[jgreene]

Does anyone have any tips for keeping several children safe while out and about? I have two children, a 4.5-year-old and a 1.5-year-old, and as as my youngest grows older it is harder to watch both of them when we are at public places (parks, malls, etc.). They both run off in different directions! I am sure experienced moms of many children deal with this all the time, but how??? I feel like I need more eyes to follow them while they are playing. I have thought about getting brightly colored shirts for them. I also use my double stroller quite often, although my oldest is really too big for it.

[babydawn]

When we are in a public place (I have 4 children) I am really paranoid and I make them hold on to the cart or stroller at all times. They get a treat if they are obedient at the end. And although with having 4 now, and having some of them be older, this doesn't work quite as well, it worked really well when I had just 3 and they were quite a bit younger.

[beth]

This is a huge problem, and takes all the fun out of shopping, or trips to busy parks where there may be waterholes and other potential dangers. Bright clothing is a great idea, once they have gotten away from you, so that's a good short-term problem. One good way is to have a code word or phrase, which means that when you say that word, the kids have to physically hold on to the pram (or you if there's no pram). That way, when you are in a low stress situation, like an empty park where you can readily see your children, they can venture away. But if you're in a very crowded shopping center or you're just in a hurry, they must learn that the code word means they must stay close. You need a reward system to get this up and running. Rewards work better than punishment. Your older child may also like to be given the responsibilty of pushing his younger sibling for a little while, that will keep them both together! Good luck, it's very stressful, I know.

[irishgal63]

an AWESOME idea !
I wish more people knew of this product (& used it) !

[HappyMomAnna]

Wow, wonderful tip.....my mind spins thinking of all the great uses for the tracking device.....hummmm

One thing that my husband and I do when we take our children out in public is to snap a quick picture of them---on our new cell phones! I will never forget the time we spent 20 minutes looking at a crowded play ground for our daughter in a Yellow Shirt---turned out she was in a Pink Shirt that day..... She was right there under our nose the whole time!

For our little one, we pin Jingle Bells on the back of his shirt when we go in public...he runs so fast we might lose him but, not when he jingles all over--plus he is a hider and they really make that fun less fun.....

Instead of holding the shopping cart (because I had back surgery and it hurts me when the cart suddenly shifts on me) I have them hold each others hands.... We play Super-Glue and they start with 5 points when we go in the store--they lose a point every time they let go of each other....If they have 1 point left when we get to the check stand they get to pick a reward..... It works real well for me...unless they are in a slightly "overactive" mood then I have to watch for their behavior a little closer and not allow any swinging of each other......

[heritagemom]

Oh my word! That is the coolest thing! I have SIX kids and we just pair them up with each other and make them responsible for each other if we can't track the younger ones. We often joke that with six kids...all that matters is that you leave with as many as you brought...doesn't matter who they are...bring six...take six! But where we live, everyone knows us and would probably return them IMMEDIATELY! *sigh*

[HappyMomAnna]

Great Ideas!

Another thing to remember as parents when we are in crowded places is that most big places are trained for lost children.... There is something called "CODE ADAM" and this means a child is gone--lock everything down! I am not sure Disney would do a complete Lock Down unless someone actually saw a child snatched away from the parents....but, in places like Toys R Us and some other public places where children are at risk if a child cannot be found all parents have to do is find an employee and say, "My kid is missing--do you do Code Adam's?" If they do it will usually happen with just that question!

When a place uses CODE ADAM the staff is trained and everyone has a responsibility assigned each shift. When Code Adam is called employees are dispatched to each entrance, and exit...others are sent to check bathrooms, dressing rooms and any other known places a child might hide or be taken.... The parents will be asked for a description and anyone trying to exit with a child who is even remotely similar will be asked not to leave--until the parents of the missing child can say, "No that is not my child."

It is something to keep in mind while we are in some of the places we go.....

Another thing to do is ICE your cell phones! ICE stands for "In Case of Emergency" on our address or call list just place the letters ICE in front of the important phone numbers of people WE need to have contacted in the event of a horrible car accident or if we are hurt and cannot communicate with anyone. Police, and emergency personnel are aware of the ICE system and can pick up your cell phone and look for your ICE contacts and reach someone more quickly! This is a somewhat NEW thing that happened as a result of the bus bombings in England.... so right now we are in the stage of passing this information along to each other----ask your friends, "Do You ICE?" and pass this along!

[Tsunshine]

I unfortunately have used Code Adam in a store twice. My youngest is a wanderer. Once I was in Wal-mart looking at clothes and she climbed out of the back of the cart. Her sister (19 months older) just watched her go. The other time I was bagging groceries at the grocery store and she slipped away. Both times store employees immediately started a search for her and she was found quickly. Although it was really scary. I was told that I should call Code Adam the second my daughter was missing instead of wasting time looking for her myself. During that time someone could have been out the door with her.

[MamaWrites]

Great tips everyone. One question about code adam, should you just shout it out, find an employee or what? Thanks

[BeantownMom123]

Anybody see the new Duracell commercial with lost child? They use this homing device to find the child. How do you guys feel about tagging our kids? When code words fail I feel like this would be a good backup. I for one would use it if it means I could find my kids in hectic situations and avoid that heart horrible feeling of losing a child.