tips on lost kids

[KYmommy]

This is our first trip to WDW. It will be me, DH and DS (5). What tips do you all have for me about keeping my DS safe?
If he gets lost, should I just tell him to go to any CM? Will they ALL take good care of him and will he be able to find one? (We have a second worry because he is allergic to peanuts and treenuts and we always worry someone will try to feed him something and he will for one second forget our rule.)
What if a guest finds him, will they take him to a CM or where? (store, city hall,etc). Where should we go when we are looking for him? I am sure I will be much more panicked than my DS.
I will probably put a tag on him with our cell phone number and our resort. I am big on not putting names on him though. (he knows his name and ours too).
Can anyone give us tips? Thanks, Kris

 

[gillian1]

Hi, this is my first trip to disney (29th june 2005) and there are 3 kids going (7, 8 autistic & 11). I am also very worried about them getting lost, but we have being telling them every so often what to do if this happens ie find a cm (which we will point out to them on our first day) and show them thier ID bands. We bought them from www.idonme.com They are cool looking, waterproof and can store all the info we need ie childs name, any special needs in your case nut allergies for us its asthma and autism & names of parents, grandparents and phone numbers. They come in different colours and all our kids like them. We also quiz the kids getting them to tell us what they do if they get lost and are frequently telling them about the crouds of people and that they must stay with us at all times. We have also decided to take a child each i will have my daughter, my husband will have my older brother & mum & stepdad will have younger brother (autistic child who will need the most supervision), we will all stay together but this way hopefully there is less chance of anyone gong missing and even if they do we all know what to do. I hope!

 

[tbelfonti]

Kris,

We just got back with our almost 5 yr old and a 10 month old. When we got to Disney I started pointing out all of Mickey's "friends" - all CMs wear a nametag. She got to the point where she would tell me "He is one of Mickey's friends!!"

I know if I found a lost child I would alert the closest CM and let them take it from there.

As far as allergies go, I have no suggestions unless you were to get him a medical alert bracelet or something like that. Our 10 month old has heart defects so she wears one at all times in case we are in an accident or something where I cannot speak for her.

We saw a lost child "reunion" at MK while we were down there. The child got separated from the family during the rush of people going into MK during the opening of the park. I saw a CM walking with a young girl (6 or 8?) holding hands and the mom and family come running looking for her and then they saw her. I had tears in my eyes and wanted to walk over and hug the mom because I thought she was going to be sick or pass out. Nothing more terrifying....

 

[lovethattink]

While I was nursing my baby at the baby care centers, I occasionally heard CM trying to locate missing child or have seen them playing with a missing child at the baby care center. Once I saw the reunion of a missing child and their family.

For my 11 year old, we have a special meeting place at each park. For the baby, I have those Velcro Id's that fit on his shoes.

 

[pinkdiamonds1007]

I have heard the idea alot around on the boards to have Dog Tags made for your child, *they have stars, hearts and such, so it dosne't have to look like a dog tag* But they put all the info on that..and you can put it on their belt loop, or on shoes..somewhere discreat.

 

[KYmommy]

DS already has a medical alert braclet for his allergies (I just worry that someone will miss it).

And the dog tag... I made one for him today. I put our cell phone numbers on it and the resort we are staying in. I figured I could attached it to his shoe somehow. (Actually, he and I made one for our cat and then made one for him too. He didn't care. I just used a circle. )

Thanks for all the help. I hope we will not have to use any of this information. Everyone have a great trip!!

Kris

 

[MamaLema]

I don't really have any tips but wanted to tell you that our 6 year old got lost at MK near Splash Mountain. When we were finally reunited he wanted to stay with the CM instead of us!!

The CM even convinced our DS to try Splash Mountain and DS did, because of her. It ended up being his favourite ride.

My DH, who is not impressed by anything, ever, was extremelly impressed with how Disney handled it.

 

[D1sneyDad]

I can understand the concern about allergies, especially food allergies. Rest assured that CM's are trained that they are to only offer water to a lost child. Never any food or other drinks because they do not know about any allergy concerns. I think that showing your kids what a CM looks like and where they can be located is a great idea. There are TONS of CM's all over the place from food establishement to attractions to cleaning\support staff. If I remember correctly I believe that at MK CM's are suppose to bring lost children to City Hall after trying to locate the parents in the immediate area that the child was discovered. Also they have a strict rule that they are suppose to let the child hold on to them and they are not to hold on to the child. If for any reason the child needs to be taken through an area that does not have guest there are suppose to be 2 CM's escorting the child.

I like the idea of having dog tags or an ID card that is in their pocket or safety pinned to the inside of a shirt. I do not like kids names on the outside where anyone could call their names.

Another idea is to take a picture everyday before going to the parks of your kids either with a digital camera or a polarid camera so that you have a current picture including the days clothes so that if you were to be seperated you would not have to try to remember what they were wearing during that stressfull time.

On your first day you could even go up to a CM and ask them about the procedures they follow for a lost child and have them talk to the child so they know what they may expect.

I know long winded but this is a very important subject as there is nothing that will ruin a vacation quicker than a lost child.

 

[crisi]

We also show our kids "Mickey's Friends." Remember that Guest of Honor badges look a lot like CM nametags (I hate that they are even offered, too easy for preditors) - CM nametags are white.

We laminate a card and pin it to the kids with our names/resort/cell phone numbers on them.

When they were little, we used leashes. I have one darter and one dwaddler. The dwaddler will stop in traffic, the darter will be a quarter of a mile ahead in the time it takes to get her moving. So leashes kept them close - although surprisingly their own young common sense kept them close in the parks.

 

[geffric]

Another idea is to take a picture everyday before going to the parks of your kids either with a digital camera or a polarid camera so that you have a current picture including the days clothes so that if you were to be seperated you would not have to try to remember what they were wearing during that stressfull time.

we have always done this.. made it a fun thing like our traditional 1st picture of the day either waiting for the bus or at the park entrance..

 

[lab_girl]

we have always done this.. made it a fun thing like our traditional 1st picture of the day either waiting for the bus or at the park entrance..

This is a GREAT idea...our DS will be almost 2....if he's anything like DD --YIKES!!!

 

[SqueakyMouse]

Our 12 yo and almost 5 yo ds' got separated from us at Blizzard Beach. I was surprised (but very glad) that a CM noted that our 12 yo looked worried and asked if he and his brother were lost. When our older ds explained what had happened, the CM immediately took him to Lost Children at the front of the park. When dh asked a CM the best way to locate our 2 stray kids, she immediately took him to Lost Children, where all were reunited. At both of the water parks, there is a nice set up for this. The CM in charge of the children has crayons, games, and books to keep the kids from getting overly worried. A log book is also kept for security reasons. I would imagine that things are handled much the same in the big parks.

 

[Coodie5]

We'll be going on our first trip the end of August. I'm making my kids stretchy necklaces that say...If I'm lost please call and it will have my cell phone number on it.

 

[honeysuckle_rose]

I used "ID Inside" velcro wrist bracelets for my kids on our most recent visit. My kids do not complain about wearing them. Thankfully, we've not had to test them out by getting lost.

I was not allowed to post the link, but do a google search on "id-inside" and you should be able to find the site that sells these.

 

[alloyd1170]

I got my son a medical id type bracelet (Childs Id) for his first trip to WDW. Kids are so fast and can be gone in a second! On the front I had a train engraved with his first name. On the back, his full name, address, home #, my name and cell, hubbys name and cell, and dr # (yes they fit it all on there). He wears it 24/7, even swimming (stainless steel) and it still looks good after 2 yrs! It doesnt bother my son at all, in fact he likes to look at it. You can also put it around a childs ankle. People do notice it because they think it is a medical bracelet, and ask about it. Once I tell them that its for id only-in case he takes off, they say what a great idea. The company where I got it is wonderful and will add links free of charge (I believe) as the child grows. If your info changes, they will update it for half price, and you get a discount whenever you shop after the first time. They have necklaces, dog tags, etc for babies to adults and you can get icons engraved on them as well to spice them up. I think I paid around $25 for it and seeing how well it has held up, its worth it. I will be getting one for our baby girl once she starts walking.

alison

 

[Brightsy]

There's also "who's shoes child ID kit."
It's a velcro that can fasten around your childs shoelaces... I imagine it would also work being looped around a belt loop or such. On the inside you can put the childs name, med info, and phone numbers and so on.
I've bought some for my 2 boys and my 2 nieces. I'm not so worried about my 6 yr. old, but my younger DS can't communicate so well and this kind of system takes a load off my mind!
My ped. also gave me a tip. He told me to tell the boys that if we got separated for him to look for a Mommy with a little baby or small kids and ask her for help!
It makes sense to me. If a child came to me all lost and scared I'd sure as heck help him and keep him (or her) safe!

Sara

 

[MrsPete]

We have a second worry because he is allergic to peanuts and treenuts and we always worry someone will try to feed him something and he will for one second forget our rule.

Honestly, if I -- just an individual, not a CM -- were to find a lost child, feeding him wouldn't cross my mind. I'd focus on finding out his name, then finding a CM who could help.

 

[Laurajean1014]

My DS9 has been to WDW 32 times and we never lost him. That doesn't mean it can't happen, it just may mean that you are worrying about the wrong thing. Don't worry about losing him, strategize on "not losing him."

Figure out how to keep the three of you together and keep him occupied.

Why do you think he will get lost? Does he have this tendancy?

 

[fiveacesmmb]

I have always told my child, whether at Disney or not, that if lost.......look for a mom w/children!! Yes, looking for a CM is also a good idea, but if your child cannot find one, the next best thing to do would be look for a mom w/children. Other mother's are always willing to help a lost child. We are also going to purchase walkie talkies so that if my daughter should become seperated, she can call us immediately.

 

[Brightsy]

Having a strategy to not lose a child is a good plan... but no amount of planning can stop all things from happening. No matter how careful someone is things happen.
Case in point: I keep a good eye on my kids when shopping, I always have. Yet, this one time, my then 2 yr. old autistic child managed to slip away and wander off. (This is the ONE and ONLY time it has ever happened thank goodness!) HE was missing for nearly a half hour before I got him back! He had wandered onto the elevator of the mall and was just riding up and down when a family found him. They picked him up and started going from store to store on their way to the management office. I was just giving a picture to the police when we spotted him! I tell you it was the WORST 30 minutes of my life bar none! I still have nightmares about it.
So, despite all the care I took he got away.
It's a good idea to have some kind of plan in mind if the worst happens and a child gets lost. ID tags, walkie talkies, whatever it takes.
Being prepared for the worst isn't a bad thing and it can keep you from getting blindsided.

Sara

My DS9 has been to WDW 32 times and we never lost him. That doesn't mean it can't happen, it just may mean that you are worrying about the wrong thing. Don't worry about losing him, strategize on "not losing him."

Figure out how to keep the three of you together and keep him occupied.

Why do you think he will get lost? Does he have this tendancy?