How to Keep your Kids Safe in Crowded Areas
Parents tend to become a bit nervous when they have a special event planned in an area where there are going to be crowds of people. These events could be County Fairs, Amusement parks, Water Parks, Malls, The Zoo, Museums and Lakes with camping included. Many people enjoy vacationing in the summer and if you have a large brood of kids, you should probably devise a plan to make sure everyone stays near and is safe. Kids have the ability to disappear when you turn your eye for a split second and many children have either vanished with terrible outcomes or just ran to the bathroom at age two if they are familiar with the area and scared their parents half to death. Regardless, it’s still important to have a plan of action so everyone is accounted for.
The tips for increasing the safety
Taking the family on an outing is awfully exciting but can turn into a nightmare and cause excessive stress so think about these tips for keeping your kids safe in a crowded area. You can talk to the older kids about a plan if you become separated. Tell them to look for someone in a uniform because now there are always police officers or security guards watching events. There are also booths with people that offer information and also have the ability to reunite missing children with their parents. You can give the older kids a cell phone so they can call you if they wander off and meet at a spot you both know is safe. This usually works well for older children in families.
Take strollers and wagons for the younger children and this way you won’t have to carry them in large crowds. You can also get wristbands with their names and phone numbers on them with your information. If your kids are old enough and can remember their number, write it down for them anyways in case they get lost but make sure they don’t go into a secluded area to use someone else’s phone. Pay phones are non-existent so it’s best for them to look for an authority figure. There are also tattoos out that parents can purchase on Amazon. They are called SafetyTat Child ID Tattoos and they can carry your child’s home information.
You can also purchase portable chargers because cell phones are used for many things like cameras, Google maps, clocks, and many more things. A portable charger is nice to have because it’s already charged and can charge up your battery very quickly. This is important if your battery runs low and your kids are frantic and trying to get in touch with you. Remember to set your phone to both vibrate and put it on high ringtone, so you won’t miss a call or a text. Parents can get distracted too in busy places, especially if they are looking for their kids so you don’t want to miss a call or a text from your kids.
Bring hand sanitizer and hand wipes because there are other things to worry about in busy places and this is germs. Bathrooms are usually Porta-Potties or overcrowded and overused so it’s good to keep all of your family’s hands clean in a busy area because soap and water might not be easy to find. Make sure everyone uses the sanitizers whether they prefer wipes or hand gel, especially before you eat snacks, food from the event or lunch you packed for everyone.
Parents can also think about using a GPS tracker on their kids because this way it will be easy to find them and still have fun at the same time. This also will help relieve some of the stress of wondering where they are if they get separated.
Some parents dress their kids in brighter clothing because it’s easier to find them in a big crowd. Dressing kids in bright clothing can help parents watch them while they are having fun.
If you choose to go to a concert or to the fireworks or other evening events, the same ideas can still be used but there are a few more ideas you might want to think about. Large crowds can be loud and concerts have been known to ruin people from past generations hearing, so bring along some earphones to help protect their hearing. They also have come up with some cool glow sticks that kids can wear as necklaces or bracelets. Buy some and hand them out to your kids or have them wear their light up shoes or glow sticks work just as well. This will be easier for you to keep an eye on your kids at nighttime events.
If you’re going to a beach or public pool, water can be a hazard at crowded beaches without lifeguards. Always keep younger children in your view and never let the older children swim past the rope. If there is a lifeguard, he or she will give them a swim test to see if they can swim safely enough to use the diving boards or the water slides in the deep end of the pool. If there are no lifeguards, it’s up to you to watch all your children and make sure they don’t go out too far because drop-offs occur rapidly and pretty soon you might be swimming out to rescue your child. If you don’t know how to swim and there are not any lifeguards on duty, take an experienced swimmer with you so you all can enjoy the beach.
You can always get your younger children inflatable armbands that inflate and help them swim on their own around you. This is a good way to get them to start kicking their legs. You can also purchase some good swim vests or life jackets that your child can wear so they can learn to start paddling their legs and feet. Even though you may have bought all these goodies for your kids to be able to float, never leave a child unattended in the water if they don’t know how to swim. If you decide to go boating and swim out in the deep area, it’s the law that everyone on board wears a life jacket.
Parents don’t have to make a fun event scary by having that talk with their kids before you leave home. It’s important that they become aware of the dangers in the world at a young age now. These things didn’t happen as much 50 years ago as far as kidnappings and child molestations but drowning and bad accidents have always happened throughout history so it’s important to keep your family together so no one gets hurt and accidents are prevented.
