

And yes, having seen Disney in action numerous times for lost kids, I am VERY impressed. They have an excellent program in place. One more tip... 2 adults, make sure you know WHO has the kids. More kids are lost because mom thinks dad has Johnny and dad thinks mom has Johnny.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

We would make a game of practicing being separated. As we would walk through the various lands or when we were in line for rides, I would ask the kids where they would go and how if we were separated right then. The older one caught on really quickly (he was an ace by the time he was 4) and loved the game because it made him feel safe and showed off his spatial geographic knowledge of the parks. Lol! The younger one took a lot longer to catch on and we went through many, many walk throughs until he was consistently good at finding a CM and finding our meeting spot. Neither one ever had to use their skills, thankfully, but it was really good practice for WalMart and other crowded places. And after all this practice over the years, what happened the first time DH lost me on the Big Thunder Trail? He forgot our meeting spot and I had to wait for a phone at City Hall to track him down! (The CM chuckled and assured me that he sees this happen to numerous couples every day.)

 

[Tasscrapper]

We lost our then 5 five year old in Toontown. Horrible 10 minutes. We found him laying on Minnie's bed of all places and he didn't even realize that he was lost. The next trip he had a laminated id card that I made at home with my cell number as well as my brothers who was also there along with other identifying info. We put put it in his lanyard so he was always wearing it. It is amazing how fast someone can get out of eyesight in the parks and it doesn't really matter if they are 2 feet tall or 6 feet. Have a back up plan in place in case you get separated.

 

[Butterfly123]

When my kids were little we didn't have a meeting place because I didn't want them wandering away from where we were. I told them if they think they are lost to just stop right where they are and don't move. That way I would know where to look for them. We also talked about "safe" people (CM's) and how to recognize them.

It's easier now with cell phones! I used to carry pictures of the kids in my purse. My youngest is now 6' 3", I don't think I could lose him if I tried!

 

[bumbershoot]

But it's not necessarily Disney protocol to call. Or to touch children enough to find phone numbers.

Show the kids what cast members look like. Show them CMs at cash registers. Tell them if they don't see you that they can find CMs at the registers. Those CMs stand a good chance at being near a phone or being with another CM so one of them can go get someone with a walkie talkie or phone. That way the process can start.

Make sure one parent stays calm. And know where the "lost parent" place is so that a parent can head there if needed.

 

[Caseheidi]

There are companies online that you can order personalized temp tattoos from for safety. We put one on DD upper arm that has her name and my cell phone number. They are great, and last a few days before you need to do another one. And they are great for trips to the zoo or science museum too!

 

[coaches24]

Being separated from your child is absolutely terrifying. I had it happen 2 years ago when it was just myself and DD who was 4 at the time. We saw the Disney playhouse show in DCA and after the show we were walking to the stroller when she realized she had left her "kittie" (a little plush kittie she loves and had brought with her into the parks) so without thinking she turned and ran back into the crowd that was leaving the playhouse theater. I tried to grab her but was unable to and could not get through the crowd as well as she did. I got the door of the theater and looked in to a mostly empty room and she was not there. My heart stopped. I was getting frantic and calling her name when a woman asked me if she was blonde and I said yes. Luckily DD had gone back to where she last saw me which was right there next to the theater where all the strollers get parked. This family had seen her looking for me and kept her there. So I only lost her for a few minutes but that was the scariest few minutes of my life I can tell you that.

I always take a picture of her each morning we are at the parks and we talk a lot about what to do if she gets lost and cant find me. But no matter what planning you do it is terrifying when it actually happens. Especially when they are little.

 

[PHXscuba]

Don't just talk with the younger ones -- decision-making skills develop at different rates on different things.

I was reviewing all of the "look for a CM, stay out, don't panic, etc." info with little brother and sister before a DLR trip a while ago. DS was 13 and pretty smart, but he told me that if he got separated/lost, he thought should leave the park, walk through Downtown Disney, go into the Disneyland Hotel where we were staying, and wait outside the room!! This was without a cell phone or a room key. Once I got over my jaw-drop, I had to carefully re-expelain the same guidelines applied to him and that he should never, ever leave a park without us.

I don't worry about tweens getting snatched, but they can be overconfident and make unwise decisions without thinking them through!

PHXscuba

 

[ADLFAN]

Yikes! And how long would it have been till you actually thought to check the hotel room?! Totally make sure everyone is on the same page. I lost my husband briefly and it was frustrating enough, I cannot imagine trying to find one kid in those crowds! Thanks for all the great tips, I will definitely be reviewing them with my young traveling companions! I liked the one about a meeting spot in each land, and identifying the CM's in each land. Our adult meeting spot is the hub, but it would be totally difficult for a kid to locate that specific spot from NOS or deeper in the park.

 

[disneygal922]

Thanks for all the ideas. My daughter will be 23 months when we go in a few weeks. I am terrified of being separated from her. She usually likes to run and walk on her own and with the summer crowds, yikes... I was going to do a bracelet with my cell phone number on it. I feel she is too young to comprehend who a "safe person" (CM) is or where to go if we get separated. She speaks fairly well but when Mommy and Daddy are lost, I can just imagine her screaming and crying, running around like a lunatic... any suggestions?

 

[lizabu]

When I was a kid no matter where we went my Dad would pick a place that we could meet if we got separated. He would say if you get lost go there and stay put. Once I had kids of my own I started to do the same thing. You might never get separated but if you do it's comforting to know exactly what to do and where to go.

 

[RemainSeatedPlease]

When I was in the parks a few weeks ago I was in line behind parents and their young daughter, and they used a method that I thought was clever. They had a laminated lime green index card safety pinned to the back of the daughter's shirt. It said something like "If I'm lost" and then I assume the reverse side, if you were to remove the safety pins and turn it over, included contact information. I thought this was useful because it was highly visible to anyone who may be looking to help, but the child could not reach it to accidentally (or purposefully) remove it or play with it.

 

[violentlyserene]

Does anyone know what Disney protocol actually is in the event of a lost child? Tape in clothes, tattoos, etc are all good ideas but if Disney rules are to not touch a child to find information it's all for nothing. Mine are not verbal enough to be able to tell anyone anything and are extremely unlikely to be able to understand that they shouldn't go anywhere to find us.

 

[Indiana Scott]

Well I don't know if things have changed or not but...
When I was 6 or 7 years old (mid to late 60's) and walking down Main Street next to my dad, I looked up to suddenly realize the man I was walking next to wasn't my dad anymore!
I stopped and spun my head around no more than twice before a CM grabbed me and took me to City Hall where I met up with my parents.
Those CM's really kept an eye out for kids.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

When my friend lost her son, she said the CMs were right on the case. As soon as she noticed her son was missing (classic case of 3 adults saying, "I thought YOU had him"), she reported it to a CM. That CM contacted security. She was escorted to an office and asked for a detailed description. A photo from that day on her phone would have saved a lot of time because she was crying too hard to be coherent. Her son was located shortly thereafter being entranced by the Astro Orbitor. He didn't even know he was lost and had made it there all the way from Toon Town. My friend said the number of hidden cameras in the park made the search quick and pretty easy for security. She was assured that on an average day up to 40 kids get reported missing and all are found quickly. One tip: make sure that the security CMs have the correct name. The CM got the name mixed up and called her son by the wrong name. But he fit the description so perfectly that the security CM knew it was the right kid even when he didn't answer right away.

@disneygal922: would a backpack leash work? Like the ones that look like a stuffed animal? Our friends use one with their kids. It is more of a physical, tangible reminder that when they are wearing it, then they must stick close to Mommy and Daddy. At the park they don't have to wear it, but at DL they do. The kids know they must wear the leash at DL and they don't seem to mind.