My husband and I have traveled countless times throughout the United States, Canada and Newfoundland with our five children. We have camped in national parks and visited amusement parks.
Although a family vacation should provide a break from everyday stress, some trips were more stressful than others.
Disney World was our most challenging trip. There was so much to grab our attention: huge crowds and characters everywhere. I tried not to focus on how easily small children could get swept up in crowds. Instead, I tried to plan for all possible scenarios.
It was January when we visited Disney World in Florida. My children – ages 5 to 11 – wore their school backpacks to carry character autograph books, pens, water bottles, purchased jewelry and raincoats in case of rain.
But a simple trick helped me when I lost my child for a few seconds at Disney.
Balloons helped me find my lost daughter
Every day our children were allowed to choose a colorful balloon at the entrance to the park. Then I attached these balloons to the straps of their backpacks.
Instinctively, I counted the balloons all day long. Every time we went to a restaurant, rode the monorail, watched the parades, or stood in line for the rides, I looked for those balloons to keep an eye on my children.
The kids held the balloons down while we watched the action. I held the backpacks while the kids and my husband enjoyed the rides.
One day, as we were leaving the monorail in the midst of another noisy crowd, I counted the balloons: five. Everyone got off. We gathered our coats, our camera and the folded double stroller, left the platform and rode up the fast escalator.
Then, for some reason, I decided to count the balloons again. One, two, three, four! My heart stopped.
Just like on our nature walks, my husband was at the front of the children’s line and I was at the back. I frantically looked at my balloons and noticed that one of the twins was missing.
I called out to my husband over the noise of music and conversation. As I turned around on the escalator, I spotted a balloon in the crowd, still on the platform.
I screamed my child’s name as I fought my way through the people stuck on the escalator, trying to race down the escalator to the top.
I continued to scream and push and shove people out of the way to get to the platform before my little daughter was dragged by the crowd onto the next train.
People were making way, and a train had come by now. As I ran to my daughter, a woman was clearing people away from a bloated little girl who was crying so I could reach her in time.
I think in this case the balloon was the rescue.
There is so much more you can do to keep your children safe at Disney
It is terrible to lose sight of a child in a crowded place. Holding hands or putting the youngest children in a stroller can help keep them safe in crowded places. A family can also create colorful and unique t-shirts for them to wear.
Take photos of your young children to show them the figures in case your child gets lost. Tell your children to go to the figures if they get lost. The figures have a safety feature.
Agree on a specific meeting point in case you get separated: perhaps at the Main Street Bakery – but definitely not in front of Cinderella’s Castle as there will be too many people there. For children with phones, take a photo of the meeting point. The child can approach a character or security guard and ask how to get there.
Small, portable GPS trackers are now available. Keep them in a small zippered pouch on a strap around your child’s neck or in their backpack.
To quickly spot small children in a crowd, I can only recommend the balloon trick. I didn’t lose my child because of it and I swear by it.
Theme parks and crowded vacation destinations don’t have to be stressful for parents. As long as we keep an eye on our children, we can stay mentally healthy and our children can be safe.
Personally, I will forever be grateful for balloons.
