Keep your family safe during your next theme park adventure with these six easy tips.
Trips to the theme park are usually on the top of every child’s wish list. But when kids make a beeline for their favorite rides, theme characters, and treats, parents are left scrambling to keep everyone safe. But with a little planning and innovative thinking, every theme park outing can be safe without compromising the fun.
1) Locate the park’s Lost and Found for a few drills to get your family comfortable with what to do if they’re lost.
2) If your kids aren’t at the age where they’re completely embarrassed by you, dress the family in matching outfits or T-shirts to quickly pick them out in a crowd.
3) Heat causes more injury at theme parks than all the world’s roller coasters combined. Keep hydrated, lather up with sunscreen, and stay in the shade or try water rides to prevent heat exhaustion.
4) Check the amusement park’s website for each ride’s height or weight requirements to prevent kids’ disappointment at being turned away. Before your trip, make sure everyone knows the rules of the park, to always follow instructions, and to keep hands and legs inside the rides at all times.
5) Children who may get lost can wear “Tattoos With a Purpose” or one of the similar types of ID decoration. These kid-friendly temporary tattoos fix to their arm with water, and leave room for contact info directly on the fun designs. To keep young ones close, a harness allows toddlers a little roaming, but without straying far from the group. A fanny pack is handy to tuck away your harness and other dangling items during rides.
6) If you’re afraid your cellphones won’t work, many theme parks now rent or sell two-way pagers to keep families connected. They usually work up to a two-mile radius and are easily programmed. But if you have chatty teens, you might never get through to lost kids!
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