Child Lost Public Place? What to do and Why the first 60 seconds is VITAL

What would  you do if your child went missing in a busy  public place such as an airport

Children often get lost and go missing airports and other busy places

I'll never forget reading Sandy and Helen's account of what happened when their daughter Sophia got lost at the airport back in 2017. It was emotional reading and still sends shudders down my spine.

​My own daughter is 18 months old. I cannot imagine the pain they must have gone through.

Sophia was just holding my hand and is now a million miles from me"

There were many sad lines in that story, which thankfully had a happy ending. You can read the  customer's full account of how their child went missing at the airport.

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Three things you can do to  avoid losing your child

There are  a number of things that you can do before you  venture out which reduce the risk of your child going missing.  here are my top three: -

1. Kit them out with a child emergency ID bracelet and use the parent alert  plan (Platinum)
2. If they of an educable age, teach  (and roll play) the  Yell Method in case your child gets lost  or    separated from you
3. Teach them what a  trusted stranger is

What should you do if your child goes missing?

But if you are unfortunate enough to go through the experience of losing a child one of the most recent pieces of advice being given to parents is  : - 

• Stay absolutely put for a minute or two
  Don't move from the spot  where you are because it is likely that your child will  return to where they last were with you
  

Easier said than done perhaps; in the heat of the moment I imagine one would want to search the entire vicinity for their young child that has gone missing.

If you are with  another adult then at least one of you stay put whilst the other goes to seek help. Remember most large organisations such as shopping malls, airports, train stations and even retail stores have lost child procedures; they are quite used to dealing with children getting lost and separated from parents and, they are there to help.

Here's one thing you can do right now...

Watch this short video and  register for your free child ID  to help ensure a quick reuniting if your young child becomes lost or missing .  In the event they or you get momentarily distracted and become lost   or separated You ID Me can  alert you straight to your phone just as soon as their profile is accessed from any phone, tablet or PC.