Create a Lost Kids' Plan for Theme Parks

Video Transcript

"And we're talking about different ways that we can help keep our family safe at theme parks. One of the things that you're going to absolutely have a plan for because it can happen and it can happen very easily is if your child becomes lost. Obviously the goal is to make sure that that doesn't happen but a place like a theme park is very common. There are thousands of distractions, there are a million people and it really is very easy for a child to become separated and just lost in the shuffle in a split second really. If that is the case, you want to be sure that your child is prepared so that they don't panic. There's nothing worse than a lost child who is panicked and doesn't know what to do. You're going to want to assure your child that you're not going to leave the theme park without finding them and that the very first thing that you're going to do when they go missing is look for them until you find them. You never want a child to think that you've left without them and that they should go out looking into the parking lot for you because that carries dangers all on its own aside from stranger danger, there's also cars to deal with and that can become a very dangerous situation for your child. With that said if your child becomes separated, you need to tell them they are not to panic, that you're looking for them and that they really need to go to some sort of park personnel, not to really entrust in a stranger because that can be dangerous. They can just go up to someone who is selling you know, popcorn or candy, there are certainly enough vendors in a location like that and just ask that they find some sort of paging system where you can be paged. One of the smartest things that you can do is write down your phone number and your name and your cell phone number and your cell phone numbers of anybody who is with you at the park and put it on your child's body whether it's in a pocket or if they're carrying a little backpack or even in their shoe and make sure that you child knows where it is that way you can be reachable within a minute or two and it really is the most effective way to be reunited with your child. With all of that said obviously, the best thing to do is to be sure that your child is close to you. If your child is a toddler, I would go for the harness with a leash and I wouldn't worry about what people think about things like that. I used it with my children and I got a couple of funny looks but you know what? I never lost my children, they were always within arms reach and if they started to wonder away, I just yanked them back and you know what? It was fine and it was much better than having to go chasing a lost child around a place like a theme park."