Would you know what to do if you lost your child in a public place? - Page 9

[SundayCrepes]

Whistle update, in case anyone is interested.

This seems to be working. I ask him, "What do you do if you can't see me?" and he says "Blow my whistle." I say yes and tell him he can also ask a mom with kids for help.

Today he was hiding in the shirt rack at the store. I knew he was there. Perhaps I shouldn't let him do that. On the other hand, he's having fun and he's staying close by. I always know what rack he's under. Anyway, this is the first time he's played that since getting his whistle. He blew it. I made a big deal of pulling back the shirts and saying, "Here I am." He laughed.

I'd originally bought to whistles at Big 5 or some other sports store. I gave him the little plastic one which is great. I also got a metal one--figured we'd experiment with which is best. Since plastic worked so well, I didn't experiment. We forgot the plastic one today so I pulled out the metal one. It's harder for him to blow. He can do it, but in a real emergency, I want what's easiest.

[Limabean1975]

Mybabysmama, I just looked back through your posts here and it seems my boy is the same age as yours, so I think I will try out this whistle idea!
Does he wear it around his neck?

[MayBaby2007]

This thread crossed my mind. Wanted to bump it up for anyone who hasn't read it and for others as a reminder

[johnnagrrl]

I am deathly afraid of this. So, we got Jacob a id kit made. We went through Digi Kids ( http://www.digikids-id.com/ ). It comes with a little "license" for my wallet and as soon as he goes missing, you alert a staff member at the store or whereever you are, they put the dics that comes with the license into their comoputer and it automatically pulls up all his info. Then, if it's been a while that he's been missing, they can print missing posters right fromt here and it automatically alerts the police. I carry it everywhere with me. They also make temp tattoos that you can get with your phone number, in case they go missing and someone finds them. I intend on using them when we do big day trips, now that he is old enough to "wander".

I know you're supposed to alert the staff immediately. That way, they can do a lockdown. I got this email once that someone lost their kid in BRU and they did a lock down and they found her 5 minutes later, in the bathroom with half her hair cut off, holding a wig. Seems someone tried to steal her and then lost their nerve. Then, you should always have a recent pic of your child. Never put clothing on them that has their name on it, since they are more likely to go to someone if they know their name. I got this online:

Companies that do implement the program generally place a Code Adam decal at the front of the business. Employees at these businesses are trained to do the following six steps according to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children:

If a visitor reports a child is missing, a detailed description of the child and what he or she is wearing is obtained. Additionally, all exterior access to the building is locked and monitored; anyone approaching a door is turned away.

The employee goes to the nearest in-house telephone and pages Code Adam, describing the child’s physical features and clothing. As designated employees monitor front entrances, other employees begin looking for the child.

If the child is not found within 10 minutes, law enforcement is called.

If the child is found and appears to have been lost and unharmed, the child is reunited with the searching family member.

If the child is found accompanied by someone other than a parent or legal guardian, reasonable efforts to delay their departure will be used without putting the child, staff, or visitors at risk. Law enforcement will be notified and given details about the person accompanying the child.

The Code Adam page will be canceled after the child is found or law enforcement arrives.

http://www.holidaycityflash.com/trav...ing_child1.htm

http://www.squidoo.com/pollyklaas/hq

[ernalala]

wykwtdiytwliapublicplace?

NO.

It recently finally happened to us. My toddler is known to us for being a 'runner' so I am very very careful with him at home and outside, and often just avoid being out and about with both of my two young kids. But then again, there was that day with my mom and my two children in a shopping mall, us having a snack while they were playing in a small play area right next to us, with at least one pair of our adults' eyes continuously watching the plaything and its only entrance. Then, a woman next to our table started to interact with us and my oldest one, while we 'd just switched table sides so that my mom could watch the play area continuously and I could get us more drinks. Because of the woman's interaction with my child, and my son spitting out a bad-tasting sweet she gave him, for a split second I didn't look and my mom lost view of the play area's entrance/exit because the woman was blocking it. So this was enough for my toddler to take advantage of the situation and run out of the place (which we hadn't noticed- and he'd probably been waiting for a moment like that...). Just very shortly after, my mom suddenly felt we had to look in the play area to see if he was still there and my eldest said he was GONE! From that moment, I'm sorry to say, I fully panicked. A lady at the snackbars' exit could tell me a toddler ran off but she'd assumed a parent would or did go after him. I COULD NOT SEE HIM ANYWHERE!, it's full of restaurants and snack bars there, wıth the center of the floor being stacked with hundreds of chairs, tables and people, it is a MEGA shopping mall, and I could NOT see ANY sign of my child or running feet/hair beneath/behind he tables. Of course, it must happen exacvtly on the only day thatI didn't manage to write my phone nr. on his arm because my pen gave up... My mom stayed with my pre-schooler in the snack bar while I and the woman who'd interacted with us (who'd been watching my toddler too and knew exactly what he looked like) started to look for him. I approached a woman at a close-by desk of a theater and asked if she'd seen him pass (later it appeared he'd passed that place exactly in her vision, but ok, I also had not see him run away) and then if she could assist in help finding him. Her answer was that 'for such situations, you can go to the information desk downstairs' !!! Can you believe THAT? No hair on my head would think of leaving this floor of this mega-center while my kid was just lost few minutes ago on that floor. She had a PHONE right NEXT to her! I quickly requested her to please call security or someone who could help to find him and I ran off to look further, frantically. At that point I felt sooo totally alone in this, realising this was sooo very horrible, it was up to ME and ME only to get my son back and I could not see him anywhere or think of a place he might have gone. I saw the other woman talking to sth like a security guard (but knowing that if guards help searching they often pick out any kid and ask is it this one, that one, maybe that one...). I think the whole episode lasted at least 10 minutes before we could find him, finally she found him near a play area at the other end of the floor where she thought he might have gone too (later I remembered that he'd seen it when we just arrived on that floor but in my panic I could not even think that clearly). I was soooo sooo grateful that she brought my boy back! But later also we also realised that if it wouldn't have been for her interaction and blocking our view that he WOULD'NT have been able to run without us seeing it happen. But still, so grateful. My mom and I were really sick in the stomach from the whole thing. And even though my kids hadn't eaten any 'real' food, I'd ordered them a (rare) ice-cream because I was so happy that we were complete again (and I had to sit for a while...). And I HATED to have to tell the story to my husband, but at least I knew I would get his support and understanding because he knows our little one too well, too...

Later, when overlooking the situation again and again, I realised the best thing I could've been doing myself was to go to the (two-way) 'exit' of the dining floor (leading to the rest of the extended shopping mall) and so being able overview the whole restaurant/table area (from far though) while also being able to possibly spot my toddler if he would decide to leave there to the even larger and impossible shopping area. But the last thing you WANT to do is to stay stationary in this situation. You want to LOOK for your son, since you know best what he looks like and he knows you too when you find him! Luckily I had my mom, too, who was still based in our original place so if he would voluntarily return he would find 'us' again, too.

It's totally scary. Even if the whole thing only last for 10 minutes, these are very loooooooooong and desperate 10 minutes! It took several years of my life.

[quietserena]

Sometimes the scary emails you get aren't true. Not that the advice in them is bad.

There are plenty of real life cases that are scarier than the made up stories.

[Doula Dani]

I really like the whistle idea. My guys are little still and I keep them strapped to something (be it me or a cart or something ), but in the near future I'll do that.

[welsh]

Originally Posted by twogreencars

The year before my now 13yo was born in England, there was a sad sad story of a 2.5 yo toddler whose mother lost eye contact with him for a second in a Liverpool, England shopping center. It didn't have a happy ending. Two ten year old boys led him out of the shopping center and brutally tortured him to death. This haunted me throughout DS's toddlerhood. It probably haunted most mums during the 1990's and beyond. I still remember the tiny tot's name...

I don't think anyone from the UK could forget this...horrific

[luv]

I was looking for the links mentioned in this thread and thought it deserved a bump in the same time!
-luv

[loitering]

Bumping because this is a good thread and also wondering if anyone knows of a website that provides a free template for an ID card? All the ones I've found charge. I know I could make my own but I really suck at that sort of thing.