To those who have "lost" a kid at WDW...

[AZMermaid]

I had bracelets printed at www.namebubbles.com and I taught my kids to go see a CM or a mom or dad with a stroller. While we were browsing in the gift shop at the Grand Californian, my 4 year old walked out. She realized she was lost and found a CM who returned her to the store. She was scared, but surprisingly calm, especially since she is my crier. Embarrassingly.... I had just realized she was missing like 30 seconds before she was returned. She still talks about it every once in a while 9 months later and I just remind her how awesome it was that she remembered what to do.

 

[pirate33]

I remember getting lost at DL when I was a kid. An incident I only vaguely remember is that when I was something like 12 years old, my family was at the DL hotel and I, in typical hard-core fashion, stayed at DL until closing and missed the last monorail back. Security escorted me back to the hotel room! This was in the 70s.

Fast forward: we have never lost our son but the parks can be a bit nervous-making when they are very crowded. When he was little we marched him up to a CM, noted the badge and told him to look for someone with that badge if he got separated. Thankfully, it never happened.

 

[DopeyDame]

We stick with our normal "what to do if you get lost" directions. No reason to change it for WDW and potentially confuse the kids.
For us, we tell our kids to "find a mommy with kids with her" and tell them they are lost and need help. Finding a CM is obviously great, but to a little kid it can sometimes be confusing who is a CM and who is not. Little kids are *very* good at identifying mommies. Now that they are a tad bit older, we did also expand it to "find someone who works there"
And of course, as soon as possible, have your kids memorize a cell number.

 

[unrequited23]

I found some "If lost call#" magic band vinyl decals on etsy for $1.50 each.

 

[sweetmama17]

So I haven't really told this story to many people IRL (and told a much more not a big deal story to DH) but I did lose my then 2 year old at MK a few years ago. I had just finished changing his diaper in the bathrooms at Cosmic Rays. I put him down and turned to get my backpack (ya know, for that split second) and he jetted. Now the door was to the bathroom was open because there was that long of a line. Not ONE person saw him. SO I spent the first few minutes frantically looking IN the bathroom and seriously NO ONE saw him or said ANYTHING to me. I ran out of the bathroom down the hall and into the ridiculously crowded main dining hall. Somehow I spotted him with a cast member. He apparently had run to the window to look at the "castle". I don't remember who the CM was (I so wish I had gotten her name) but I am forever grateful that she had the eye to spot random 2 year old in that crowd. I feel awful for not thanking her enough (I pretty much just grabbed him and ran off as I was on the verge of hysterics).

I do love all the suggestions of stickers with phone number especially as a 2 year old he never kept his magic band on.

 

[Sundowner2]

I found some "If lost call#" magic band vinyl decals on etsy for $1.50 each.

Would you mind linking that for me? We go in june and my 4 year old is anti hand holding all if a sudden.

 

[Elliesmommy]

This did not happen at Disney but when I was five, I was lost in a zoo. I was terrified. Adults were awesome and helped but I did not find my parents for several hours. (This was pre-internet and cell phones). It still traumatizes me to this day.

Anyway, because of my experience, I have ordered personalized temporary tattoos with my contact info along with my daughters allergy information. When we go to theme parks, zoos, etc... I apply one to her inner arm. I do not want her to feel the terror that I felt!

There are several companies out there who sell these.

 

[unrequited23]

Would you mind linking that for me? We go in june and my 4 year old is anti hand holding all if a sudden.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/503072983/custom-magic-band-decal-phone-numberid?ref=hp_rv

We got them within a week of ordering. We don't have our magic bands yet, so I don't know how easy they will be to apply.

 

[SarahandPaul]

We had dog tags made at the machine at PetSmart before our first trip with a mobile child (he was 18 months). We put it on the top of his shoe, but it was easy to spot. We still have it and he chooses to have it safety pinned somewhere he can see like the pocket of his pants. I repeat multiple times throughout the day that he should look for a mommy with kids and show her the tag. We are going this fall and I don't worry about him getting lost. Our wild daughter will be 20 months and she is a runner! Her tag is neon so should be obvious against her sneakers!

 

[mdelano4]

Several years ago we were at an afternoon parade in DHS. I picked up my 4yo DD to watch the parade because it was very crowded. Genius that I am, I put her down after the parade and started walking. Within a minute or two I realized she was gone in the crowd. We began frantically looking for her when she came walking along hand in hand with a very nice CM. When I asked her how she handled it, she told me "well, after the parade, the crowd got crazy and I couldn't find you, so I went over to one of the owners and told her I was lost." Felt very luck and grateful. After that time we started drilling the kids on a game plan. For the very little ones, so right to a CM or a security officer. For the bigger ones, if we get separated meet at the ****.

Now they are older and all have phones. We still need a plan because every kid I know seems to have a cell phone where the battery goes dead hours before his/her parents. Some days I try to hide, but they always find me.

 

[murmer]

Just an FYI not all cms seem to actually know the protocols. We had a lost child and it took over 30 mins before we were told to look at the baby center (where he was). Otherwise we were told to look for him and the mom stayed where she had been when he was lost. It was mass confusion for us and for the cms it appears. The only good thing that came of it was they finally deemed the child in need of some accomadation that they had previously denied.

 

[LMO429]

My son def would not leave a wrist band on so we ordered these stickers from amazon. We can put them on his back:

On etsy search SafetyIDStickers

 

[tinkpower]

My husband lost our 8yr old son in down town Disney in the Lego store. He looked for him for 30 minutes before calling me because he knew I was going to flip out. I did.... Then we found a cast member and they did the whole if thing and radioed around. Or son thought we left him so he boarded a boat by himself and went back to Port Orleans. I still can't believe no one questioned that a child would be boarding the boat alone. Anyway when he got there and we weren't there he got scarred. Thank goodness a family we had been at the pool with the day before let him use a phone and he called. He said "mom, don't freak out I'm at the hotel". Clearly they think I flip out a lot. This was 10 years ago and he often says "remember that time you lost me at Disney world". Funny now but NOT then.

 

[Dis703]

With my oldest we always told him that if we get separated to stay in the last place we were together and I'll come back and find him. When we were at Epcot when he was 6 we separated at a food booth. DH left with (I thought) all three kids and I told him I'd catch up. A few countries later I found DH and only 2 kids. He thought ODS stayed with me but I didn't see him. I ran back to the food booth where we separated and sure enough he found a bench and sat himself down and stayed put. Similar situation happened at home at a German festival. I was stuck in a 45+ minute food line and DH had the kids. They passed me at one point and DH thought DS stayed with me I thought he went on. He must have been alone for well over a half hour before I got to the rest of them and we realized he was missing. He went back to the picnic tables where we had been just before I got in line for food. It's been a very helpful rule to follow.

Now my twins are far less likely to actually follow that advice and so far we haven't had to test it and find out.

 

[Dis703]

My husband lost our 8yr old son in down town Disney in the Lego store. He looked for him for 30 minutes before calling me because he knew I was going to flip out. I did.... Then we found a cast member and they did the whole if thing and radioed around. Or son thought we left him so he boarded a boat by himself and went back to Port Orleans. I still can't believe no one questioned that a child would be boarding the boat alone. Anyway when he got there and we weren't there he got scarred. Thank goodness a family we had been at the pool with the day before let him use a phone and he called. He said "mom, don't freak out I'm at the hotel". Clearly they think I flip out a lot. This was 10 years ago and he often says "remember that time you lost me at Disney world". Funny now but NOT then.

This reminds me, it's so important that we make sure our kid's know our phone numbers. I work in a school district and at both the Elementary and High School levels you'd be shocked how few kids know their phone numbers (home or parents' cell). They are so used to programmed cell phones anymore.

 

[Sabathamk]

With my oldest we always told him that if we get separated to stay in the last place we were together and I'll come back and find him. When we were at Epcot when he was 6 we separated at a food booth. DH left with (I thought) all three kids and I told him I'd catch up. A few countries later I found DH and only 2 kids. He thought ODS stayed with me but I didn't see him. I ran back to the food booth where we separated and sure enough he found a bench and sat himself down and stayed put. Similar situation happened at home at a German festival. I was stuck in a 45+ minute food line and DH had the kids. They passed me at one point and DH thought DS stayed with me I thought he went on. He must have been alone for well over a half hour before I got to the rest of them and we realized he was missing. He went back to the picnic tables where we had been just before I got in line for food. It's been a very helpful rule to follow.

Now my twins are far less likely to actually follow that advice and so far we haven't had to test it and find out.

Oh man, this has happened so often! I tell my husband that we need to inform each other who we are with, and not just assume. With 4 kids, it is crazy. My 4 yo is constantly taking off and 'changing her mind' as to whom she is going with, and after we have 'informed' the other parent, she cannot change her mind. What I hate is when he is on his cell phone and hasn't heard me or the child or whatever and is completely oblivious. She disappears often when he's busy looking down at that thing for I don't know what reason.

Yeah. I don't have a cell phone. Couldn't justify the $30/mo price tag for something I literally never used.

 

[Tinkerfan2005]

I had my kids have pouches on lanyards with my phone number and other contact info on it. That way, if they got lost, the CM could get in contact with me fast. Thankfully, we didn't need it.

 

[Tink_83]

My Grandfather lost my brother at Disney, it was back when they had the Mickey Mouse house that you could walk through and my brother decided he wanted to play in the house (it was roped off so you were not supposed to be back there in the scenes). Anyway, my parents went through the house again and managed to find him playing with the life size figure of Mickey but I'm sure they were worried. My Grandfather played it off as his way of ensuring no one would ever ask him to watch us again

 

[Bmath]

From a technology perspective. There are these little 'tile' buttons that you can use for lost keys or wallets etc. We put one in our kids pockets so if they are reasonably near, we can ding the tile. Never had to use them but it's just another thing we have planned for.

 

[Daniela Rose]

This is such a great thread with so many great tips.
The safetytats, dog tags on shoes or made from petsmart, the decal for the magic band.

My now almost 4 year old memorized my cell. My almost 2 year old is a runner and she'd be the one I'd be worried about.

Great tips. Thank you!