Tips for Keeping Your Child Safe at Disneyland

If you're a parent, you probably know the feeling. You know the one...the sudden rush of panic when you look away just for a moment and when turn back around you don't see you child among a crowd of people. Almost always your child has wondered just a few steps ahead, and you are able to spot him right away. But a family vacation to Disneyland or any other theme park can become a nightmare if your child gets lost. So what are some things you can do to minimize the risk of your child getting lost at a theme park? Here are a few suggestions to help you as you plan your next family trip to Disneyland.

I worked at Disneyland for two summers during my high school years. I remember there were just a handful of times when I came across a child who was separated from his parents. In most cases, the parents found the child right away and it turned out to be no big deal. You see, Disneyland trains its cast members very well regarding how to handle the situation of a lost child at the park (by the way, employees of Disneyland are called "cast members"). But now that I am a parent, I wouldn't just rely on the training of the cast members to make sure everything turns out ok. I want to take precautions myself to prevent or at least minimize the risk of losing my child when visiting the park.

First of all, discuss the "what if" with your kids. Tell them what they should do if the situation did arise. You can even make it a game. Ask them, "What if you get separated from us...what would you do?" Of course, tell them what they should do if they don't know. One tip is to tell your kids that if they get lost, go ask another mom with kids of her own for help. I used to think the obvious thing would be to ask a park worker, but sometimes it might not be so easy to spot a park worker. But there should be plenty of moms everywhere, and what mother would not be willing to help a lost child?

Start off the day by going over the important locations. Go over the park's map together as a family and point out where the park's information centers are. This will also help to orient you to the various locations in the park in case you have to get somewhere quickly. For instance, you may need to get to the emergency first aid center.

Bring a photograph of your family. A photograph of your kids will make it easier for park personnel to help find them if they get lost. But a family photo will be even better so your kids can carry a photo of you as well. Take the photo right before you leave, in the clothes you will all be wearing. This will make it even easier to spot your child it he gets lost.

Use an "If found, please call..." identification tag. Your child may be too young to be able to memorize your cell phone number. If so, just write down your cell phone number and tell your child to hand it to the person helping him. You can simply have your child keep the information in his pocket or you can create tags (sort of like luggage tags) and have your child wear it around his neck. I have seen temporary tattoos that you can place on your child's arm as well, which would be a good idea. But if you don't want to spend the money or take the time to tattoo you child, simply writing down your cell phone number will do just fine.

These days, there are high tech devices now to track your child. But by having a plan and taking some simple pre-cautions, you won't need the high tech and high price gadgets. And most of all, you'll be able to enjoy your family vacation!