A few months ago, I took my youngest to an amusement park with a large group of friends and their moms. As we all gathered at the front entrance with a gaggle of 5 - 7 year olds, I noticed one mom writing her cell number on her child's arm. Brilliant idea! For kids who aren't ready to remember a phone number, it's a simple way to keep an emergency number visible in case she gets lost. Once we started looking, though, we found a number of clever ways to connect your child to your phone number. Read on for our top tips!
Wherever you are traveling this summer, you might feel more secure if you knew that your child could get help if he or she got lost. Making sure that someone can call you can provide that extra step of prevention. The ideas we liked best range from simple DIYs to slightly more involved purchases. Either way, whichever appeals to you will get the job done.
• Sharpie on the arm: Easily the simplest and most economical version, simply write your phone number on your child's arm in Sharpie. Done!
• SafetyTat: A slightly more "official" version of the Sharpie on the arm, SafetyTat is a temporary tattoo on which you can write your phone number.
• Phone Number Bracelet: This bracelet is super easy to make with some simple products from the craft store. Check out Crafty Soccer Mom's tutorial.
• Safety Shirt: Certainly this shirt gets the message across without displaying your number for all to see. You simply write your number under the left sleeve so it can be found in case of emergency.
• Safety Necklace: Another take on the phone-number-as-jewelry. We love the clever use of a bottle cap as the medium for your number. The necklace can also be unobtrusive if worn under a shirt. Unique By U provides a great tutorial.
Do you have a foolproof way of keeping your number and your child together? Let us know in the comments.
(Images: 1. Flickr user Zen licensed for use under Creative Commons 2. SafetyTat 3. Crafty Soccer Mom 4. Tig Tagz 5.Unique By U)
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I made my son a necklace and used a personalized dog tag (circle shaped) that I made at Petsmart with our phone numbers. He loves the necklace.
This is such a timely post. My family just returned from vacay @ Disney World. While watching the closing fireworks @ Magic Kingdom (around 11:00 pm ish), I noticed a little boy who was obviously lost. I asked him if he was looking for his family, and he told me that he and his big sister got separated at some point.
I tracked down one of the Disney Cast Members to assist. I asked the little boy if he knew his parents phone number and he didn't. The CM asked him if he knew what hotel he was staying in and he didn't. I left the little boy with the CM as my family prepared to leave. I'm sure that eventually the CM was able to reunite the little boy with his family, but it broke my heart that an 8/9 year old little boy was out at Disney World after 11:00 pm, all alone and with no idea how to contact his family.
I've seen the tattoo and bracelet on pinterest and I think they're brilliant. Not loving the T-shirt though, I'd rather something my kid can wear all the time, and I don't want him wearing the same shirt every time we go somewhere. I really like the dog tag idea, I never would have thought of that.
How long does sharpie last on the skin I wonder? safe? seems the easiest to do.
When we traveled in Italy this past spring, I laminated a business card sized info sheet with our names & phone numbers in both english and italian as well as the US consulate/embassy info for each city we would be visiting. I placed this on a lanyard to put around my son's neck under his jacket. I would also grab a business card from each of the hotels and place it in my child's jacket pocket.
We've used wristbands made by Tig Tagz, which are those laminated paper bracelets you stick on for one-time use. They are easy to throw in the diaper bag so I have some on hand when we arrive at crowded locations. I don't know if I would remember to grab three necklaces or bracelets for my kids before every outing otherwise.
Tip: Register for a GoogleVoice number. That way, your bracelet/necklace or whatever will always be valid, even if you change cell phone carriers, move, or what not. Just remember to keep your GoogleVoice account linked to your current numbers!
This is one of my favorite ideas from Parent Hacks: http://www.parenthacks.com/2006/08/sharpie_your_ce.html
They recommend using the Sharpie on your kids' belly so that you're not advertising your family's phone number all day long.
We have tags made at Petsmart too. I get the small size and then lace them through the kids shoe laces.
super ideas!! Whenever we go to a busy event - like a family-friendly concert or festival - we always write our son's name and our cell phone numbers on his arm.
We also point out the police officers in the crowd and introduce him him to one - they are the people he can talk to if he gets lost. The officers love it and usually talk to him and give him a sticker!! :) We also tell him that If he can't find a police officer, to find the help desk, or a mom with kids.
I like the sharpie on the arm, or even just a slip of paper in the pocket.
My son's kindergarten teacher had an activity where all the kids had to memorize home and cell numbers and pass a "quiz". I prompt him from time to time (he's 7 now) to see if he still knows them. When I was 5 I got knocked over by a car...I just remember all these people put their coats on the sidewalk and made me lie down...some lady asked my phone number and I told her. Everyone was all impressed I knew it :)
Many camps have special t-shirts that all the campers wear on field trips. I used a sharpie to write my cell number on the inside of one sleeve and the camp cell number on the inside of the other sleeve. Also, I taught my son to memorize my cell number by singing the digits to a familiar tune.
you can also check www.street83.com they provide a nice solution for families with kids, also by using wristbands