Staying Safe When Traveling With Kids

8 Tips to Keep Your Kids Safe While Traveling

Traveling can be exhausting. Packing everything you will need for the trip. Getting to the airport on time. Getting through security should come with chocolate and a beer at the end for the hassle it can end up being. Flight delays and bad seats can make a travel day long and uncomfortable. Add in kids and you are multiplying the problems by ten. The biggest concern for all parents though, is keeping our kids safe on these adventures out into the world. It's so easy to want to stay home in our contained little bubble, but seeing the world through your child's eyes is an experience in itself. These tips are what we use when we travel to help keep our kids with us and protected. Common sense goes a long ways in these situations, but being prepared will help you navigate potential problems that arise.

1. Bracelets that list my phone number

My best friend introduced me to a jewelry line, Keep Collective, when she joined the company. I don't wear much jewelry at all so I wasn't very interested but was eager to support her. It turned out to be one of the best things for helping keep our kids safe while we travel. They had an option to engrave blank sliver charms that are worn on a silicone bracelet. They come in bright colors so they are easily seen. My kids each have their own color. The charm simply says, "Call" with my phone number listed. The one time I forgot them was the one time we briefly lost a child. That 90 seconds was one of the most terrifying moments of my life. Thankfully he was just around the corner from us, but had he been wearing his bracelet, the older couple that was waiting with him would have been able to call us right away. 

If you have a kid that keeps taking it off or can't stand the feel of the bracelet, it can be worn on the ankle instead. It's not noticed as much worn down there, as you can see the black bracelet on my son below. Jewelry on kids isn't common so it would be noticed by other adults more quickly. Plus, as soon as the kids are old enough to understand, we tell them (and remind them) that my phone number is listed.

2. Matching Outfits 

I know this a mixed opinions topic. Some people love matching their kids and others hate it. I find it useful. On travel days when we are flying (which is normally just me and the kids) or when we are going to high crowd places like Disney World or Universal Studios, I try to match the kids as much as I can. I like to sew, so sometimes that means identical sets like in the photo above or as close as I can get like shown below. The reason I do this is because in a crowd I can easily spot my kids. I am looking for one pattern or color. It also makes it easier for others to know that a kid belongs to you. When you have to try and remember what each kid is wearing, it can waste time when a kid gets lost or darts away. 

3. Take a Photo To Start Your Day

I love taking pictures of my kids to the point that they get the terrible, cheesy smiles. But I always make sure we take a photo each day before we go anywhere so I have a photo of them in the outfit they are currently wearing if they get lost. With big families, it can be that much more challenging to keep track of everyone, especially in crowded airports with only one of you. In the event they get separated from you, you want to be able to show police/security what the child looks like but also what they are wearing too so they aren't having to try and make up an image based on a description. It can make their search so much easier and quicker. It also can help if an article of clothing is found, like a shoe, so they know if it belongs to your child without having to bring it to you.

(Pre-Flight routine. Picture by a window showing their complete outfit)

4. Roll Call

This is one we started after seeing it from the Bucketlist Family's videos. However, we add a little twist. They do their roll call to just check in and be silly. We do our's before we leave the hotel room by having them all put a hand on the door. We then use it to get their attention (because its fun and kids love anything fun) and then share our safety reminders for the day. They can range from, "wear your floatie at all times in the pool", to, "don't go in the ocean unless an adult is close by", to, "stay together at all times while we are at the theme park," etc. Whatever important information you need to remind them of, do it then. Which leads me into...

5. Talk to Your Kids Ahead Of Time

Kids are little sponges for information, but they often need to hear it repeated many times before it sticks. The same concept should be applied to safety rules and procedures for your family. What should your child do if they become lost? Are they old enough to memorize your phone number? What should they not do on this trip? What things are dangerous? You want to give your kids enough information so they won't panic (too much at least), if something goes wrong. They should, hopefully, be able to react in a way that aids them, if they know what they should be doing in that situation. The best thing is to take it a step further and role play. This is something you will need to gauge based on the personality of your kid and their age. We don't want scare our kids, but are honest with them why we have certain rules and ways of doing things when we travel. 

6. How To Talk To Strangers

Now I know this seems backwards, but hear me out first. We tell our kids not to talk to strangers, but then they witness us doing it constantly out in public. The person in line at the grocery store, the gentlemen at the gas station, the new neighbor, or even your waiter. We don't tell our kids not to talk to strangers, because its not bad for them to talk to people they don't know. The danger happens when those conversations occur without us (parents) around. I am more than happy to let my kids chat with people on planes, or in line next to us so they learn those challenging, social anxiety provoking, life skills while in a safe space that I provide for them. I also want them to be able to talk to strangers if an emergency happens. What if I pass out and my kids clam up? What if they get lost and adult asks them for information so they can page us over the intercom? Or a police officer is asking them for our names so they can contact our hotel room? I need my kids to be able to talk to someone they don't know, but I want to make sure they stay safe while doing so.

7. The Buddy System 

We are a big family so this is something we have to do. Before we start the day, everyone is assigned a buddy for the day. They need to stick together at all times and make sure each other doesn't get lost or wander off. Now, my kids are still young so I tell them this but don't actually give the actual responsibility of keeping track of a sibling. It gives them a task (which is great for self-esteem) and something to focus on while we walking through an airport or a busy park. It's also easier for me to spot two kids holding hands than two individual kids if they happen to get a little separated from me in a crowd. I normally pair the two oldest together and have kid 3 with me. I tell him he needs to make sure I don't get lost which makes him feel like a big kid being in charge of mom's safety. Kid 4 isn't walking so he is stuck in the baby carrier for now. Even if you have just one kid, they can still be assigned a person to keep track of. Sometimes it can be Dad or Grandma or even yourself. 

8. Physical Contact

My oldest son has some special needs and likes to bolt on me. He does it very quickly, very quietly and always when I happen to glance away for the briefest moments. He sees something interesting or wants to find a quiet place in a loud crowd and is gone 5 seconds later. Toddlers are the same way and very easily distracted. To help combat the moments of panic I have had in the past of hunting him down, we use physical touch. I will hold his hand when I know my attention will be diverted to things like getting through security, navigating a crowd or just going through a hotel lobby. I can feel if he tries to pull away and catch him before he goes anywhere. If there aren't enough adult hands to go around and I have the stroller, than each kid who's not riding will hold onto the stroller. It's not the best solution as a kid can let go and not be caught as quickly, so I use this if we are walking and I can easily see them take off. It's become so engrained in my kids that they automatically hold the stroller as we walk, even if it's just around the neighborhood. 

What things do you do to keep your kids safe while traveling? I would love to hear from you!