What happens if i lose my child at Disney World

The worst thing imaginable has happened. Your child has wandered off at Disney World and you are in a panic. You’ve checked the lines. You’ve checked the rides. Whats your next step? What do you do?

Approach a Disney Cast member if your child is lost. They are trained extensively in what to do. If your child is under 11 years old they will be escorted to the Lost Parent Station. Here they will be taken care of until you arrive.
To find you, the cast member will use:

• The child’s magic band to find your contact detail (first instance)
• Look for a note you may have placed with them
• Ask the child your name etc (if they are old enough)

Rest assured they will stop at nothing to find you.

As parents we can prepare our kids by seeking as much information as possible to help educate them for a worst case scenario. Let’s take a closer look at what’s available and what you can do.

What is a Lost Parent Station?

As you probably noticed in my answer above the child has the idea that his or her “parents are lost”. This is contrary to the idea that the child is lost itself. This is one of the many Disney methods used to keep children calm when they can’t find their mother or father and gives kids a feeling of security. They think that their parents are the ones missing which makes them feel better and they feel they are less likely to get into trouble for wandering off. You would be surprised how much easier this makes getting information from them to help find mum or dad.

The Lost Parent Station is in essence the Baby Care Centre and it is where mum and dad can go to see if their child has been found. It’s basically a lost and found for kids.

What can i do to educate my child for Disney World?

As a parent you want to do everything in your power to make sure your little bundle of joy is safe and with you at all times. However, this isn’t always so straight cut when you’re at Disney World. There are many distractions and paths that if you take your eyes off your kids for even just a millisecond, can turn a fantastical magical experience into a horror story. This is why you have to try your best to plan ahead, involve the wee ones as much as you can in family plans and make sure you try at least some of the steps I’m about to go through. 

Brief your child on what to do if they get lost. In my opinion, this is one of the most powerful ways to prepare them in the case they wander off and can’t find you. You may think that your little one is not a wanderer but kids can go missing in many ways. Let me give you a quick example from my own experience. When I was 4 my parents and I went to Disneyland Paris for a vacation. On the first day, at the first park, as we entered through the gates at Magic Kingdom I was extremely excited so i ran ahead of my mum and dad. I then thought I’d grab my dad’s hands as there were a lot of people, so I did. He pulled away very quickly. I looked up and it wasn’t my dad. It was someone else’s dad. I felt like an idiot at 4 years old. It’s strange how life can set you on a path of idiocy even at a young age. Well so my friends tell me all the time. Anyway… luckily my parents have a sense of humour and enjoy a good laugh. But they never took their eyes off me. As you’re probably thinking, something more sinister could’ve happened if I’d held the hand of the wrong person. This is why making sure your kids are ready with their own plan is very important. They could literally get preoccupied by a parade and try to get a closer look or grab the hand of a stranger that doesn’t let go. Then suddenly they are all alone. I know its a scary thought! They really do need to know what to do and how to react in all scenarios.

They should know what a cast member is and how they can be identified with their badges which, are positioned on the left of their chest, and only the left. They should also know that if they’re lost or worse these are the people to go or call to. 

Work out a designated meeting spot that you can find together when you enter a park. Making sure this is near the entrance, close to something clearly recognisable, without having lots of different entrances and exits. A good example would be a restaurant, café or a ride. This will make it easier for you to find each other. Cast members will happily escort children to this spot if they tell them that it’s part of your family plan. Your job is to then get to that spot as quickly as possible. Leave a member of your party who is an adult or responsible teenager at the position you were at in case the missing child comes back. 

Here is a guide that has lots of maps and trip planning tools

5 tips to keeping your child safe at Disney

Preparation is key and safety should always be at the top of your list. Let’s go through a few tips that can help you keep track of you child and safe while in Disney World.

Take a photograph

every morning when you leave your accommodation it’s good practice to take a picture of your children so you can show a cast member if they go missing. It can be quite challenging when you’re a mess and thinking all kinds of horrible things to give an accurate description or remember what they were wearing.

Phone Number

in this modern age of tech and cell phones we don’t usually have the need to memorise or write down phone numbers. But sometimes, for necessity, it’s extremely helpful if we have a non-digitized copy of an emergency contact. If they’re old enough, the simplest option is to get them to memorise your cell. But for the little ones maybe take a look at putting a small bit of paper with contact information on it, in their pocket. You can also consider writing your number on their arms with waterproof ink. Or a more controversial method is to use a temporary tattoo which lasts a couple of weeks. Personally, I’m not a fan of the last one but of course it’s an option.

Make them stand out

as there are so many crowds in Disney World, for instance on Main Street for those magical parades, it makes sense for you to dress your child in a way that makes them extremely visible to you. When we go to Disney as a family my wife and kids often force me to wear a custom Mickey jumper with our names on it … cough … Yes … Force. Honestly. But this is a great example of how to make your kids easily recognisable if they get a little bit further away than you anticipated. Another option is to stick them in bright clothes. Something that really embarrasses them. Sorry my villainous side sometimes enters the room when i’m writing. At night, maybe experiment with some glow sticks. Around their arms as bracelets not for an illegal rave. Or glow in the dark face paint and even some Mickey ears that light up. The choice is yours and there is no reason you can’t make it fun. 

Tracking

as mentioned with phone numbers above, tech is very prominent in our lives. Older children are more likely to have a cell phone which makes it a lot easier to track and stay in touch. Younger kids probably won’t so you have to get creative. Unfortunately a message in a bottle or genie lamp just wont cut it when you’re panicking. But there are other options such as a GPS phone watch or even walkie-talkies. Have a look on Amazon and you will probably find something that will work for you and your family.

Comfort

by far the most effective method is to keep talking to your child throughout your trip about safety, procedures and of course right from wrong. You are your child’s world and they put their trust in you to make sure they are safe. If they get lost, when you find them, spend more time making sure they’re okay and try not to go mad at them. These things can happen and often it’s usually not anyone’s fault but just circumstance. They will have more confidence in you if they’re not scared. Make them feel comfortable enough to reach out to the right people when they need to and speak up when it’s important to do so.

Conclusion

Losing a child at Disney is devastating and horrible. It’s something that happens every day on average probably more than a dozen times. Disney cast members are trained on how to deal with this kind of situation. They should be the first people that both you and your child should know and trust to approach if you lose one another. Prepare, brief, comfort and practice common sense. This is your best means to finding each other.

I hope you have found the info you were looking for. If you have anything to add feel free to do so in the comments below for everyone to see.

As always, Have fun!

See you real soon.