Toddler Safety Tips?

[sconnell]

We are headed to The World for DD's first trip in May. She will be turning 2 that week and I would like some tips on safety. She is very, um, strong-willed and independent. She is usually well behaved, but I'm a littled worried. I keep thinking, "What if she darts into a crowd?" What can I do to make sure that she has some ID on her person? I don't think she will carry anything all day. An ID necklace won't last or anything that she is aware of. I want to have a cell number on her and an emergency number of someone back home.
On the trip will be DH, DD, myself and Friend and Husband and their DS 18 months.

 

[crazywig]

hmm, i hadn't thought about ID. we're bringing ds 2 this june for his second trip.

he usually stays in his stroller and is very good about it, but i am going to buy a (gasp!) harness for him to wear while we are in a ride queue or walking around. he is not good at holding my hand for long and the thought of him running off scares the heck out of me (plus i'll be 6m pregnant by then, not really into running LOL).

i remember someone posting about tying some sort of ID to the shoelaces but i can't remember exactly. off to search!

 

[crazywig]

found it:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=512791&highlight=+identification

there are many others if you search on 'identification' in this forum.

 

[my3princes]

We have been on lots of trips with toddlers. Mine are very good about riding in the stroller and not running off. We did buy a harness for our oldest first trip, he was 2 1/2 and we used it only on the first day. We never used a harness with our second. We are heading back in July with a 20 mth old that is very independent and will probably want to follow older brothers. I think that I will get a harness in case I need it. I also found that a good front pack works well in lines. I wouldn't recommend walking around all day with a 2 yr old in a carrier, but it is very useful in some of the lines. Also we got an id for our sons at
Town Hall in the MK. I don't remember exactly what it looked like, but I think that it pinned on them. I am considering using one of our Disney Print Studio programs to come up with some kind of "license type" id for all of my kids. I can laminate it and put it in the older kids belly bags and attach it somehow to the baby. Another idea that we used last trip was to teach our kids how to use a walkie talkie. We all had one in our belly bags. We never actually had to use them, but they knew that if they ever got separated they were to turn it on immediately.

 

[ILMOUSE]

When we went in March, I had a small dog tag engraved with DD's (18 months then) name and our cell phone number. Then I attached it to her shoelace. Surprisingly she never messed with it.


If you are going to use a harness, practice with it first. We got one for our DD and let her wear it while we walked around our neighborhood. We reinforced that she had to always hold our hand even with it on. We did use it in lines and in other places when she needed to walk off some energy.

It has worked great for us in stores, etc. She likes it as it means she doesn't have to ride in the stroller.

Enjoy your trip!

 

[lovesdumbo]

I laminated a family photo so that if they got lost the CM would know what DH & I looked like. I put our surname (not the child's name), resort and cell phone number on the back. But do be quite honest my usually very strong willed little boy was so well behaved on the trip that I never used it nor did I use the harness I brought.

 

[HopperFan]

My eldest is handicapped and once he started to walk he was always taking off. We ordered the tags to put on his shoes.

Most Walmarts (maybe some large petstores) have the machine where you pick a tag (some plain shapes or even a heart shape) and put whatever you want on it and it prints it immediately!! No ordering. It would be worth it to put on your name, cell phone number and maybe which hotel you are at.

Put it at the very bottom cross of the shoelace. They can't get them off. People often noticed it on him, so I am sure if your child gets lost, someone will notice it and call you.

 

[alloyd1170]

www.childsid.com has some neat items, and possible ideas. My son who hated to have anything on him has a fun id bracelet and it doesnt bother him one bit. He wears it 24/7. You could also wear it around your ankle. I think the shoe tag that others are talking about might be best for your child, but I wouldnt get one thats big otherwise your child might notice it and fight it. CMs are supposed to check the child all over for id. The harness thing doesnt sound like it will work for you since your child doesnt like to wear anything. I didnt want one showing up in my 2 yo olds pictures. What I did was to get a fanny pack for a child, and rig up the leash part of a harness to the back of it. That way he could carry his snacks (like a big boy) and I could keep him close (great while waiting in lines that he tried to bolt out of). When I didnt need it, I just tucked the leash in the back of his shirts. Another idea I just got off of here was for the Fisher Price Child Locator. Problem is that they dont make it anymore. I called FP and they didnt know why because it was a great item. I did find one on Ebay for $7 (retailed for $60 ish) and there were others. I should get it this week. It has a parent and a child unit that activates when separated. Supposedly you can push a button and the child unit will beep. It will also go off if the child gets too far away. I dont know if it will help, but for $7 its worth a try!

alison

 

[sconnell]

Great ideas! I hadn't even thought of the shoe tag. I bet she would leave that alone. I did buy a harness, but I really don't think she'll let me get near her with it. She has a little fanny pack and a small backpack that came with her luggage, I might try the fanny pack again.

 

[HopperFan]

You could even thread a few beads on either side of it on the shoelace, and then matching ones on the other shoe. Treat it as shoe jewelry - she may be quite proud of it

My daughter would have loved it !

 

[dlstc]

Walmart sells an Angel Alert for about $40 that goes off when the child is too far away from the parent. I had misgivings about it: 1)it tells you they are far away but not where 2)may have to take it on and off for bathroom breaks, snacks, etc. 3)a predator could take it off and throw it away, etc.

I will be using the harness as well with my dd4 and dd2, especially since I will be alone with them in the parks for the majority of our first four days. DH has a conference.

One other safety tip: if you are staying at a hotel with a balcony, you may want to have housekeeping remove the chairs from the balcony. I can just see my dds climbing on them to get a better view and, well, I don't want to think about it.

Good luck and have a safe trip!

Diana

 

[alloyd1170]

About the balcony-good idea. An 18 mos old just died from falling from a 6th floor balcony in Mrytle Beach I believe. Scares the heck out of me when I hear stuff like that.

alison