How to NOT Lose your Kids in Public
I saw the two little circles on my ultrasound and tried to wrap my brain around what that would mean. Two babies, yes — but that brought the grand total of kids up to 6. Six is a half dozen. Six is 3 kids for each of my hands. Six is a whole lot of kids.
I left my appointment stunned. Then the logistics of everything started to sink in. How in the world do you keep track of 6 kids? I would never leave the house again!
We’ve all had a moment of panic when you look up at a store or amusement park and don’t immediately know where your child is. Not knowing where your child is is the scariest feeling in the world. I tried to imagine that feeling times 6.
We had a scare with only 4 kids that may have traumatized me more than my child. Fortunately we’ve learned a few tricks along the way. The twins are 10 months old now and we haven’t lost anyone yet but it’s still a fear that is at the top of my mind whenever we go anywhere.
Here are a few of the tricks I use to make sure we don’t leave any kids behind:
Dress Kids in Matching Colors – We discovered this trick by accident one time. By chance, all my boys had similar colored neon shirts on during a trip to the zoo. It was so easy to keep track of them that day that we went out and bought two sets of “going out in public clothes” for each kid, complete with bright neon matching shirts so we can pick our kids out of crowd at a glance.
Follow the Headcount Rule – After a particularly scary experience with a lost kid a few years ago, we now practice the “Headcount Rule” every time we get into the car. My kids know this routine backwards and forwards now and it’s just a habit as soon as we get in the car. I shared some details about the way the headcount rule works over on Your Modern Family.
Take a picture at the Beginning of the Day – If we are going to a particularly crowded place, I always make a point of taking a picture of all my kids. Sure, it’s a great way to document the day, but more than that if a kid does get lost it gives me visual documentation of what they were wearing that day. I know that if a child ever really went missing I would panic and would lose all ability to give a good description so that anyone could actually find my kid.
Use the Buddy System – Honestly, it can be hard to keep track of everyone when you have a lot of kids. I have my kids team up to help me keep track of everyone. The oldest child pairs up with the youngest, second oldest with the second youngest, etc. The rule is each child has to be within arms reach of their buddy at all time. If I see a child without their buddy I know someone is missing and can catch them before they wander too far.
Contain Younger Kids – Younger kids can be a handful in crowds, especially if you have a runner. Sometimes the safest option is to contain younger kids. I have a Valcobaby Tri-mode with a Joey seat, which turns it into a triple stroller, to keep all my littlest kids in one place when I need to. We get some crazy looks but it’s been a lifesaver in crowded places. I love to stash a baby carrier in the basket of my stroller so I can carry a baby or toddler who doesn’t feel like riding while still keeping my hands free. The Lillebaby Complete is currently my favorite. If you have a runner, don’t be afraid to use a child leash. I always get some nasty looks when I’ve used those but there are some situations where they can really help out and I’d rather have my child safe then worry about getting approval from strangers.
Have a Meeting Place – If you have older kids, decide on a meeting place if you get split up. Choose some place with a landmark that is easy for kids to find, or ask directions to if they need to. Choose a standard meeting place for any of the spots you go to frequently and walk kids through exactly what they need to do if they get split up.
Stay Alert – This is the most important one. When you are out in public with kids you have to be alert. Being alert can help you avoid most safety issues. If you have a second adult there, be sure that you aren’t assuming they are watching. So many accidents happen when there are multiple adults around because everyone assumes someone else is paying attention.
Do you have any tricks for keeping track of your kids when you are in public?
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Love it – linked to it & sharing tomorrow on FB 🙂
Last summer, I saw the idea on Pinterest to write your cell phone number on the wrist of your young ones and then paint over it with liquid bandage so it doesn’t wash off too soon. I didn’t have any liquid bandage when we went on our trip, so I just used an ultra fine point sharpie and that stayed on fine.
This summer I still don’t have any liquid bandage, and I forgot the sharpie. A pen wasn’t working on their skin. I wrote my number on a sticker and put it on my kids’ shirts. When my barely-4-years-old daughter was running off, I yelled to her to stop and come back. She hollered back, “Oh, it’s OK if I get lost. I have your phone number on my sticker!” Hmmm, definitely not a fail-safe plan. We had to have a stranger danger chat after that…
Make that “another stranger danger chat”…kids need lots of reminders, especially when they are excited.
Just to add on real quicklike – always keep your kids’ shoes in mind. I work in retail, and part of the SOP for a missing child (aka Code Adam) is to get a description of the shoes, because if they are abducted, their kidnapper won’t change their shoes, though they may change their clothing.
It’s also a good thing to watch for if the kiddo goes missing and they’re found by a worker or good samaritan.
We may not be babysitters, but we don’t want to see kids get hurt, either.