This is more of a safety tip than a thrifty tip! With back to school, here, don't label your child's belongings with his name where strangers can see it. Put his name inside his things. If a small child is addressed by name by a stranger, the stranger seems "known" to the child.
Teach your children about "good" strangers, i.e. policemen, the store checkers and people who work in stores and wear uniforms or store badges, vs. strangers who are none of these. We want to encourage careful children not fearful ones.
Teach your child that these are people he/she can go to in an emergency. In a public venue, if a child is lost, have them look for an officer or an older woman or a woman with kids, who is most likely to help. And lastly, if the unthinkable happens and your child is snatched, tell them to drop to the ground, try to get away and scream and make noise and yell "I don't know this person, I'm being kidnapped" Otherwise your child can look like a kid having a tantrum!
Ever wonder what device could alarm parents to remove their baby from a hot car w/o forgetting? Happens all the time during the summer months and unfortunately babies die from heat before they are remembered or rescued. Here's a link showing a clever device to alarm parents their child is still in the vehicle before leaving it.
Being a social worker with extended experience in Child Protection issues, I do not agree that a child should approach a person who APPEARS to be a mother. My children are grownup now, but before we go our ways, we still check what we are wearing, e.g. a bright orange t-shirt that will be noticed easily. We also agree to meet at a certain place, also sometimes a certain time. And to REMAIN there until a family member turns up. YOU are the parent, YOU take the responsibility.
The Guest Post is RIGHT! Who is the most likely person to help your child? Another Mom. Absolutely.
In fact, practice makes perfect. Once in a while when you're in the store or at the mall, practice. Ask your child, "If Mommy wasn't here right now, who do you think could help you?" Then discuss their choice(s). Which one you think is a good choice and why. Don't repeat it so often as to make them fearful, but DO practice on occasion.
We have just started using the Child ID Labels it is $3.95 a month for all kinds of extras. You get an id number for your children and iron patches with the number on it to iron on to their clothing and belongings. If your child is lost someone just has to call the 1800 number provided on the patch to get a hold of authorities to locate the child. It is an awesome investment well worth the money.
It is incorrect and dangerous to teach your children to go to people in uniform when they are lost in a store or public. A child can't tell the difference between a security guard and a police officer. Securitiy guards are not the best people to send children to--most don't even require a background check--just to drive this point home--several serial killers were security guards at some point, namely John Wayne Gacey. Teach your children to go to women, especially women with other children. A woman is less likely to harm a child and more likely to stay with the child until his or her parents are found. Read "Protecting the Gift" by Gavin DeBecker for the best advice on how to teach your children to stay safe.
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