Tips for keeping kids safe at Disneyland and Walt Disney World

July 15, 2014 in All Posts, babies & toddlers, baby center, Big Kids, disney california adventure, disneyland, Tips & Tricks for Families, Travel Tips, walt disney world by Babes in Disneyland

I have a confession. When I visit Disneyland, I let my guard down; I have a false sense of security and always tell people that “Disneyland is like home to me.” I have a feeling I’m not the only parent. When you strip away the emotion, fantasy and joy of Disneyland, I have to remind myself that Disneyland is a public place. We all do. In all my years working for and writing about the Disneyland Resort, I have never heard of anything sinister happening there, but that doesn’t mean that as a parents we can let our guards down even for a second. We want to believe that Disneyland is a fantasy, but we always have to be careful.

I am by no means a child safety expert, but I have talked with experts in the past for projects I have done in my professional life away from the blog. Below, I have put together what I have learned from some of the most interesting and noteworthy experts I have worked with or encountered as they relate to theme park safety. Please take some time to read these over and I encourage you to share your child safety tips in the blog comments below.

Throw out the term “stranger danger.”

Pattie Fitzgerald is a child safety advocate and founder of Safely Ever After, Inc. She has been working with parents and communities across the country to educate children about safety by developing kid-friendly approaches using words and phrases children can better understand and conceptualize, including eliminating the long-used term “stranger danger.”

“More than 90% of sexual and physical abuse happens to children by someone they know, and in circumstances when a stranger doesintend to victimize a child, they will typically present themselves in a very friendly, alluring manner. In other words, their ‘stranger-danger radar’ doesn’t necessarily kick in,” says Fitzgerald. “Stranger danger actually does a disservice to kids. It’s more effective to teach children about ‘tricky people.’ By removing the word “stranger” and replacing it with “tricky people,” we’re encouraging kids to be alert to any and all people who try to break the family’s safety rules. ‘Tricky people’ helps kids to be mindful around people they know, don’t know or know just a little.”

Teach kids your family rules at an early age.

According to Fitzgerald, parents should be teaching their children the following concepts beginning at a very early age. These can be considered “family rules” so that kids know that mom and dad are part of a team to keep them safe.

• The child is the boss of his or her own body and everything that is covered by a bathing suit is private.

• Safe grown-ups never need a child’s help.

• Children should never go anywhere or do anything with another adult without asking their immediate caregiver (mom, dad, daycare provider) first.

• The family doesn’t keep any secrets –good or bad. It is very easy for adults intending to do a child harm to convince the child a bad thing is a “good” secret.

• Children should be encouraged to listen to their special inner voice, especially when they get an “uh-oh” feeling that something isn’t

Play it safe at theme parks and beyond.

According to Fitzgerald and the Center for Missing and Exploited Children, there are a few things all guardians should do while they are with children theme parks.

• Parents should always pay attention to who is paying attention to their child by being active, visible parents and looking for red flags, including inappropriate talk around children or someone who appears preoccupied with their child. Parental awareness and involvement can serve as a deterrent to those who may want to cause harm. This means parents need to be on the look out for who is paying close attention to their child in every public place, including theme parks.

• Parents should explain to children that they must stay with a member of their party at all time and should never be left alone or become isolated with anyone, even an employee. Children should not to accept any prizes, offers or gifts from anyone until they have checked with their parents first.

• Children should be taught that if anyone approaches them or makes them feel sad, scared or confused that they must tell you immediately, because there are never any secrets that they cannot tell the trusted adults in their lives. Children should also be taught that if anyone grabs them to loudly yell, “This person is trying to take me” or “This person is not my father/mother.”

• At the Disneyland Resort, children should be instructed to go to the nearest Cast Member if they become separated from the family. A Cast Member will take the child directly to Lost Children, which is located in the Baby Care Centers at both Disneyland and Disney California Adventure Park. The child should never be alone with the Cast Member or go into a backstage area, unless the child is injured, in which case a medical team will come out to the child and take the child backstage to First Aid. In the case of older children, families should establish a central place to meet that is out in the open, like Central Plaza at Disneyland or the entrance of Cars Land or “bugs’ land” in Disney California Adventure Park. It is extremely important that parents explain to children that they should never go looking for their parents and should never go “backstage” with any Cast Member (employee) or park guest, and never go outside of the parks in an effort to find the family. (The same policies are in place for Lost Children and First Aid at the Walt Disney World parks.)

Other tips:

• Children should know their parents’ cell phone numbers and if they don’t, numbers can be written on a piece of tape inside the child’s jacket or shirt collar or on special write-on tattoos. The Cast Members in Lost Children will ask the child if they know the number in order to reunite the family and child as quickly as possible. If you forget to arm the child with the phone number before your visit, stickers for this type of information are also found at the Lost Children/Baby Care Centers in the parks. (This information also pertains to Walt Disney World parks.)

• When children think they are “too old” to use the restroom with their parents (sons won’t go with mommies into the women’s room, etc.), seek out the family restrooms in the parks so that the family does not need to be separated.

• Many parents like the idea of taking a rest in Toontown, at Redwood Creek Challenge Trail or on Tom Sawyer’s Island while the kids play. Instead of telling children to only play where mommy or daddy can see them, tell children that they must play where they can still see mommy and daddy, as this concept is easier for children to understand.

Want to read more on child safety?

Here are some great books on the subject that you can read with your kids:

•The Berenstain Bears Learn About Strangers by Stan and Jan Berenstain is a classic book for children ages 3 to 7 that teaches kids to be cautious of strangers with common sense advice that only Mama Bear can dole out.

• NO Trespassing– This Is MY Body! by Pattie Fitzgerald teaches kids how to keep their bodies safe and provides useful tips for parents.

• I Said No! by Zack and Kimberly King is a kid-to-kid guide for children ages 4 and older that teaches how to keep private parts private in kid-friendly language.

Again, please leave your best strategies on keeping kids safe while traveling in our comments. The more information, the better!

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2 Comments

Comments

Wendy Byde says

July 15, 2014 at 4:58 pm

This is a great article. Thank you so much.

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Sara says

July 17, 2014 at 3:18 pm

*Fantastic tips* Most I have heard but I LOVE the “tricky” adult phrase and helping your child learn about their inner voice and the “uh-oh” feeling.

If this is posted on FB, I will be sharing for sure.

Also, I tell my kids if they get scared and can’t find a cast member (or adult in charge ) to look for another mommy with kids(especially good at parks or places where parents frequent). My mom friends passed that tip on to me years ago.

Thanks for addressing this issue, Lisa!

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