GPS Tracking for your kids

DVFlyer wrote: Has anyone ever tried one of those tracking things for their kids? I'm not talking about a cell phone, but one of those electronic devices that one would use at a park or beach etc, where the child has a key fob or watch and the parent has a hand held device to track them.

*disclaimer* I understand there is no substitute for not watching your children.

moped replied: No but it sounds kind of funny!

I wouldn't be opposed to it

coasterqueen replied: Nope, but have you ever seen the iCarly episode where the kids mom had a tracking device inserted in his head when he was a baby in case she ever needed it and finally one day she did?? Sorry, reading your post made me think of that episode.....oh reminds me I just need to stop watching kid type shows.

DVFlyer replied: Ha ha ha... I think I have actually seen that iCarly...

The thing I'm talking about I saw on TV. Here is one link:

http://www.brickhousesecurity.com/child-locator.html

boyohboyohboy replied: oh I think those would be very handy to get at the front gate of a large amusement park! I for sure would use a watch that I could put on their wrist and keep them from getting lost in a situation like that.
Kids move so fast.

My2Beauties replied: Hanna got lost at Holiday World a couple of months ago (June to be exact). She was literally right behind me one minute and gone the next, I was scared to death. Thank God she knew what to do and told an employee she couldn't find her mommy or daddy and they took her to "Lost Parents/Kids" and they tracked her down there. I was about to lose it to say the least, a good 20 minutes went by of us searching before I went up to the desk to ask because we kept assuming she ran off with someone in our party. It was so scary....wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy So to say the least...I think these are a good idea. You know amusement parks have things in place for these types of situations (Holiday World did an EXCELLENT JOB) but if you are on a beach or in a place that doesn't necessarily have this type of plan in place it's a good idea.

jakesmommy08 replied: Ive never actually seen them but there was a commercial i think for duracell batteries that had a mom looking for her kid. I think its a great idea. everyone knows how quickly kids can get away.

DVFlyer replied: Re: amusement parks-

(thought I told this story, but couldn't find it to link it.)

A friend's sister was exiting a ride at Disneyland ( I think) with her 6-8 year old daughter. They got separated in the crowd. After a few minutes of searching frantically she finally contacted an employee who immediately took her to security.

Security told her to watch the cameras and tell her if any of the children walking around resembled her child..... or even acted like her child but looked differently.

She saw a boy that appeared to walk like her daughter, but said it couldn't be her since this child was a boy.

Security immediately dispatched personnel to that area and stopped the man and this "boy".

Turns out it was her daughter.......

The man with her was heading toward the exit. Between the time he grabbed her, he changed her clothes and cut her long hair short to make her appear like a boy.

The park's security was well trained and saved her daughter, IMO.

BAC'sMom replied: I personally would like an upgraded version that has a video camera installed. You know for those teenage years.

DVFlyer replied:

Once they're teenagers, they will have cell phones and I would be able to utilize the GPS feature built in.

cameragirl21 replied: I think these are a great idea but companies have to get more creative about where the child would wear them because kidnappers would know to check for a child's watch, etc if they're serious about their "business" for lack of a better term.
I think they should be made to where it's a tiny chip to sew into clothing, hair barrettes, socks, shoes, children's plastic jewelry, etc, that way it would be harder for strangers to know if a child is wearing one.
I realize this would get expensive but I think it's a more efficient approach.
Oh, and LeaAnn, I can't even imagine what you must have gone through. I remember when I was a teenager, I babysat this little girl who was very adventurous and feisty...her parents thought her to be a bit of a handful but she was basically a toddler version of myself so we got along just fine. She was about 2.5 at the time. Anyway, she had just woken up from her nap and we were going to go to the playground so I got her dressed, put on her coat (it was spring in Ohio), etc and we were about to walk out the door when I realized I forgot something of hers and went to the basement to look for it...when I got to the basement, I realized I had left a toddler in front of an unlocked, see through door (they had a plexiglass type door that is sort of like a screen door that goes over a solid door except there was plexi instead of a screen). So I ran up the stairs and sure enough, she wasn't where I left her. Omg, I ran outside, screaming her name, looking everywhere (she had a tendency to intentionally hide from her mother to scare her...I don't recall her doing that to me but I knew she had that habit)...just as I was planning in my mind, the neighborhood search and rescue operation I was about to organize, I thought to peek inside the house first because she had still been kind of tired from her nap and I didn't think she could have gotten that far and sure enough, she was sitting on the couch, just staring into space...still trying to get her bearings from her nap. Omg, had I been old enough to get grey hair, I'd have gotten a whole handful from that day. Can't even imagine losing a child inside an amusement park. Same for you, DVFlyer, your friend's sister is probably shaken up to this day, just thinking about what happened.

moped replied:
OMG that is a horroble story..........yuck!

DVFlyer replied: I agree about getting more creative with the chips, Jennifer *cough* avocado seeds *cough* and I guess the watches are made so that if they are removed in a way where the band is cut or comes out of the watch, the alarm is signaled. Of course sliding off the wrist does nothing.

I'd probably put something in the shoes?? But I like the hair clip idea for sure.

DVFlyer replied:
I guess when they reunited the girl and the mother, the guy was in a room close by....

If I was her he wouldn't have made it out of the park....

cameragirl21 replied: I have your avocado seeds waiting in their little box, sorry, meant to PM you, feel free to send your people to get the seeds. Just let me know when approximately they're coming so that the seeds don't stay packed up too long, they don't like to be without light.

My2Beauties replied:
No way no how! Yeah he would've have been walking funny because I would have castrated him right there...sorry

Yes and Jennifer I was so scared. The panic really started to set in once we found everyone in our party and they hadn't seen her, they were all within a short walking distance at their lounge chairs (we were at the water park, which is huge), we had all jsut seperated so I assumed maybe she followed one of them instead of me, but she hadn't...OMG when i saw her at the station all those emotions came rolling out her and I both started bawling... Brian was already in tears, he was panicking, I was trying so hard not to freak out so I would be able to explain to the worker what she looked like, what she was wearing etc..but I was starting to shake and panic big time. She radioed and called them and they had her. The park was awesome, she completely shut her entire station down, dispatched security and told them what she was wearing and everyhing, then she contacted lost parents/kids last (they have to do that because if they are already there they are safe, they have to ensure security is on board)> So about 5 minutes later we were walking with her and an employee stopped me and said excuse me ma'am I believe this little girl is a missing child and i said I'm her mother he made me wait there while he contacted someone over the radio to confirm I had came and got her! They were definitely on their A-game that day!!!

coasterqueen replied:
why don't we just microchip children when they are born like animals are done? j/k.

redchief replied: It's amazing in how short a space of time and area a child can become detached from a parent in a crowded area. We had one or two "close calls" over the years and the chill that runs up your spine is like no other feeling. I think kid GPS's are a great idea.

We have over 100 "lost children" calls a year on our beaches, and we're not considered that crowded.

On the lighter side... How can you tell you're talking to a parent that has young children? They watch iCarly!

luvbug00 replied: i love icarley..especially sam..lol kid cracks me up!

but i wouldn't get one i don't think, my mom should she lost mya once though..*roll eyes* ..but yeah not for me.
but when she is a teen her car and phone will have gps. for sure.