Tips required on how not to lose your children.

[wdwdvcdad]

Just because you choose not to call it a leash doesn't change the fact that it is a leash.

No, I wouldn't rather have someone grab a child. that is a silly & simple-minded question. I would rather a parent watch their child properly. I have been nicely voicing my point of view, but if you want to get mean, believe me, I'll really let you know how I feel & what kind of parent you really are.

"I did it for them and for me. " no, you did it for you because it was easier than watching her.

 

[qtwns]

I have happily used harnesses on my twins in the past. They were great. One ds hid from us last year in Cosmic Ray's and we were petrified, then furious when we realized he was playing a trick on us (he was 4). I recently bought a wrist strap from the $ store. I've told the boys that if they pull a stunt like that on our up coming trip, they get a 1 hr. time out attached to mom via the "Tether of Terror!" They are now 5 and would be mortified...I don't anticipate any problems!

 

[daystar]

My family went at christmas which really busy so you could imagine how paranoid i was about getting separated from my children......My boys are ages 5 and 12 well it's hard when the five year old doesn't want to sit in a stroller and sure doesn't want to hold my hand....But of course he thought i was mean by making him hold my hand but it was only for his own safety....
I will tell you how fast these little ones can be....We took my two boys to the bone yard and the one side is like a playground, then you cross the bridge to get to the bone yard .....Well i turn try to hear what my dh was saying not even two seconds, they were no where in sight.....Well i panic this was my biggest fear when we left and then i have my mother in law in the back of my head saying don't loose my kids.....Thank god they actually stuck together as much as they fight....I didn't know that you had to cross the bridge to the other side to the bone yard, my dh went that way and there they were digging together....I could feel my heart beating so fast it was in my throat, i will never forget that feeling, i was just about in tears......
The only other thing i want to tell you , when you go into shows or like the hm where there really is no line when you get inside, your just pushed into a room with all these people, hold on to your children....People wont think twice about seperating you or knocking them over....
Not trying to scare you just keep a close watch and a tight hold....
As for the wrist and the harness idea, i think that i would rather have my child in one of these then lose them....You should do what you feel is necessary for your children safety.....

 

[shellybaxter]

Hello,

I am a preschool teacher with a lot of years of education and expirience with under 5s and their development. I used to think that "leases" were horrible and that people who used them were bad parents.

Hello, boy was I wrong. I've used both the wrist strap and the harness with my niece when I took her to Disneyland and Disneyworld. She's very indepent and runs a lot faster than me. I've also had days where I've just used a stroller and held her hand. Those days were the worst for her. She felt a lot more "attached and controled" without the teather and she got more frustrated and upset. She actually preferred the harness. The wrist strap hurt her wrist. I ended up attaching it to her shirt around the shoulder.

I will give you that some children do not need a teather and are perfectly safe and happy. However, some are not. Whether or not your child will respond well to a teather has a lot more to do with their personality and temperment (something we are born with not trained for) then how they have been raised.


Shelly

 

[HeatherAnn23]

Just wanted to jump in and say I survived a childhood of being harnessed! I do not have emotional scars from being tethered as a child, and I didn't feel like I was on a harness so my parents did not have to watch me.
I was a runner. I would do it quickly and purposefully. I would get spanked after I did it, and favorite toys taken away, etc. The rush of the journey made it worth it for me every time. I would even get in elevators, push buttons, and continue running on another floor of a building!
My parents had two other children, and it was physically impossible for them to watch all three of us for every moment of our vacation. I was put in a harness to keep myself safe, and to keep my parents from having a heart attack.
They did not have to use the harness with my brothers.
I was different, as all children are different and have different personalities and needs.
I only have one son, and I don't use a harness or wrist strap with him because I don't need to. But I would if I did.
I am also a preschool teacher, with a BS in Early Childhood Education, and a State of Oregon Trainer for child care providers and parents.
Bravo parents for taking care of your children, and recognizing that you can't watch your children every second of every day. After all, it is your vacation too, and you should be able to enjoy the simple pleasures of blinking, yawning, and maybe the occasional sneeze.

 

[Flower4Pwr]

Something that I've had parents do countless times is show their children our name tags and tell their children that if they get seperated to look for someone wearing the SAME TYPE of name tag. (They stress this because you can buy "guest of honor badges" that look like CM name tags.) I think that if you just instruct your children to go to the nearest CM you should be fine. Even retracing your steps might not work in a big crowd but if you find a CM and the children find a CM they will have you reunited in no time!! Hope this helps!!

 

[SamSam]

I think the most important thing is to emphasize to your children that if they do 'misplace you', that everything will be okay and not to be scared. Then (as mentioned before), teach them to go to CM's.

As far as the 'strap' goes, I think it's much better than tugging a little around by the hand (which means the arm is usually held way over the little ones head).

 

[kazd]

Originally posted by wdwdvcdad
The whole idea just makes me feel so sad for the children on the end of the dog leash.

There in lies the problem, its in the name you guys give what is basically a means of not losing your most beloved possessions.

LEASH - Immediately make you think of a dog lead. In the UK we call them Toddler Reins, soon as you say that I think of cute little babies stumbling around on their first steps. The reins are great because you can stop them falling flat on their faces. The wrist strap that I have is a slightly more grownunp version for those youngsters who think they are far to grownup for reins.

We used to have an advert in the UK years ago that showed a young mother opening her door to pay the milk man, in that split second when her attention was distracted her young child had dashed into the roads and into the path of a car. The message was that children under 5 didn't have a proper sense of danger.
I know that it is not always the case but who wants to pay the price of testing the theory.

In addition we in the UK will never forget Jamie Bulger, taken in a split second when his mother was distracted. Just recently we heard a report where someone tried to snatch a child whilst she was holding her mothers hand. You can't be too careful. There was the case where a little girl was taken in a department store, the store immediately closed all the exits, the little girl was found in the restrooms with her hair cut, wearing a different coat. More recently we have had Sarah Payne taken whilst playing in a field outside her grandparents house, Holly and Jessica, the list goes on.

There are some sick people out there and I am quite sure that Disney World would be an ideal hunting ground for them.

So no matter how sad you think it is to see these children on a 'LEASH' it would be even sadder if they were taken and abused or even murdered.

 

[kazd]

Originally posted by stacilee
I think you should at least consider a stroller for the 4 year old. I'm quite sure that you probably wouldn't need one under normal circumstances but a trip to WDW entails about 5 miles of walking each day. Little children take 2 steps for every one of our strides and the heat is very tiring to youngsters. If you have a stroller they can climb in and out when they are tired, and escape the sun at times too. An added plus it you have somewhere to put all your "stuff" and don't have to be the packmule.

Tell all your children to go to the nearest CM if they become separated from you, that they will know what to do and how to find you. In all our trips, we've never lost one yet!
Have a great trip!

Thank you, we had already decided to buy a stroller, he hasn't used one for about a year now, but I know he will be glad of it around the parks. I imagine even my six year old will like a ride in one. We were going to hire one but looking at the cost according to our guide book, it might be cheaper to buy one. The costs seem to vary between $8 and $15 is this the diff between a single and double buggy. Are they normal buggies or are they (sorry stroller) designed for a bit more abuse, ie bigger kids, do they have sun canopies etc.

Anyone got a pic of their child in one of the wdw ones so that I can check it out before I buy. We arrive Sat afternoon and intend to go straignt to Kmart etc and buy a few staples.

Thanks

 

[Schmeck]

Time for Schmeck to do her spiel:

If you opt to use a harnes/leash/tether of some sort, please do not use the kind with the coiled, or stretchy cords. Make sure that the child does not pull too far away from you. I'll refrain from going into detail about two incidents I witnessed involving children on leashes getting too far away from their parents and getting knocked down when someone else tripped over the stretched out cord...

 

[SnackyStacky]

Everyone is more than welcome to their opinion. Everyone is also more than welcome to voice it. But please remember to be civil , or this thread will be locked.

 

[babybunrab]

I know I'm very new to the boards, but...

The nice thing about harnesses or the wrist strap is that the child can get a bit of his own freedom, and doesn't have to walk around with his arm up over his head all the time. That said:

I did lose DS on our first trip to WDW when he was 2. It was during the fireworks. However, we had told him how to spot an employee and to go into any shop and say 'I'm lost.' He did this, and they took him right to the (I want to call it town hall, but I don't think that's what it's called) It's by the railroad bridge to the left as you walk into MK. At any rate, he was safe, and they asked me for at least 3 forms of ID before they gave him back to me.

The point? Take the few moments it takes in each part to help them spot the Disney employees and point out where the stores are. This, of course, does not address someone trying to be malicious and take a child, but it will keep them from getting totally upset if they are accidentally separated.

 

[SnoWhiteRabbit]

Originally posted by HeatherAnn23

I was a runner. I would do it quickly and purposefully. I would get spanked after I did it, and favorite toys taken away, etc. The rush of the journey made it worth it for me every time. I would even get in elevators, push buttons, and continue running on another floor of a building!
My parents had two other children, and it was physically impossible for them to watch all three of us for every moment of our vacation. I was put in a harness to keep myself safe, and to keep my parents from having a heart attack.
They did not have to use the harness with my brothers.
I was different, as all children are different and have different personalities and needs.

Excellent point and my thoughts exactly! Some kids are "runners!" It does make me sad to think of a child on a harness, IF he/she doesn't need it. I like for my children to have some freedom. They "explore" but stay close enough for all of us to still feel safe and comfortable. If a child and parent can feel safe without the harness, I do think that's the better way to go....but if the child is a "runner," I think that's a whole other story. Parents have to know their children and make decisons based on their own children's needs.

As for cheap mobile phones, they are available. I think you can buy them for about $40.00 - 50.00 a phone, and then buy a prepaid phone card type of thing for them. Don't know enough details b/c I don't have one, but I know they are available.

Make sure the kids carry ID info (inclduing yorur names, hotels, cell phone #'s, etc.).

Dressing them in the same color or easy to spot bright colors is helpful.

Teach them who to go to ask for help.

Also, Id idn't see you say when you are going. It might not be "that bad." We've been in ay and Ocotber and it was fine to give our little ones a little space. Summertime, April, and Christmas would be a different story.

Hope that helps!

 

[SnoWhiteRabbit]

Originally posted by kazd
Thank you, we had already decided to buy a stroller, he hasn't used one for about a year now, but I know he will be glad of it around the parks. I imagine even my six year old will like a ride in one. We were going to hire one but looking at the cost according to our guide book, it might be cheaper to buy one. The costs seem to vary between $8 and $15 is this the diff between a single and double buggy. Are they normal buggies or are they (sorry stroller) designed for a bit more abuse, ie bigger kids, do they have sun canopies etc.

Anyone got a pic of their child in one of the wdw ones so that I can check it out before I buy. We arrive Sat afternoon and intend to go straignt to Kmart etc and buy a few staples.

Thanks

No pic, but they are larger sized and comfortable for bigger kids! I will use a double for my 4 and 6 year olds next trip, jsut from time to time for a break. They are low to the ground and older kids can get in and out by themselves, if you want them to, which is nice.

Hope that helps!

 

[xraydave]

I too used to cringe when I saw kids on tethers. Now I have my own two children and can't imagine losing them. I think the tethers are just fine. Afterall, Disney is not only distracting for the kids but the parents as well. My wife has considered getting one for me!!!!

I love the ideas of placing information somewhere on the child and snapping a picture each day to show what they are wearing.

My thought, in case you don't have a digital camera, is allowing the CMs to take your family picture, as they so often do, as you enter the park. Then you have a receipt for the picture and can get it if you need it. (Or if you want it).

WDWDVCDAD- You are entitled to your opinion but we all want to enjoy our vacation so don't let the harmless actions of others ruin yours by obsessing over them.


c-ya real soon....

 

[SnoWhiteRabbit]

I could be wrong about this, but I think WDW Cast Members have mane tags with a white background, while the ones people can buy have a variety of other colors. This is the easiest way to teach children to look for CM's -- look for white name tags (They also have a small text line that says where they are from , ie "New York, NY" which the Guest of Honor badges do not, but I think the white background is easier for little ones to spot.)

Hope that helps!

 

[SnoWhiteRabbit]

Here's a link to post about differnt kinds of ID's for kids:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=499562

In this post, I posted some info, including the following:
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Depending on the ages of the children, more importantly than ID is teaching them basic safety -

What to do if lost --
Stay in one spot, where you last saw your mom or dad

Who the safe adults are and how to find one --
- In Disney point out the Cast Member name tags with WHITE backgrounds
- In a store, a person behind a counter or cash resgister
- The Center for Missing and Exploited Children recommends asking for help from: a mom with children; a pregnant woman; someone who reminds the child of grandma; someone behind a cash register/counter

Good luck in what you choose. And may you never need to put an ID to use!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hope this helps as well!

 

[campingcorgi]

Here is some info and pictures of strollers at Disney.

http://allearsnet.com/pl/strol_faq.htm

Use the handholder if you need to--it's legally and morally safe.

 

[djm99]

When my DD was 2 I had to use a harness on her. She was a runner. I guess you can say now 4 she has "matured" and its no longer needed. I bought a Water proof wristband from this company. This company below sent I ID wristband very quickly and they take paypal. They price starts at $6.95 and shipping is only .50 (but be careful they ship the wristband in a plain white envelope and It was almost trash). The disposable ID cards allow you to put hotel names, phone and room numbers on the ID card. I hope this helps.



http://id-inside.com/index.html

 

[DVC Jen]

Originally posted by wdwdvcdad
The whole idea just makes me feel so sad for the children on the end of the dog leash.

it's not a dog leash.. it is a child safety wrist strap. I would feel even sadder for the child that got lost in a pushing crowd or grabbed by some less than spectaluar human. It only takes a split second for someone to grab your child or for a child to get lost in a crowd. Sure they can come off.. BUT you feel the tugging on the other end.

I used them too. They ARE wonderful for the toddler/preschool aged children who are trying to establish independance, yet still need to be close. Ya never know when they will see something that catches their eye enough to make them wander a few steps away.. and if the parent is tending to another child he/she may not see the wandering one take off.