Protecting Your Children!

[justdru]

I posted this in the WDW Tips section but I felt it deserved a re-post here as well. Lots of families can barely afford their vacations to Disney each year so many times the GPS systems may be out of their reach as well. Here is a non-expensive (see: free) way to help make your lost child be found quickly!

In law enforcement, we always suggested that parents go by the hospitals before leaving on vacation and ask the nurses very nicely if they could make them a few wristbands. On the wristband they'd list the child's name, telephone number, backup number, and any medical problems or allergies.

The idea was that if your kid wanders off a name and phone number might not be enough. What if he or she gets hurts while searching for you and the emergency workers don't have you there to let them know he's allergic to certain meds? Etc.

The biggest perk this has is that when a child is scared he or she might not remember or think to show the workers another form of identification. This is especially true for younger children. However, with a medical wristband on, the worker will inevitably notice it because he or she will almost certainly hold your child's hand.

If your hospital is nice enough to do it for you (most will be) it's also free!

Just a tip! :wave:

 

[mpeters]

Very nice tip............Would never have thought of this.

 

[sbkline]

My wife just had a baby, so we both had wristbands on very recently. And maybe I just didn't look or try hard enough to undo it to take it off, but I ended up using scissors to cut the thing off once we got home. So it has always been my impression that once that thing is on, it's on until you're ready to snip it. So does your child just wear it 24/7 while on vacation, or do you get enough to put on him the whole trip, or was I just not looking hard enough to find how to undo it without snipping it? Other than that, it does sound like a good idea. We're planning/hoping to take our son in April and I've been wondering about putting some kind of wristband or something on him with our contact info in case he gets lost.

 

[mickey7879]

If your hospital won't provide them or if you don't want to ask, you can also purchase bracelets with a space to fill in all that info at Vitalids.com. We ordered a few packs of these and they included a waterproof pen to write on them with. One bracelet would last for several days.

 

[justdru]

My wife just had a baby, so we both had wristbands on very recently. And maybe I just didn't look or try hard enough to undo it to take it off, but I ended up using scissors to cut the thing off once we got home. So it has always been my impression that once that thing is on, it's on until you're ready to snip it. So does your child just wear it 24/7 while on vacation, or do you get enough to put on him the whole trip, or was I just not looking hard enough to find how to undo it without snipping it? Other than that, it does sound like a good idea. We're planning/hoping to take our son in April and I've been wondering about putting some kind of wristband or something on him with our contact info in case he gets lost.

There's two kinds... I've never worked in a hospital, but I know they make bracelets specifically for children. You push down on the button, twist it, and then it comes apart. It's almost like a safety cap on a prescription medication.

I'd imagine they made these to save kids the trauma of having mommy cutting at their wrists with a pair of scissors!

Either way, they're relatively inexpensive from a medical providers standpoint, and they should have no problem making you a handful to take with you. If they tell you no, just visit another place!

As mentioned, there are several alternatives you can purchase yourself but it's hard to beat free!

 

[andyg711]

The wristbands are definitely a good idea. Of course this assumes that a child will tell someone they are lost, and do so in a timely manner, good luck. :brick: In the meantime parents are in a panic state hoping the child or someone else is taking action. I think the purpose of the GPS tracker is to be able to take out your cell and call someone right away who can direct you to your lost child. This gives the parent the power to locate the child, and my guess is, a lot faster. To me, it's worth the $40 for the gps which covers a week.

 

[KC82271]

This is a great idea. I have a 4 year old daughter and am always panicked that she will get lost. Love the idea.

 

[mousebymarriage]

I think this is a wonderful idea. I would also like to suggest taking a picture of each of your kids ALONE, every morning before you leave the resort. This way if your child gets lost you can show the pic to a CM if necessary and they can see what your child looks like plus what they are wearing that day.

 

[nolatron]

I think the purpose of the GPS tracker is to be able to take out your cell and call someone right away who can direct you to your lost child. This gives the parent the power to locate the child, and my guess is, a lot faster. To me, it's worth the $40 for the gps which covers a week.

I'm curious how that's supposed to work well though. So they can see where the child is on a tracking map, but how exactly are they supposed to tell where the parent is to give you proper directions? Unless the mapping service uses satellite imagery so the person viewing the map can see that the gps tracker is, say for example, by space mountain, then you'll know where you need to go. Of course the person looking at the map needs to know what landmarks are what too in theme parks.

I see they have a web based tracker map, wonder how well, or if at all, that works on a cellphone though.

I think the service itself is great with the tiny GPS tracker and all, I just wonder how well the "call the hotline and we'll direct you" works when the parent is in the middle of a theme park ya know.

 

[Atomicmickey]

I don't mean to be insensitive or dull, but I have an honest question,
that maybe someone on the boards can answer.

How many kids are lost at WDW each year? By lost I mean, LOST as opposed
to "separated from parents for a short time".

My guess is, none. Just my guess.

I wonder whether this is all necessary.

Friends of mine "lost" their kids after a parade in the MK last year. Aged 6 and 7. They found them, with friendly cast members, less than 5 minutes later. 5 anxious minutes, to be sure, but there was never any danger.

I have printed up ID cards for my kids with my cell number on it, in case they get separated they can show the card to a CM or someone else to
call my cell.

In any event, hey, I don't want to lose my kids any more than anyone else, and I'm concerned for their safety as well. I just think that spending money on a GPS tracking system in WDW is taking good money away from snacks.

 

[kktwinsdad]

Children Safety

When my family was at WDW on 06, we saw a child with a note pinned to his pack stating "If found please call my cell phone with the number list"
I thoght this is a great idea and even took a picture of the kid.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?a...0&saved#/photo.php?pid=30441954&id=1146136830

 

[smk]

I think this is a wonderful idea. I would also like to suggest taking a picture of each of your kids ALONE, every morning before you leave the resort. This way if your child gets lost you can show the pic to a CM if necessary and they can see what your child looks like plus what they are wearing that day.

VERY GOOD IDEA!!!!! So simple yet so potentially effective.

 

[MickeyPalNick]

Hi all...new to the wdwmagic forums but not new to "the world".

We went this past March and we have a trip scheduled for December for Christmas and my son's birthday...he will be 3.

In March we went with friends who have a daughter about 18months. We bought safety tatoos from www.safetytat.com. You can have them custom printed with name/address/phone or you can buy write ons. You get 24 for $20. The tats last 3-5 days and there is no way for them to lose them (great for little ones). Now we use them everywhere...malls, zoos and parks.

 

[Brookie44]

I think its a great idea, esp for little ones who can't talk yet.

Getting separated "lost" could be very scary for any kid, regardless if its only for a few minutes. Also, if my 6 yr old got lost, I wouldn't be half as worried as if my 2 yr old did. A school age kid has been trained to do if they were lost, a 2 year old hasn't a clue.

I still would give on to my older kid just for the phone number alone, they know the cell number, but we generally don't teach them area code....in which they would need to know out of state.

I wish I could afford a GPS, but with 3 kids, that really can add up if you are on a budget.

Just emailed a friend that works at the hospital to see if she will pick us some up.

Thanks!

 

[Batphobic]

Great idea/s. Hadn't thought of these before. Thanks for contributing.

One note - do the hospital tags say the kids name? If so I've read that to protect the child you're not supposed to include the child's name (hate the thought of it but I guess if someone was mal-intended they could use the child's name to gain trust or something).

So I just ordered some tags from
http://www.childidwristbands.com/index.php

Only a couple bucks to print a custom message on them. So I ordered a pack of 30 (if we have some left over we can use 'em in the mall or whatever) and just put "If lost, call my parents at ___" and the put our cell phone numbers.

Going in a couple weeks and will let you know if the tags are good or garbage.

 

[wdwwdeagle]

Our kids are older now, but in the past we have just written our cell phone # on the back of their hand (or on the arm for smaller kids) with a Sharpie. Eliminates the need to buy anything to put on them (tattoo, bracelet), and does the same job.
It takes a couple days for Sharpie to wear off, even at the water parks/pools.

 

[usnret04]

A little off topic, but my wife want's to use one of those "child leashes" to hang on to our very curious 3 year old son. I'm not to crazy about having my son on a leash and feel it will cause more problems, like getting snagged around other people and stuff. I should mention that we have two other children, girls aged 10 and 8, so it will be somewhat challenging to keep an eye on all three.

Has anyone seen people use these at WDW? Anybody have any success with them?

 

[jacalynsue]

I used harnesses on both my kids. They are WONDERFUL. You don't have to hold a curious toddler's hand. They feel independent, yet you can keep them from wandering off. I have not used them at WDW specifically since they were either too young or too old for them, but I'd not hesitate a second.

Think of it from a toddler's point of view- to hold your hand, they pretty much have to raise their hand over their head. Not comfortable.

Stay close to them when walking and you won't have tangles. Nor do you have to worry about dislocating their elbow. --easily done with toddler joints.

Good luck.

 

[kerrie]

i take a picture every morning so i have apicture of the day so to speak. They make tatoos that you can get and place on thechild. I do know that you can also use small personal tags in shoes, clothing and yes hospital bracelets.