| | | | Lost in an Amusement Park- We’ve got Some Simple Tools |
Provided by Monica Levine-Sauberman from www.FamilyVacationCritics.com 
A parent’s worst nightmare! You are in Disney and one of your children has wandered away. You scream for your son. You are not carrying a picture of your son, so the police only have a vague description. You forgot to set a special meeting place, and your son is only 3 years old, so he does not know your phone number. After a few minutes you find him. Consider yourself one of the lucky ones.
There are several tools on the market today that claim to help during that exact situation. Currently the technology is not quite perfected to fully rely on these devices. Several companies are working on GPS, hopefully the prices will come down.
High Tech - ION Kids and Angel Alert
Two child detectors that I tried where ION Kids and Angel Alert. The ION is a great idea, the concept is there. We returned the device twice because it was not working correctly. It would not stop beeping! After the two returns we gave up. The company had great customer service, but the product had some flaws.
The Angel Alert is a cheaper way to go at only about $19.00. The parent’s device beeps when the child goes to far. The only problem was that the child detector did not beep, so my son kept going. Some of the time the device beeped even though my son was next to me. Since it was not consistent I would not recommend it. Here is the link to see the item:http://www.familyvacationcritics.com/local_links/family_store.php?cat=8
Low Tech – Common Sense Ideas
There are easy ways to keep your kids safe, without spending a fortune! These ideas are not full proof, but they certainly help.
Id Tags: One great suggestion from my partner, Ms. Jo Rutter, is a simple id tag. When we went to Disney we got a waterproof bicycle tag and pinned it to my daughters pants. Keep the tag out of sight from the public, but remind the child it is there. Put on the tag: your cell number, name of child and your name, hotel staying in, home address and a telephone number of someone at home.
Meeting Place: Make a meeting place everyday. Tell your child where to go if they get lost. If the child gets lost he/she can go to that spot or take a police officer (or at Disney World, a Cast Member) to the special spot.
No Password, Scream: If a stranger approaches them tell them to: Throw themselves on the floor and scream you are not my mommy or daddy. Also, tell them if a stranger says your mommy and daddy said to go with them ask them your special password. Always have a password for your kids even to use at home. If the stranger does not know the password scream!
Picture: Carry a recent picture of your child with you at all times. This is so important…at Disney World the first step they tell you to do is alert a Cast Member that your child is missing. What do you think the first thing that Cast Member will ask for? Bingo, a description of your child!
Keeping our children safe is a number one priority when you are on vacation, or even just at the local mall. The technology is progressing to help us do our job. In the meantime, we can give kids simple tools to help us!
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