when we took our grandchildren with us we took a picture of us with our grandchildren before we left. We got them a fanny pack and put the picture in there with all our names, phone numbers, and their parents names and phone numbers in case our phones wern't working, we also put the hotel we were staying in on it. I had the pictures covered in plastic so water wouldn't ruin them. luckily none of them got lost but we had a few close calls. we also told them to look for the Disney badge and go to a person with one to tell them they were lost.

My three year old got separated from me in the busy Pinocchio restaurant we looked as much as we could and asked for help from an employee.... She asked how old he was... I said three and she blew off and said he'll be fine and went back to what she was doing! A non cast member found my child by the fountain crying loudly and tried to help him find us... I am more than a little annoyed! My three year old was scared and not "ok." The man who found him said he was crying so loudly you knew something was wrong right away! I am livid!!

My three year old got separated from me in the busy Pinocchio restaurant we looked as much as we could and asked for help from an employee.... She asked how old he was... I said three and she blew off and said he'll be fine and went back to what she was doing! A non cast member found my child by the fountain crying loudly and tried to help him find us... I am more than a little annoyed! My three year old was scared and not "ok." The man who found him said he was crying so loudly you knew something was wrong right away! I am livid!!

I've dealt with so many misplaced adults.

I always radio for backup but usually the situation is resolved before anyone manages to assist. Things get fixed really quick but parents are super frustrated that you're not pulling their child out of the bushes I've noticed.

Tips: DO NOT GET ANGRY AT YOUR CHILD. Things happen but I can assure you your child is relatively safe. I've had my heart broken way too many times with a scared and crying child being reunited with their parents only to be made to feel worse by being yelled at. Yes sit down and talk to them but try not to take it out on them. You also contributed to the issue by not keeping a proper eye on them so they aren't 100% at fault.

I've always did my best to make a child feel comfortable. Get down to their level etc. Most kids don't like to talk but once you start talking on your own they'll open up.. I've sat beside them, crouched to get to their level, abandoned non safety critical positions to assist the child whom usually just want to keep walking around. Told them my name and ask about their favorite rides etc. and slowly work into the name, last seen type questions.

So people do and will go above and beyond to make sure all is straightened out.

We use a dog tag with our contact info, and attach it to the belt loop on our child's pants.

I work the information booths at Universal, and just wanted to offer this up, as I'm sure it applies at the Disney resorts as well. I've got countless parents or children coming up to me daily (after all - our booth is above ground level, its easily spot-able, and a decent landmark). Point being, something I've noticed about the kids is that they are always very quiet. If they can't find their parents, they don't want to talk to other adults. I've had experiences where I can't get a name from them, or an age, or anything, just because they don't necessarily want to talk. Don't get me wrong, they're normally not freaking out. They're normally pretty calm, or quietly crying, and happy to hold my hand, or shake their heads to yes or no questions, but talking is something thats typically harder with them, just because they're scared and nervous.

Having something written on them makes things much, much easier, to find their parents in those 'more than ten minute' situations. Even if it's just a phone number, it's honestly better to be safe than sorry, we all want to reunite everyone as quickly as possible.

Have your child wear a lanyard with his or her name and with your contact information. That way if they get seperated all someone has to do is call you.

I dress the kids in the same color not outfit. As an example red shirt Monday. Then if they happen to walk away or get distracted I,can easily scan the area for that one color. I do take daily pics. But it is easier if you can spot a solid color shirt to find them.

As previously posted, ALWAYS take a picture of your children everyday so you have a record of the clothing they have on.

Also, put something in their pocket with your 1st name and cell phone number on it. If the child has some type of pin, use a permanent magic marker to put your name on the back of it.

If your child does NOT speak English, write their native language on the paper or the pin. This will help the Cast Member find someone immediately who speaks the child's language.

Unless you are in a water park...we were in blizzard beach when my son went up on a water slide that said 10 minute wait. I was with my other 2 children and we waited at the bottom for him to come down. After 20 minutes, still no sign. Then I saw that the slide could have gone 2 ways and he may have ended up on the other side where were weren't waiting. He knew we would be waiting, and my fear was that he went down the other side, didn't see us and went looking. After 40 minutes, with no help from the staff, he finally came down the right slide.
I asked the staff to radio to the person at the top to call out his name just so I knew if he was there or not, and they wouldn't. They did not make it easy and I was getting very upset. We have gone to wdw over 100 times, and this was the first this ever happened. And the last as we will not be goi g back to that water park for a looooong time.

One of the first things you learn as a Cast Member (I'm pretty sure they taught us this in Traditions, though that was in the late 90's for me and I haven't worked there in about 10yrs) is that kids don't get lost, parents do! The kids know exactly where they are - Disney World!! What does this mean? 9 times out of 10 the kids don't panic, only Mom or Dad panics. Stay calm so when you do find your kid you don't ruin their perception of the magic! :)

As a former cast member, I was once 'found' by a lost child. She was maybe 4 or 5 (I think she recently had a birthday) and was absolutely adorable. We will break rules for your kids. Example: We're not really supposed to sit down while on stage. It looks lazy and makes us unapproachable. We are told to squat, bend over, or get on one knee instead. I dropped everything I was doing and sat down with this little girl so she would be more comfortable and know that I wasn't going anywhere. When a cast member finds a child, that cast member will stay with the child until they are found. This way, the child feels comfortable and gets a new friend and advocate. It also helps as we try and figure out the important details, like what their parents names are, what their parents are wearing, if they have any siblings in their party, etc. We will do just about anything to make sure that your child is comfortable, safe, and happy.

Which park doesn't have a baby care? ESPN only a Welcome Center.

A good idea is to take a photo of your kids every morning before going into the parks so that you have a picture of the child and what he's wearing in the event he gets lost.

There are video cameras strategically placed throughout the park, and if the photo could be scanned to one of the monitors, kids could be found more easily.

Though not a GPS tracker, Magic Bands are keyed with enough information, one would guess, that IDing and contacting family members of a "found" child should be much easier.