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mandi2728
08-22-2002, 05:39 PM
I know this should probably go in Parenting in the Park, but I didnt know if many CM's or others read it.

If I want to do identification cards for my 4 and 2 year olds, with like their name, our cell phone number(which we will have) and maybe our pic and their stats. Where would you suggest I put this on their person. Where would you as CM's look on a kid for ID.

We were gonna laminate the cards. I was thinking of putting holes in them and safety pinning it to the top back of their shirts.

What are your opnions on this?
Thx

HBTiggerFan
08-22-2002, 06:31 PM
Well I am neither a parent nor CM, but my advice would be to keep them out of plain sight, so people can't call them by their names. Inside the back of their shirts or shorts would be good if they don't bother them.

MammaSilva
08-22-2002, 06:43 PM
What I have done is to make the 'card' fold in half, out side says, IF I AM LOST PLEASE OPEN....put it in an 'ID' folder type thing and put it on a yarn necklace that Brandy wore, now they have the cool lanyards so her information goes in there....not obvious to 'strangers' but security would look for some ID .. easy access for them....

MouseWife
08-22-2002, 07:27 PM
I don't know if it works or not as, thank God, my son has never been lost.

But, Dad makes him a 'Lost Card' and calls it just that. Son is told to give the card to someone {security guard, ride operator, store clerk, you know, someone in a uniform of the place} and tell them they are lost.

We've been doing this for years. He keeps it in his pocket or in his shoe. Or, if he has a zipped up pocket.

The four year old might be able to say this. I don't know how verbal the two year old is. Also, I don't know if them being scared would come into play.

The lanyards are a great idea as everyone wears them and won't be necessarily looked at as I.D. by someone trying to find out their name to lure them away.

oregonzooron
08-22-2002, 08:34 PM
In my experience, kids who have been "empowered" to do something when they are lost are less likely to be frightened, as opposed to waiting for someone to notice them and take action. I like the idea of the "Lost Card" that gives the child a direct course of action to take.

The lanyard is also good - the kid knows what it's for and can show it to someone if needed, but it can also be found passively if needed. Do not hide it inside of clothes - I can pretty much gaurantee that (at the zoo, at least) Security WILL NOT look there. - think about it...

The more prepared the kids are, the better they will react. Take a moment at the beginning of the day and teach them to recognize cast members. Make a game of it - "He works here, she doesn't" - sort of "I spy" with cast members.

When she was little, we always gave our daughter a whistle to blow if she got lost. She never had to use it at Disneyland, and was so disappointed! We let her "get lost" the next day at Sea World. She was so proud of herself!!!

see you at the zoo

ron

AVP
08-22-2002, 08:36 PM
Originally posted by oregonzooron
When she was little, we always gave our daughter a whistle to blow if she got lost. She never had to use it at Disneyland, and was so disappointed! We let her "get lost" the next day at Sea World. She was so proud of herself!!!

I remember when you first wrote about that, and I still get the biggest chuckle out of the mental image that raises. :D

AVP

adriennek
08-22-2002, 09:15 PM
I'm not a CM but I've spoken to many CMs about lost children and here are some of my thoughts:

This will be easier with your 4 y/o than the 2 y/o but I think that a good idea is to teach your children wherever you put this information. One parent wrote her cell phone number on her sons' arms, near their shoulders, under their sleeves. When they were lost they pulled their sleeves up to display the number!

Knowing my sons, (ages 1 and almost 4,) I'd rather not put anything around their necks- they would take them off and/or could get choked by it. I would probably use safety pins to attach this information to the backs of their shirts because they would play with it on the fronts of their shirts. However, my 4 y/o would probably complain about it back there! You could safety pin it on backwards so no one could see it unless they actually turned it around.

When you get to Disneyland, take your children up to a person wearing a nametag and show them what a CM nametag looks like. They're WHITE. Most guest nametags are not white.

Another good time I've heard is to tell children to look for another Mom with kids if they can't find a person with a nametag.

Being as aware as you are to want to address this issue, I highly doubt you'd allow such young children out of your sight long enough to get lost. I've written an article (http://www.mouseplanet.com/akrock/akrock7.htm) about lost children at Disney Parks. The CMs react very quickly and are well trained on how to reunited separated families. The first thing you should do as a parent is find a cast member to help you. Children and parents are usually reunited very quickly before they can even get to the lost children's centers!

Adrienne K

mandi2728
08-22-2002, 09:46 PM
Thank you very much, espcially Adrienne(that article is great)

We actually lost Cody(our oldest) last time we were there. The previous day we had taken him to see CLub Buzz and sat on one side of the stage, well the next day, we took him, sat him down front, and DH and the other 2 went off to the left of the stage, and I went to get lunch. Well I guess at a moment when Chris was attending to the other 2, Cody got up, and walked off to the right. The only thing I knew was Chris came running up to me with the other 2 saying Cody had gotten away some where. Within about 2 minutes, 2 CM's (in suits) came up to me in line carrying Cody. I would just like to do somethign a little more this time, to make sure we are all safe and ok. The suggestions are great for the soon to be 4 year old, but my 2 year old, none would work. I really hate to use those leashes, but I guess they will come in handy again this trip!
Again thanks!

goofey
08-22-2002, 11:17 PM
Adrienne's article pretty much sums up everything a CM can say about lost children at DL. I myself got lost at DL when I was 9, around Fantasmic time. But thanks to the CMs in NOS stores, I was reunited with my family in a very short time.

As a CM now, I have encountered many lost children and lost parents. With really frightened children I tell my story of getting lost at DL in order to calm them down and to get them to trust me. In every instance, the child was reunited with his/her parents or adult companions within 10 minutes, or at least the adults will know the child is with a CM within that time frame. It is quite rare, in my experience, for a child to be lost much longer than 10-15 minutes, unless the child willingly separated from his or her adult companions.

If a child is lost for an extended period of time, an "all call" will go out over DLR's communications system, and any CM carrying a handheld radio will hear the child's name, physical description, place and time last seen, and an instruction to call security if found.

My best advice is to tell your two children to look out for each other, and that if you do get separated, find any CM and that CM will help you find each other. Also, make sure to tell them not to go anywhere with any adult that's not you or a CM.

Side note, since you mentioned using leashes: DLR no longer sells child leashes or hand-holders in the parks. I'm told that this is due to a safety recall.

PhilMP
08-23-2002, 12:33 AM
Speaking of the lost child "all calls," there have been a lot more in recent weeks than I remember. A friend from Security says it's a policy change since the Security CM has to stay with the parents until the child/children are found, since they don't want to waste resources looking for children that were found a couple hours ago and they just weren't notified. Another factor is the national attention child abductions are getting, and all calls are just our sort of "Amber Alert." However, they do get annoying when every 5 minutes there's that extremely loud tone over the speaker. Oh well, anything to get lost kids reunited.

Oh, on a side note...goofey, your location's wrong, I think. Aren't the origin numbers now 110-XXXX, instead of 002-XXXX? Just an observation @ 1:30 AM.

Phil

adriennek
08-23-2002, 07:03 AM
Originally posted by mandi2728
Thank you very much, espcially Adrienne(that article is great)

The suggestions are great for the soon to be 4 year old, but my 2 year old, none would work. I really hate to use those leashes, but I guess they will come in handy again this trip!
Again thanks!

First of all, you're welcome.

The only place I ever used a leash with Matthew was Disneyland. If you're willing to use it, I think they can be good things at Disneyland. They give your child a chance to have a little more freedom but you still know where he/she is.

I found with Matthew the leash worked best if he was wearing overalls or pants with a belt loop. I looped the velcro wristband there instead of his wrist.

Have a great trip, I know you will!
Adrienne

justagrrl
08-23-2002, 08:05 AM
My kids both have the metal ID bracelets. Lot's of good info on it if they ever become lost.

As my son tends to tell everyone his name is Buzz Light (no - not lightyear) and that he's 6 1/2 (he's 4).

I'm not sure what he'd tell someone if he were lost - I'd hope he'd tell them what his real name was but you never know. I tried working on the "What's Mommy's name" with him but his answer is always "Mommy" (with a Duh! look too.)

I tell the kids, if they ever become lost, to find a Mommy with kids, someone in a uniform like a police man, or someone that works at the store.

Bill Catherall
08-23-2002, 08:21 AM
My kids have metal ID bracelets too (except the baby). My oldest son has one because he's alergic to tree nuts. My daughter has one because she likes to wander off. :rolleyes: (The day we moved into our house she decided she wanted to take a walk down the street while we were busy dealing with the movers and listing all the items they lost and broke. :mad: )

The bracelets aren't expensive. The only problem is that the information on the outside of the bracelet gets scratched and worn off. So put the really important stuff (that the child can't remember) on the inside. The kids know our names. In fact it's funny when my 3-year-old daughter is trying to get my attention and says, "Daddy. Daddy. Bill!" :D

roberts1398
08-23-2002, 08:43 AM
Couple points that have not been mentioned ...

1) I read a suggestion on another post to always carry a current photo of the kids on you when traveling at theme parks and the likes. That way if you get separated, you can show an actual picture of the child, instead of just describing. Those of you saying I have one in my wallet, do you take this wallet in the park with you? I for one go to a "travel wallet" without any unneeded credit cards, etc., and without my usual photo array.
2) #1 thing to teach them is to absolutely STAY TOGETHER. Much easier to spot two kids together, and much harder for a bad guy to deal with two kids.
3) With kids this young, my advice would be to tell them to stay put the moment they realize you've been separated. (FREEZE!) With older kids, we have a meeting place if we get separated. But at that young, it's asking too much (especially combined with fear). Tell them to find the nearest bench, or stand up against a fence or nearby (very public) wall, or even just the edge of the walkway if need be. Increases your odds of finding them quickly, instead of running circles around each other.
4) I give my children the "find a mommy with her kids" advice for malls, theme parks, etc. Too many instances of fake security guard uniforms and the like in the news. I emphasize that the mommy must have the kids with her. I think this is terrific advice. What mom wouldn't go out of her way to take care of and help reunite a lost child with his/her parents. (Sorry guys, don't mean to be chauvanistic, but this is kids' safety at stake!)
5) For your older child, have a "password" that they'll remember and no one else would ever think. Then if you send any person to them on your behalf, you tell them the password. In other words, it you were hurt and someone went to pick them up, you would have told them to say this word. Don't pick something like "Mickey Mouse" or something that a bad guy might guess. Pick a relative or pet or favorite doll/teddy 's name, etc. that no one else would know or guess. This is good not only for amusement parks, but school, malls, etc. where someone may pretend to be operating on your behalf.

That's my advice.

Pixie Glitter
08-23-2002, 10:05 AM
For what it's worth, The Unofficial Guide to Disneyland recommends that you write names, hotel phone number, etc. on a sticker and place it on the outside of a child's shirt under their arm.

TecTalker2K
08-23-2002, 10:30 AM
With current GPS technology, would parents pay to have transmitters placed on there children? If lost, they could be located quickly.

Disney Nick
08-23-2002, 11:14 AM
Originally posted by TecTalker2K
With current GPS technology, would parents pay to have transmitters placed on there children? If lost, they could be located quickly.
VERY interesting... Didn't think about it, but that could be easily placed on a child and could easily help a parent find them. Now, all we need is someone to manufacture it.

cstephens
08-23-2002, 11:15 AM
Originally posted by TecTalker2K
With current GPS technology, would parents pay to have transmitters placed on there children? If lost, they could be located quickly.

LoJack?

disneynut
08-23-2002, 11:18 AM
Actually somebody is already selling watches with that technology in them. There was a news story on them after all of the recent high-profile child abductions that have happened. I want to say they were around $500.00 but I can't remember for sure. Has anybody else heard of these? Or actually own one?

MammaSilva
08-23-2002, 11:29 AM
I read the article, the problem is that the child needs to be able to remember to push certain buttons.... not really a good solution for a 'toddler/preschooler' with the added stress of fear and tears.... but I bet that within a couple years the technology is here for us to get a small pager sized or even smaller piece of equipment that we could "password protect" that would only activate when the parents entered the code into their 'half' of the tracking device....and the part on the child would not be able to be deactivated or have the code changed.

The one thought that crossed my mind as I'm reading all of these ideas/suggestions. Those of us that think and plan ahead are the parents that are very observant of our children and their safety and rarely have incidents where we get seperated from our younger children. That isn't meant to imply that parents who have lost a child temporarily are bad parents.... one blink and they can be gone especially in the crowds at amusement parks, ect.

goofey
08-23-2002, 02:00 PM
Some things I noticed from work today:

I saw a young girl, probably about 2, with a tag pinned to the back of her shirt that had just her parents' name and cell phone number. I thought this was more practical than displaying the child's own name for a stranger with bad intentions to call out.

This week we were instructed to call the DLR's internal 911 with any lost children incidents, not the Lost Children office. If we find a child, we are still instructed to walk the child around for a short time and then walk them to Lost Children, but only after reporting it to the DLR 911 operator. If we find the parents/adult companions, a security guard will be sent to the location to assist them. With all the high-profile child abductions happening in the last several weeks, I guess DLR doesn't want to take any chances. My manager did say that the "all calls" for lost children have been getting more frequent lately.

roberts1398
08-23-2002, 03:21 PM
Three cheers for Disney on this one! As the parent of 3 and 7 yr olds who has watched the news reports with dread (until all the good news associated with Amber Alerts lately), I am much relieved to hear Disney is taking added precautions. I think I read on one of those truth or fiction sites that a child has never been abducted from DLR. Let's keep it that way!

TecTalker2K
08-24-2002, 10:41 AM
Originally posted by NMoreles

VERY interesting... Didn't think about it, but that could be easily placed on a child and could easily help a parent find them. Now, all we need is someone to manufacture it.

They are currently in the testing stage. There is already a water park using a modified form of the tracking device.

SusanP.
08-24-2002, 03:35 PM
We were just at Wild Rivers (in Irvine) the other day, and this looks like a pretty cool idea. The kids get wrist-watch type GPS tracking devices, and the parents can check on their whereabouts at kiosks around the park. It shows their location on a map so you can go find them and yell at them for not checking in on time! :eek: Glad they didn't have that when I was a kid!

goofey
08-24-2002, 04:00 PM
I remember reading about those tracking devices at Wild Rivers in the OC Register. From what I understand, those were made for parents whose intention is to separate from their children playing in the park. Disneyland is supposed to be a place for parents and children to have fun together, so I highly doubt they'd implement such a system.