What to Do if Your Child Gets Lost at a Theme Park

KSL CrimeWatch

On your family vacation to a theme park, how can you prepare in case a little one gets lost? Former Salt Lake County Sheriff Jim Winder gives advice for both parents and children to make searching easier. *** With the warmer weather, there are many festivals, fairs, and other large events that families will enjoy together. As you’re preparing to go to these events, take a moment to instruct your children on what they should do if they get lost. One of the most important factors is for the children to know where a meet-up location is. Should they become separated, you should observe a landmark or major entry point, and have that child return to that location and stay put. You should instruct your child that, should they become lost, they should communicate with individuals that are working behind the counter at a location, or an individual in uniform—like a law enforcement officer or security personnel. Have one of the family members stay in the location where the child was last seen, and then go and contact help. Individuals—security and otherwise—can then begin looking for the child. It’s also imperative that you have a specific description of your young one. Often times we’ll have parents say that their “blonde-haired seven year old” is missing. That’s not good enough. What we need is: * A specific clothing description * Color of shirt * Color of pants * Footwear * Length of hair * Name the child responds to If you have this data, it’s often much easier to locate your child. Remember, as frightened as you are, they’re more so.