All kids
Take a photo of each child individually as you enter the park. This is invaluable if your child is lost – you have a photo of them exactly as they are that day. If you are in the middle of a panic because you have been separated from your child, you may not remember what they were wearing, and this way you don’t have to. You can also easily forward the photo to another person if needed. (I love this tip when chaperoning field trips also.)
If you have more than one child, consider dressing them in identical outfits. One summer we had a family reunion and took a day trip to the Wisconsin State Fair. We had three girls in the group ages 7, 6 and 5. It made it so much easier to keep track of them when I could train my eye to keep the outfits in my sight. I would just keep counting them off 1...2…3.
Dress your child in bright colors that are easy to keep in your line of sight. Neon green is not my first choice of shirt color, but it sure makes my kids easy to spot.
Check the map of the park to see if there is a lost and found. Make sure you know where it is in case you need to meet up with a lost child there.
Toddlers
Put a business card or other slip of paper that has your cell phone number(s) in your child’s pocket. Teach them to pull it out if they are separated from you. You can also make a bead bracelet with your phone number on it – look for the bead kits in craft stores with the numbers on them.
Teach kids to yell their heads off if a person other than someone in their party is trying to take them somewhere. But also teach them what to yell. If a child yells “Let Go!”, people in the area may assume that a child is just giving their Mom or Dad trouble. However, “This is not my Mommy!” or “I don’t know you!” will turn heads and alert others that something is wrong.
Show your child what the uniforms of the people who work at the park look like and tell them to approach one of them if they become lost.
Older Kids
Designate a meeting spot as you walk in the door. Agree to return there if you are separated for any reason. Make sure each person has a map of the park on them with the meeting spot marked.
Make sure your children know your cell phone number. Since most numbers are preprogrammed in our phones, most people know very few numbers besides their own. Your child may have no idea what your phone number is.
Sandra Pinter is a mother of 2 daughters and co-founder of Moxie Jean, which gives moms the gift of time by making it super easy to buy and sell high quality, like-new baby and kids clothes and shoes online.
