A child has gone missing... Unfortunately, such casesMedia reports are far from uncommon. Dry statistics show that in Moscow alone, more than two thousand children go missing every year. But behind these figures are real tragedies of each family. But, fortunately, in most cases, lost children fall into the arms of their mothers quite quickly. As a rule, most often children get lost in places where there are very large crowds of people - at city holidays, in shopping centers, recreation parks, at train stations. And this is not surprising at all, because, as a rule, in these places the attention of an adult is scattered - it has to be concentrated not only on the child, but also on some actions - choosing a product, paying for it at the checkout, and the like. And children are not asleep - many kids will not miss the chance to take advantage of their mother's confusion and go to explore the area. Remember the song: "It's terribly interesting, everything that is unknown!"? The child will run to look at something, and the parents will panic - the child is missing! And, besides, very often many children deliberately run away from their mothers as soon as she lets go of the baby's hand. For a child, all this is just a fun and exciting game - he is not yet able to assess the full danger of what is happening. And this innocent prank can cost a lot of nerves - both yours and the child's, because the baby will certainly get scared, realizing that he is lost.
Baby Safety
But in most cases these troublescan be avoided, you just need to take certain safety measures. And the most important of them is at the same time the simplest - just in crowded places, hold the child's hand tightly, or even carry him in your arms. You should constantly feel the child, without losing tactile contact with him. In large shopping centers and supermarkets, a good option would be to put the baby on a special seat in a grocery cart. As a rule, children really like this way of moving, and they will have no chance to run away from their parents or just get lost. But in such places you can often hear information that a child has gone missing. In the same case, if the child is older, the safest option would be a special playroom, in which children are under the constant supervision of teachers and have no opportunity to leave it. As a rule, such playrooms are available in almost all large shopping centers and supermarkets. If this is not possible, parents should try to make every effort to ensure that the child does not get bored. Turn a mundane grocery shopping trip into a fun game – invite him to take part in choosing purchases, at the checkout, offer him to help him put everything into bags and packages. Constantly maintain a conversation with the baby, try to make sure that he does not get bored and does not go in search of adventures. And remember that a three-year-old child is quite capable of memorizing his last name, first name and age – be sure to make sure that your child knows them too. To do this, regularly say them out loud with the child. However, relying on such a little one is, in fact, at least frivolous. Be sure to make sure that the child has a business card with your contact information in an easily accessible place in his clothes. In addition, be sure to make indelible marks on the child's clothes – this will allow you to duplicate the data in case the child loses your business card.
The child is older
In case your child is old enoughAs an adult, in order to adequately perceive your words and react to them, you will need to carefully work out a plan of action in case the child gets lost. This will help you and your child not to panic and make the right decision - after all, panic is far from the best assistant. First, discuss with your child in advance how he will behave if he falls behind you. This will help avoid panic, both on your part and on the part of the child - after all, panic is far from the best assistant. Tell your child about the intended route, show him the so-called "checkpoints" of the route - places where you will meet if you get lost. Such places can be ticket offices, fountains and other noticeable objects. Agree with your child that if you get lost, you will not try to catch up and find each other, but will immediately go to the agreed places. This will help you save energy, time and nerves. By the way, explain to your child that he can always ask for help from any person in uniform - a cashier, a security guard, a doctor, a salesperson. This will help to avoid an unwanted meeting with people who may have bad intentions towards the lost child. By the way, another category of people to whom a child can safely ask for help if he gets lost are parents with small children, for example, on a playground. Believe me, no mother will leave a child in trouble, even if it is someone else's.
Rules of behavior of parents
I would like to remind parents once again aboutsafety rules for a walk. After all, children get lost on a walk even more often than in various shopping centers. Parents of children over three years old should be especially careful. Younger children have a much lower chance of getting lost, because, you must admit, an adult is unlikely to let go of the hand of a one-year-old baby. But for three-year-olds, the chances of getting lost soar many times over. And mainly due to the fault of parents who suddenly discover that their baby is already quite consciously following them, trying to keep up, understands the presence of dangers. And as a result, the vigilance of parents is dulled a little. However, it is very naive to believe that the child is reasonable and independent enough. Remember that leaving a child alone on the street before the age of 7 is extremely reckless and unwise! Never let him out on the street alone. And after 7 years, when the child is already able to walk on his own, be sure to be aware of his life outside the home - ask who the child is walking with, who his friends are. And, of course, the child should only walk in your line of sight - in the yard of the house. In the yard, it would be a good idea to get to know the local grandmothers or men who constantly gather near the garages. This will significantly increase your child's chances of complete safety - it is unlikely that adults will allow your child to leave the boundaries of your yard. And in the event that someone tries to forcibly take your child away, these same grandmothers will work better than any riot police.
Rules of behavior of the child
Parents face a very important task -teach your child the rules of behavior and protection in extraordinary situations. And the most important thing to keep in mind is your child's age. Children under five years old should be told about danger using fairy tale characters as an example, for example, the fairy tale "Geese - Swans". But starting from about six years old, you can directly, without beating around the bush, tell your child about the dangers that can lie in wait for a child without the presence of parents. Explain to your child that people are different - not only good, but also bad. And tell them that even an adult cannot easily distinguish good people from bad. Tell your child how he or she should behave in a particular extraordinary situation. Teach your child to scream if someone tries to take the child away by force. And pay special attention - the child should not just scream, because in this case passers-by may consider the incident a simple family scene. That is why the child should scream "you are not my mom - not my dad!" This will make passersby wary and take immediate action.
If the misfortune still happened
But what if all the precautions still fail?helped, and the child is lost? You have searched every square centimeter of the shopping center or yard, but your little one is nowhere to be found? What should you do in this situation? Do not waste precious time under any circumstances and immediately contact the nearest police station or call a police patrol to the scene. In the event that a child is missing, quickly - search activities must be started immediately, without wasting time. Parents should tell the police in detail about all, even the most insignificant details - what kindergarten the child goes to, what route, where his friends live, what places you usually walk. Sometimes such details can help find the child in the shortest possible time. Try to describe the child's appearance, his manner of speech, his gait in as much detail as possible. Pay attention to clothing - all details are important to the police, right down to the color of socks and underwear. A photo of the child with you will come in very handy - put it in your wallet or passport. Be prepared for a forensic expert to visit your home in the next few hours – provide him with the most recent photos of your child and his belongings. Missing children are often searched for with the help of dogs. And remember that it doesn’t matter whether a child has gone missing in Moscow or a small town, the following rule works very effectively – the more people know about the incident, the more effective the search for the child. Ask the Ministry of Emergency Situations, nearby military units, dog clubs, or just acquaintances for help. And your little one will probably be found very soon – “after all, it doesn’t happen in this world that children are lost!” We recommend reading:
