Don’t lose your children!

Don’t lose your children!
Keeping track of children at a crowded venue is a roller coaster ride and the bigger the crowds, the more loopy you’re bound to get. A parent’s biggest fear? Losing a little one in the melee.

You’ll be able to breathe easy and enjoy the day if you set up family guidelines and what-if plans in advance of your trip. The age and maturity of your children will influence the amount of freedom you give them. Here are a few of her tips for keeping the family together in the bustle of crowds.

Dress in bright colours: Neon green. Notice-me yellow. Fluorescent blue that screams, “I’m here!” Dress your kids to stand out from the crowd, instead of in typical character tees or sports jerseys. And hey, Mum and Dad: Not a bad idea to wear bright colours too.

Make a game of it: It’s hard for younger kids to stay with their parents when you’re someplace fabulous and there is so much to see. Telling them to ‘hold hands’ and ‘stay near’ is boring, so try turning it into a game and challenge your child to only be three giant steps away from you at all times. Or, if you have more than one child, empower one with the task of doing a head count every 15 minutes

Coach kids on an action plan: Discuss what to do with your child if he or she does happen to get lost in the crowd. This should include telling them to stay where they are — and never to go back to the car park to wait at the car. Instead, encourage them to “freeze and yell their parents’ names or if that doesn’t work, coach them to find another mum with a child. Statistically, that’s the safest stranger and is low risk

Take a family photo before you go: Rally everyone together once you’re all dressed and ready to leave home. Get the children to pose and make it fun. But the secret behind it is that, if you do lose them, you won’t get stuck trying to explain what they look like and what they’re wearing. You’ll have it all right there on your mobile.

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