Lost my dd at the park!

[Cantsleeppast3am]

Big fun fair and artificial beach, turn my back for a SECOND and she was gone! Disbelief at first, then real panic took over. She's 3.
Took about 5 minutes to find her, she'd wandered off.
We're supposed to be going to Bournemouth just me and her in a few weeks and now I don't won't to go.
I'm going to need a big drink tonight!

Might help if I attached pic

Get kiddy reins, and don’t take them off!
You can get a pen that writes info on her skin, in ultraviolet!
But I’d tie mine to me before we went out anywhere!

God you poor thing OP. I have twin 18mo boys and am fricking terrified of this happening. Also have a 4.5yo DD but she was my shadow so never had this issue (or if I did I’d have known she’d been snatched...)
I totally understand why twin parents match their kids now. Two bright T-shirt’s, preferably same colour one for DD so I can locate all 3 quickly. I’m constantly counting them off when we go out even when th boys are in the buggy, they only really get out when DH is with us, but I know this will need to change soon.
I do quite a bit of sewing so buy ridiculous fabric to make T-shirt’s for them.

When you are away get a long piece of ribbon and put it around her wrist can put poppers on it and you hold the other end

My DS was a bolter. The worst was when I was on the toilet at Heathrow airport. He just unlocked the door and ran for it. It was a terrifying 5 minutes until I found him and the staff were no help. It’s so scary when you lose them.

I take a picture when I go to places, then at least I can show what they were wearing and I have a nice picture!

MmmBlowholes

I had this just before Christmas.
My 3 year old ds wandered off in a big city centre. One second he was there the next he had gone. Everyone rallied to try and help though which was nice. He was finally found at the other end of the centre about 15 mins later babbling about sweets which makes us think someone had tried to wander off with him but got spooked when all the security guards started to communicate with each other

Longest 15 mins of my life

Pressed too quick, cause when panic takes over you can barely speak let alone describe clothes etc

A pen that writes on her skin? How would that help when your child wanders off? Op isn’t looking at a line up of toddlers wondering which one is hers.

I once lost two of mine at a very busy York market
I’d stopped for a second but the boys kept walking/pushed forward in the crowd
It took almost 15 minutes of running around on the phone to the police before some American woman came into my view-with a child holding each of her hands
She went mental at me-calling me all the names under the sun and saying how she could never be such a lax parent
It took me months to calm down after that
I couldn’t use reins as they where 8&6 at the time
It still makes me shudder

I have 3 yo twins and a 2 week old baby and I'm terrified one of the toddlers will get lost when I'm busy with the baby when out on my own. Such a difficult age, they want all the independence but have none of the sense!

I live about 10 mins from Bournemouth and havnt lost them there yet! If you're going to the beach they have little stations where you can get her a wrist band and fill out your details incase she toddlers off or you get separated.

FWIW rather than calling their name it's worth calling out how old they are, what they look like and what they are wearing - it makes them more recognisable to others.

But reigns. Definitely reigns. The backpack ones are cute and DC can cart their own shit around for once.

Name change for this as it's totally outing - when I was 7 I ran off in a shopping centre. Was gone for hours. Police were involved, the full shebang. I was found in a bookshop sat on a beanbag reading a book. My poor DM has never let me forget it.

@HeadintheClouds you use the pen to write your mobile number on their arm. Since the vast majority of the time they’re not abducted, whoever finds them can ring you ASAP.

Oh, ok. How does the finder know to look for it? Does it need a special reading device??

Lost DS at Disneyland Paris when he was four. Never have I ever felt panic like it, I feel for you.

All well now though, just get one of those wrist straps and make her wear it.

I lost one of my five year old twins in a clothes shop in a Florida mall... he was behind a clothes rack and then he just wasn’t.
Horrible moment of well no he must be here, he never goes far... except this time he did, must’ve been the longest 20 minutes of my life.
The staff were useless and as I gave his description she kept glancing at his (very alike) twin and looking at me like I was mad, yes I know that one is there but there should be two!!!
God I can still remember the helpless sick feeling, thankfully we found him, he’d left the shop after not being able to spot us - we spent the rest of the holiday a) holding his hand and b) emphasising that we would never ever leave anywhere without him so he should always stay put and wait or ask the staff. So horrible.

Always been a bit of a bolter, we had those rucksacks with the straps on for both of them when they were little they either tangled each other in knots or just sat on the floor and refused to move thank god for wine.

Does it need a special reading device??

Yes, they're called eyes. Most people are issued with them. Not everyone has the brain required to operate them though.

DS use to bolt. I took him to the park once, locked sort of gate, I looked down to get his bottle out my bag, looked up and he was gone.

He had seen his opportunity, bolted out the gate when someone was trying to get their pushchair in and was running to the main road at Bolt like speed, when he was intercepted by another mum.

If it helps my mum has forgotten me as well, the police had to take me home as it was the only thing I could parrot along with my mums name, my name and my birthday (days before mobile phones)

Reins or a wrist strap.

I'll never understand what people have against them or why they need to be dressed up as a backpack.

We have one of the Skip Hop backpacks with reins, they're ace. Stops DD wandering off, and means she can carry her own water bottle/toys etc.

If they can be read with your eyes then any old sharpie will do, wisearse.

I had those cute animal back pack reins for mine. But I was lucky they were happy hand holders so we didn’t need them for long.

It’s bloody scary that moment your heart is in the pit of your tummy.

A pen that writes on her skin? How would that help when your child wanders off? Op isn’t looking at a line up of toddlers wondering which one is hers.

Yes it’s just a normal pen. You can seal it with a waterproof liquid bandage too so it doesn’t wash off easily.

Then people spot a wandering child, see the number and call.

Much easier

@HeadintheiClouds Apologies - I was referring to the posters who suggested writing in pen, not marking your child like a DVD player.