How to keep your small children safe during your California family vacation?
If you’re planning a trip to the big city with your little ones, or an area that is a busy tourist attraction in California, it’s important to have a safety plan in place prior to leaving. Safety should be instituted throughout the trip to allow everyone to be on the same page should an emergency situation occur. Having everything planned out ahead of time can also make your trip more relaxing and enjoyable, without having to second guess your next move. Here are just a few tips on keeping your small children safe and sound during the entire family vacay.
Use Identification
One of the most important safety tips to adhere to is having proper identification for your child at all times. Traveling to a very busy location like Disney or Laguna Beach can make it easy for a child to slip away from your group or take a turn in the wrong direction and get misplaced from the pack. Always have a current photo available to be able to show authorities should your child come up missing. Identification markers temporarily tattooed on them is another way to provide instant detection should your child get lost. Small wrist ID bands are also popular for kids who are traveling. Another tip when checking out things to do in Hollywood and other California hot spots, is to keep your family color coordinated. This means wearing the same colored shirts or hats to provide quick visual identification should you get lost in a sea of people.
Set Up A Safety Plan And Follow Through
Many unforeseen circumstances can quickly arise during an outing. That’s why it’s important to talk about a safety plan prior to leaving on the trip. Some helpful tips include:
- How your kids can quickly access your cell phone and call for help in an emergency
- Never straying from the main group or chaperone
- Avoiding close contact with strangers
- Knowing the names and cities of the hotel or resort you’re staying at
- Creating a focal point of interest when you’re sightseeing so they know where to look if they get lost
Also talk to your kids about airplane and airport safety. It can be easy to get separated at the airport terminal. Make sure they know not to get on the connecting flight or wander away from other family members at the airport. Sitting down and having a family discussion prior to the day’s adventure is the best way to stay in proper communication mode at all times.
Create A Main Itinerary And Stick To It
Going over what is happening for the day is important, but avoiding sudden changes in plans may help keep your children safer. Changing up plans suddenly could lead to confusion and if your child happens to get lost, he may forget the exact location where everyone was at. If you do decide to change things up, make sure to go over the demographics of the new location in detail with your children.
Bring Along Some Help
While a family vacation is meant to be memorable and intimate, having an extra person present can really help alleviate stress and pressure—especially if you’re traveling to a highly populated area. Bringing along a nanny or other family member to help out can help you keep track of the kids and enjoy yourself more along the way. This also gives you the opportunity to break away from the kids and enjoy some adult vacation time, while knowing everyone is in capable hands.
Have A Main Gathering Point
One of the most important considerations when travelling to an unknown or unfamiliar destination is to have a main location to gather should anyone get lost. This could be the front entry gate at the amusement park or a large fountain or statue that is easy to recognize. This will allow everyone to regroup and relocate to a unified location, and hopefully find each other safe and sound. In the event a family member is temporarily removed for a TSA inspection or other questioning at the airport, talk to your kids about sticking together, remaining calm, and staying in one safe place until everyone is reunited.
California family vacations can be some of the best in the world. Have creating your itinerary and your budget, don’t forget going over some safety tips with the kids before you leave. This will give you peace of mind and the comfort knowing everyone is safe and enjoying their experience.