What do you do when your child goes missing?
Do they know who to go to? Do they know who to call out for? Do you have a plan of safety with your children? Well my daughter often runs off and it always scares the living daylights out of me! What if she's took by someone, what if she runs off and looses me, well we made a plan, for the top tips for a lost child, and id like to share it with you too!!

Step 1) Teach your child from an early age where you live in case they get really lost, but only to use it if you really cant find you, try and make it a song so they can remember it easier.

Step 2) Teach them your real name, millions of people are mummies or daddies, shouting your name will get your attention quicker and in shops can also be called over a loudspeaker to collect your child.

Step 3) When going on big trips or family days out to busy places consider using name bands or a large sticker to write contact details in case they get lost, people always look for a name tag first.



Step 4) Tell your child to wait where you were last and that you will come back to look for them, my mum always told us to stay where we were so she could find us.

Step 5) Make learning this information fun, as I said above we sing a song about where we live but there are plenty of safety videos for kids on YouTube and other sites, and if you live near the seaside the local lifeboat site may have a pack for children to receive in the post or print about being safe near and on the beach.

Step 6) Teach your child what number to call if nobody was around to help them, tell them to ask for the police, tell them that the police are very friendly but calling 111/999 must only be used if you are really lost and nobody is around.

Step 7) Practice Scenarios, Go through the "what if's?" What if you couldn't see me? What would you do if someone told you come with them to find me? , Ask them questions like what adult would you ask for help if you couldn't find me? or What number would you call if nobody was around to help?

Step 8) Dress your children in bright coloured clothing, or a bright accessory like a bow or hat that you can easily spot in a crowd. Take a picture on your phone before you leave the house so if they go missing you can show security exactly what they are wearing on that day.

Step 9) Stranger Danger, its an oldie but a goodie, teach them not to talk to strangers, no matter if they look nice or have sweets, if they aren't wearing a uniform and a name tag don't talk to them, a lot of people think my daughter is rude for not talking to people when they talk to her but she knows stranger danger and for that I am mega proud!

Step 10) Review the plan, go over the plan frequently or before a big family trip, make sure your children know the information they need to get back to you safety.

I hope these tips help you and your family as they certainly helped mine, make sure you check out the blog soon for Part 2 of the emergency plan, and don't forget to sign up for email updates ( I wont spam I promise) Let me know in the comments below if you have any more tips I've missed out.

Mumma
X