Have you experienced a lost child at Disney? What did you do to find your child?

[kstruchen]

Also, we've always told the kids if they do get lost to go into a store and talk to an employee behind the cash register. Or if no stores/employees, find and talk to a mom (look for a stroller, etc).

 

[ZephyrHawk]

I've always said, if I were going to lose DD, I'd want to do so at WDW. The CMs deal with this on a daily basis. They have never failed to return a missing parent to their child.

There used to be this website where CMs would post stiories of their guest experiences. One that always stuck with me was the CM who had an extremely stressed dad run up to her saying that he had lost his young daughter. The CM calmed him down and started asking him to describe the girl. She asked about the girl's age and hair, and the clothes she was wearing. And after all of that she told the dad, "Sir, look up."

The girl was sitting on his shoulders the entire time. Classic example of how guests leave their brains at home while visiting Disney.

 

[kstruchen]

I've always said, if I were going to lose DD, I'd want to do so at WDW. The CMs deal with this on a daily basis. They have never failed to return a missing parent to their child.

There used to be this website where CMs would post stiories of their guest experiences. One that always stuck with me was the CM who had an extremely stressed dad run up to her saying that he had lost his young daughter. The CM calmed him down and started asking him to describe the girl. She asked about the girl's age and hair, and the clothes she was wearing. And after all of that she told the dad, "Sir, look up."

The girl was sitting on his shoulders the entire time. Classic example of how guests leave their brains at home while visiting Disney.

 

[LMLFlorida]

We lost our not quite 2 year old within an hour of being at our resort-first family Disney trip. DH apparently set him down while we were ordering QS and he wandered off. Thankfully, we found him less than 5 mins later in the attached gift shop at SSR, sitting on the floor looking at Mickey postcards. We asked a couple CMs and they hadn't seen a toddler...

Anyway, best advice is to take a pic of your kid in the morning. A full body pic including their shoes as shoes are something that are likely not going to change in abduction cases. Have your phone number on their clothes, a dog tag on a bracelet, a necklace, shoe tag, temp tattoo- something, that way if someone finds them, they can be reunited with you quicker. If they are old enough to understand, show them how to identify CMs and to identify one if they are lost. Teach them to stay where they are and you or a CM will find them. Teach them not to go with a stranger, and how to know who is safe, and if they ever feel uncomfortable, to scream, cuz worst case scenario, if someone unsavory is trying to get them to go with them, screaming will at least draw attention and hopefully scare them away as well as get the kid help.

Just wanted to comment on your advice - if your child is able to use words, it is better for them to yell repeatedly "I don't know this __________ (person/man/woman/etc)!!!!!" It is more likely to attract the attention of people in the area than just a child screaming. I have heard many a child scream at Disney, but it doesn't necessarily alert me because it is common.