Precautionary Measures Parents Should Consider When Taking Children to Crowded Places

If you're taking your young child with you to crowded places like malls or theme parks, there is always the risk that you will get separated, and losing a child among hundreds or even thousands of people is the nightmare of every parent.

Consider some statistics: based on the monitoring of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NMEC), approximately 800,000 young people go missing every year. Specifically in scenarios wherein missing children are involved, the first three hours after a child has gone missing are very crucial. If a child is not found within that time frame, the level of difficulty of finding them increases. In the last decade, the success rate of recovering lost children has increased greatly because parents are more watchful now when outdoors with their children, and within their homes, both parents and children are more cautious about the need to observe safety and security precautions. In 1990, the rate of immediate child recovery was only 62. Now it's much higher.

It's also advisable to help your child pick out brightly colored clothes so he or she can immediately be spotted in a crowd. If you go out fairly frequently to crowded places, then you can have the insides of the shirts printed with your address and phone number. Remind your child that if they get lost, they should find a police officer or a staff of the mall or park and ask them to contact you immediately, getting details from inside the shirt.

To prevent mishaps or endure such if and when a child gets lost, it's best to make preparations. Before you step out of the house, speak to your child about keeping close at all times and never talking to strangers who speak to them first or ask their names. Take a picture together and of the child on your cellphone to document what he or she is wearing that day so they will be easier to describe to the police should you be separated.

You could also get an identification card laminated with complete details about the child, where you live, and where to contact you as soon as possible. This card can be used like a school ID and worn around the neck. A bracelet with the same contact details are also good.

If you can't do any of these, then write on your child's arm with a ballpoint pen and then when the ink has dried, coat it with some invisible band aid so it won't be erased immediately.

It's also important to brief your child about the place where you are going. As soon as you get there, you can also agree on a place that's easy to remember and find so if you get separated, you can proceed there immediately.

While these tips are all useful, nothing beats precaution. If you have a young child aged younger than six, it may still be advisable to use a "baby leash" that ties either around the child's wrist to yours, or around the child's torso through a small backpack. The attachments should be secure, and make sure to instruct your child to never detach them.