Children are a precious gift, but sometimes, children can become separated from their prospective adult. While in a grocery store, this can cause a moment of panic, but if you are on vacation, this can cause a frantic moment of fear and dread. The child will have their own feelings of fear and terror. You can take steps to insure that insure the safety of your child or children should you become separated. Vacationing safety tips are a great way to brush up on what it is you can do and what steps to take to prevent the unexpected.
Traveling abroad can be a wonderful time for the whole family. Mexico is an increasingly popular destination these days, and as such, it is important you plan for the unexpected. Not only should you plan for the unexpected, but you should teach your children what to do "just in case". Of course, you will not want to scare your children, but you will want to insure they stay safe and know what to do. This will help your child not feel completely helpless and terrified; you will find this speeds up the reunion process as well.
Here are just a few vacation safety tips to practice with your children to insure that next family vacation goes off without a hitch.
Do not wear highly visibly names on the outside of your clothes. Having matching t-shirts is great! Choose a same color shirt for the whole family, and teach the children to look for that color. However, having the shirts personalized with a name on the back or front is simply a bad idea. Your child is more likely to trust an adult who knows his or her name. It is easier to lure children when the stranger has a name to make the child feel comfortable.
Have identification on each member of the family - even the newborn. Identification can be in the form of an ID card, a bracelet, or even a dog tag. These need to be on the person of each person, and animal if necessary, on the vacation. Make a game of letting the child know that if they get lost, to find another mommy or daddy with children and show them this identification. It is a good idea if traveling abroad to have this identification in the locale language as well as the home language.
Always have a photo of each person on the vacation. If you should become separated, it is important to have a current photo of the missing person for authorities. These can be carried in the purse or kept in a safe box while enjoying the day.
Finally, while we do not want to teach our children to fear people, it is important to teach your children that if anyone tries to grab them, touch them in a way that feels bad, or tries to take them to drop to the ground and scream as loudly as possible, "He is not my mommy or daddy. HELP!" until help arrives. This small step could mean the difference in life and possible death.
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