Windsor Palms Resort, Orlando

Like all parents, we worry about our children getting lost when we are on vacation or on day trips from home. More so when we are in a large theme park such as those at Walt Disney World or Universal Orlando. In fact, is has happened to us in the Magic Kingdom when our son, then 4 years old, got separated from the rest of the group. In the blink of an eye, he had disappeared. Luckily, when he realized he went into one of the stores and told a cast member that he was lost - we found him again after contacting another cast member. Lets not talk about the fact they rewarded him with a huge lollipop, but he did do the right thing.

Over the years, we have wondered how to be more prepared for this situation. No matter how hard you try to keep your kids in your sight at all times, in places such as Walt Disney World there are so many chances for children to become separated from their parents. The key is getting them back to you quickly and safely.

What should you do? Obviously the first thing to do is to talk to your children and explain what to do if they get separated from you. Older children may be able to memorize your cellphone number or even have their own cellphone so they can call you. With younger children it gets more difficult because they may not be able to remember telephone numbers. In any of the theme parks they need to go straight to a female park employee or another mom and say they are lost. The parks are used to dealing with lost children and often have a special room set up for them to play in. Then, when you notify the park that your child is missing, the chances are that they know where your child is.

I have thought about having t-shirts printed up with a "If lost return to..." message on it, but just never got around to it (chances are my kids wouldn't want to wear it anyway!). Now I just use a safety tattoo by SafetyTat. This is a temporary tattoo that you just place on your child - say, on a forearm or upper arm. The tattoo's can be made pre-printed with your phone number which then apply with water just like any temporary tattoo. Peel-and-stick versions are also available and you can write on them with a special marker. (Just a note, indelible markers, such as Sharpies, are not good for writing on skin as they contain chemicals which can leach into the skin.)

Not just for lost children!

If you have a child with food or other allergies, you will be keenly aware of the effect that ingesting that item can have on your child. Perhaps the allergy/allergies are so severe that you have to carry an epi-pen with you. SafetyTat have a solution for that too -tattoos with allergy or Medical Alert information.

They also have an option for children with autism or who are non-verbal.

Snap, Snap.

Another recommendation to help with finding lost children, take a digital photograph of your kids on your way out to the parks. You can do that either on your digital camera or your cellphone camera. That way you will have a recent photograph of them and the clothes they are wearing. No worrying about what top / hat / pants they were wearing at a time of great stress.