Keep your kids safe while traveling with these easy tips
Once upon a time in what seems like another lifetime, I was an event planner and worked large festivals in our city. I can't tell you the number of times we had "lost" children who didn't know some basic facts about their parents. This made it so much harder to locate their parents and was stressful for everyone involved, especially the kiddos.
Everyone was reunited in the end, but I learned that a few simple habits can help your kids feel empowered and help keep them safe, AND get them back to you quicker IF you are ever separated.
It's no fun to think about getting split up from your kiddos, so teach them these things well before you need them so it's just part of their general knowledge. Even the smallest kiddos can usually remember some basic things, and even if you are not sure if they will remember everything right away, these are good habits to start now.
💚 Teach your kids your name. And last name too, especially if your last name is different than your kid's. It is much easier to find a parent if you can announce their full name instead of mom or dad.
💚 Set a meeting place. If you are going to a place where there are lots of people or it might be easy to get separated tell everyone a meeting place. For example - "our plane is leaving from gate B27, if we get split up, let's meet back there" or "see this stand selling ice cream, if we get separated let's meet here". If you get split up, your kiddo may not be able to get to the place, but they can ask someone for help getting to gate B27.
💚 Teach your kids your phone number. You may be surprised at how little your kiddos can be and remember your phone number. If they are at least 3 or 4, give it a try, because once they memorize it, they know it for life.
If it doesn't work or they are too little and you know you are going to be in a big crowd, you can write your number in sharpie on their arm or make a bracelet out of a ribbon and write your number on that. If you have a little more time/energy you can make a bracelet with numbered beads (Taylor Swift style) with your phone number and have them wear it when you are in large crowds or busy places.
💚 Teach your kiddos about "helper" adults. Another parent or adult with young kids is a great "go-to" helper. Teach your kiddo to look for other parents or families with kids and ask them for help. If they can't find a family, an employee of they place you are at is also a helpful person.
Looking for more ways to make travel with kiddos easy?
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