It’s the festive season and people will throng all public places to celebrate. And, this makes it hard on little ones, especially if they love wandering off towards candy cane or gingerbread.
Well, in case you miss a child, don’t panic. Really don’t panic. Quickly call out a description of your child “I am looking for my 5-year-old son, brown hair, blue eyes and wearing a red t-shirt on blue jeans.” How does this help? Well, he can anyways hear you, so if he hears your voice, he’ll look for you. And, all the people around you will be on alert for your child. So loud searching helps! Let’s assume someone’s walking away with your child, they’ll drop them and try to escape. And this will be hard, especially in the presence of so many adults looking for your child.
You could also find a security guard and try to make a loud announcement to make people on high alert.
Call out your child’s name, he’s equally scared on losing you and is crying near the candy store. When he hears your voice, he’ll come running to mommy.
And if you can’t find your child in 3-5 mins, make sure to reach out to the police as soon as you can. Time is quite critical in kidnapping cases, and the police have a faster way of communicating across the city.
Tips to prevent kids from getting lost
-Teach your child to stay close in crowded places and not to wander off on their own. Remind them of the consequences.
-Make sure your child knows what to do if they are lost – contact a security officer or the police.
-Ensure that they know your full name and telephone number, so they can tell the police. Sometimes kids forget information when in a trauma situation. Most amusement parks distribute nametags at the entrance. Ensure your child has the tag on with the relevant contact details, so someone who finds them can contact you.
-The most important one – drill it into their brains – ‘Do not talk to strangers’