Tips for safe kids!

[karenbaco]

Hi everyone,
I don't know why this took me so long to write seeing we went to WDW this past December. I just had the thought come to me as I checked out this site for the first time in a while. Anyway, the best safety tip I want to give to parents is please make a necklace of somekind with your child's name and your cell phone number on it. The reason I offer this is....... the family we were traveling with have a 10 year old daughter and she got lost in the crowd at the start of the parade. Well, a nice man saw her distress and asked her if he could help her find her parents. Lucky she knew her dads cell number cuz next thing you know we got a call and they were reunited immediately. If the phone hadn't of rung who knows how long she would have been lost, we had no idea. Please take this tip and do it!
Good luck
Karen

 

[LISAMWDW]

I usually buy those rubber bracelets and on the inside with a permanent black marker, write my name and cell phone number in case my kids are lost. Better safe than sorry!

 

[Tiffer]

I agree. But it is best to always have a plan and reminf the kids of the plan while on the monrail or boat. We all have cell phones, including the kids, they put them in their fanny packs.

They know that if we are seperated, they call me on the phone while walking to a CM for help. Describe to them and show them what a CM looks like, ie, name badge, uniform, etc. As in 2002 we had difficulty with dead spots in MK on main street w/Verizon.

 

[mickeyloverx2]

this is a great post!! I was wondering what I could do to keep my 2 dd safe What kind of necklace or rubber bracelet where do I buy a rubber bracelet?? thanks

 

[LISAMWDW]

I bought my rubber bracelets at the local dollar store for $1.00 each! Just make sure your marker is waterproof/permanant.

 

[qtwns]

The rubber wrist band idea is a good one--those things are so "cool" right now that my DSs won't mind wearing them. And we already have so many that I won't have to run out and buy any new ones.

 

[druiser]

Also a good idea - take a picture of each kid in your party each morning that shows what they're wearing that day. It's much easier to show a CM what a kid looks like than to try and explain it.

Camera also comes in handy in the parking lot (if you drive) - take a picture of the sign in the lot where you park, that way you can find your friggin car at the end of a long tiring day

 

[Amy&Dan]

Something that helped my family the day we got separated from my 8 year old daughter at Epcot was this: tell your child that as soon as they realize they are lost, to STOP. Look around for a cm (good tip to go over with them what a cm looks like) or a very nice mommy and tell them they need help finding mom and dad. If they continue to walk, looking for you or trying to catch up, they could in fact be going a direction that is taking them further away. This advice only works for kids old enough to understand and take it but its usually the older kids, the ones who aren't in stroller or holding mom's hand anymore that get lost. At virtually all areas of WDW there is going to be a cm very nearby. Kids are frightened, in sometimes very unfamilar surroundings and if they have some advice beforehand it can help tremendously. Generally it has only been a very short time that they have been lost so the parents can't have gotten too far away. When my daughter got separated from us it was because I was messing with Pal Mickey's batteries and she was looking at her park map and we both just strayed from each other. DH and I split up as soon as we realized she was not with us and when I found her (with a cm and a nice mommy ) I called him on the cell and we met back up. Scariest few minutes of my life!

 

[allegracristina]

Just remember, badges with children's names, and tee-shirts etc. can be prime targets for predators. They will call the child by their name, and use that to manipulate the child into thinking that they are a friend of "mommy/daddy" etc.
A 4 or 5 year old isn't going to remember that their shirt or backpack has their name on it-they are simply going to think "wow, this person knows my name, they MUST know my mommy/daddy".

Not trying to sound paranoid, it's just something I learned that I kept with me all these years.

 

[Stitch65]

When my daughter was 2, we bought one of those kid "leashes" that strapped to her chest. It was funny the mixed reactions we got, some parents were like "How come we didn't think of that?" Others were mumbling "child abuse". The thing they didn't know was my daughter has ZERO stranger fear. Nadda. Nothing. If you have a cookie, she's on her way to your house. There was NO way I was losing her, so we got her the elmo leash. She's 5 now, and still no stranger fear. So no leash this year, but lots of "talks" and hand holding and seatbelted to the stroller. I swear she'll be the death of me.

 

[mickeyloverx2]

I know what your talking about...my dd5 has no fear either she will talk to anyone hugs people she barely knows scares me to death! I am taking a leash for my dd20 months so she can walk a little but mostly she will be in the stroller but me dd5 will be holding my hand which is too very hard to keep her nearby. I think I have some bracelets Im gonna put on her. ok 2 days to go

 

[mickey's cousins]

I ordered ID tags to go on my 4 yr old son's shoes. The company is called whosshoeid, I couldn't post a link to the site since I have not posted enough times on here. The ID is velcro with a space inside to put all your information. I think I am going to use them for my 14 and 11 yr old girls, although the 14 yr old will probably roll her eyes at me. Better safe than sorry. The idea of showing them what a CM looks like is great.

 

[angelsmom920]

I actually have blank business cards and I printed my DD5 picture on one side and her name, dob, my name and husband's name, his cell phone number, my father's name and cell phone number because he will be with us, our hotel name and her vitals like height, weight, hair color and eye color and laminated them. I made one to attach to her and one each for me, my husband and my father. I also made the same thing for my neice who will be with us. I read in the most recent Allearsnet.com newsletter from a CM who said that a mother asked to "borrow" her for a minute to show her daughter what the CMs name badge looks like, and to only talk to someone with that badge in case they get separated. I will definately be doing that in each park! I hope everyone has a great, safe trip!