Children like to explore the world, it is good for them and at the same time it can hurt them. Sometimes a minute stop over a beautiful flower or an attempt to catch up with a kitten in an unfamiliar place, leads to the loss of parents from sight.
It’s good if there are kind people and try to find accompanying adults or parents immediately discover the loss of a little fidget. Otherwise, unpleasant moments cannot be avoided, when the fear for the fate of a loved one grips more and more .. Agree, this is the worst thing that can happen during a vacation, but we will try to prevent this situation.
Safety First: Rules and Precautions
No matter how obedient the children are, it is better to play it safe on vacation. Before leaving, gather a family council and determine the rules for each part of the journey: behavior at the station, after arriving at your destination, and while walking in another city.
Awareness of children about not leaving their parents, jumping into the pool without permission, stopping at the zoo without warning will significantly reduce the risk of losing a child during the holidays.
Also, children should know in what situation it is necessary to report the address of residence and the address of the hotel or rented apartment. They can name names with the address and phone number of the escorts only when they find themselves on the street among strangers and realize that they are lost. With young children, it is recommended to work out the situation in the form of a game.
If the baby is confused in names and numbers, put a business card with an address in his pocket or put a bracelet with a phone number on the handle. This option is most preferable in the case of children who cannot pronounce words correctly.
Traveling with multiple children? Dress them the same or select a piece of the same color. If one child is lost, it will be easier to find the second by the same colored ribbon in their hair or a pattern on a T-shirt.
For an evening walk, use reflective clothing to immediately locate a fleeing child.
Before going for a walk, it will not be superfluous to inspect the area on the map or with the help of photographs on the Internet. Agree in advance where the child will go if he gets lost. At what monument will he be waiting for you or to whom he can turn for help if he could not get through to his parents.
Extra tip: Tell your child that you will definitely look for him. This will make him feel more secure.
Come up with a secret password. So, a stranger will not be able to deceive the child, because he will not tell the password. It is up to you and your child to decide who to share the password with. This is a good way out for overly gullible children.
What gadgets will help not to lose children while traveling
Gadgets are not really the best choice as they can get lost or stolen. However, a smartphone or smartwatch turns out to be faster assistants. Make sure that features such as SOS and GPS location of the child are available.
If something happens to the child, the SOS button will inform you immediately. Combined with the location function, you will see where it is. The only drawback is that the detection of a person by GPS is not always reliable.
Every cell phone today has a built-in camera. Before you go to a crowded place, take a picture of the children so that in case of loss, show a photo to the police. This will be most convenient in a panic situation when parents cannot quickly remember how the child was dressed.
What to do if a child is lost
This happens to even the most thoughtful parents, so don’t beat yourself up. The main rule here is to remain calm. In the vast majority of cases, such situations are resolved in a matter of minutes, because the child is around the nearest corner or at the candy counter.
The situation becomes truly dangerous only because the parents and the child lost in the crowd are moving further and further away from each other trying to find a bearing in a fit of panic.
Avoid long fussy searches, thoughtful preparation in the ways suggested above.
When a loss is discovered, first look around, this will help make sure that the child is really not around, and only then, ask passers-by.
Before leaving for another country, write down all the necessary phone numbers to find a person. You do not have to wait a day; in any country, seek help from law enforcement agencies as soon as possible. Do not forget that there are volunteer services that cope with the task no worse than the police.
Do not worsen your condition with thoughts of kidnapping. Contrary to media reports, this happens very rarely. In most cases, everything ends safely within a few hours. After meeting with the child, show that you are happy for him, and postpone the educational conversation until the next day.