Updated July 7, 2019
dsm4kids promotes several events and activities like the Iowa State Fair (August 8-18, 2019). Many of which are busy, crowded events with a lot of stimulation. The potential for getting separated from your child is real. This can make a family outing overwhelming and stressful for both parents and children. With that in mind, we’ve put together a few tips to help you keep your kids safe at the Iowa State Fair (or any large event or attraction).
Before Heading Out
- Your child should have some sort of identification on them in case you get separated. Recycle a rubber bracelet and write your child’s name, your name and cell phone number on the inside of it. Or you can purchase premade bracelets at kidsafetyband.com.
- Another option is to write YOUR name and phone number on a piece of paper pinned to the inside of your child’s shirt or stick it in your child’s shoe. Somewhere that is easily located, but not announcing to the world who you are and where you live.
- At past Iowa State Fairs, Mercy Clinics have hosted a KidFind Headquarters in the Star 102. 5 booth near the Grandstand. Once you get to the Fair stop by there and pick up an I.D. tag for your kiddos.
- If your child is old enough, help them learn your cell phone number.
- Teach your children who to look for when they can’t find you. A police officer, Iowa State Fair staff/volunteer or a mom with children are great options. We don’t want them talking to just any stranger, but if they can’t find us, they need to know who to go to for assistance.
While You’re There
- Always know what your kids are wearing. Some families even make it a point to wear all the same color for easy recognition. Snap a picture of your child to help you remember what they’re wearing and to have an up-to-date photo of them.
- As soon as you arrive at the Iowa State Fair point out Fair staff and volunteers and let your kids know they are safe people to turn to in case of an emergency.
- Pick a place to rendezvous with your kids in case you become separated.
- The minute you can’t find your child, get help. Contact Iowa State Fair Public Safety staff. Lost children are taken to the Service Center, located west of the Administration Building, until midnight and to the Iowa State Fair Public Safety Headquarters, at the west end of the Grand Concourse, after midnight.
- Keep in mind the places where you’ve already been and what your child has been asking you to do before you were separated. That information will be useful to the people helping to locate your missing child.
If You See a Lost Child
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- Don’t ignore them! Approach them carefully, as you don’t want to scare them even more. If your kids are with you, it might help for them to ask the child if they’re lost or need assistance.
- Ask the child if they know their parent’s phone number or if they have any identification on them.
- Ask them if they have a designated meeting spot with their parents. Do not take a child into your care or take them away from the spot where you found them. Instead, send another adult to the meeting spot to see if the child’s parents are there.
- Contact the Iowa State Fair’s Public Safety staff or police, if you cannot locate the lost child’s parents. Iowa State Fair Public Safety Headquarters are located at the west end of the Grand Concourse.
How do you keep your kids safe at the Iowa State Fair? We want to hear!
Featured photo image source is Wikimedia Commons by Fairfield1854.
