Tips for Preventing Children from Being Kidnapped

18 tips for preventing children from being kidnapped, info on registered sex offenders web sites, photos of missing and found children, child safety products and more. All royalties from this lens are being donated to The Polly Klaas Foundation. This lens is also entered in the Squidoo's Summer Sunshine Award for Charity Contest where it has a chance to earn more money for The Polly Klass Foundation.

I am pleased to announce that this lens is a winner of the Summer Sunshine Award. As a result, Squidoo is donating $99 to the Polly Klaas Foundation. Thank you Squidoo!!

In 1983, President Ronald Reagan proclaimed May 25 National Missing Children's Day. Each administration since has honored this annual reminder to the nation to renew efforts to reunite missing children with their families and make child protection a national priority. National Missing Children's Day is a reminder to all parents and guardians of the need for high-quality photographs of their children for use in case of an emergency, and for the need for everyone to pay close attention to the posters and photographs of missing children.

National Center for Missing & Exploited Children

Charles B. Wang International Children's Building

699 Prince Street

Alexandria, Virginia 22314-3175

The United States of America

Phone: 703-224-2150

Fax: 703-224-2122

1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678)

Many abductions are by someone the child knows so just warning your children to stay away from strangers is simply not enough. Teach your children, prepare them, and take steps to protect them so that you can keep them safe. Over 500,000 kids are missing each year. Do not let your precious child be one of them!

Here are 18 simple steps to help minimize the chances of your child being kidnapped.

Teach your child the importance of never leaving home, the yard, school, and places like the baseball field without getting the permission of an adult first.

Some children are abducted and taken to another state so be sure to teach your child their full name, address and phone number, including the area code.

Teach your child how to dial a long distance phone number, and how to reach an operator by dialing 0.

Talk to your child about 911. Teach your child how to dial local emergency numbers and the numbers to the police, a relative and a neighbor.

Teach your child what to do in case you get separated while shopping or in other public places.

Keep your small child safe with a safety harness. Perfect for traveling, walking, and shopping all those places where you need to keep your little one extra close.

Keep several up-to-date photos of your child, including one in your wallet in case you need them for instant identification. Have your small children wear an ID bracelet, especially when you go to places where there are large crowds...just in case you get separated.

If your child walks to school, do not allow them to walk alone. Use the buddy system.

Place ID cards in your child's backpack or coat pocket. For small children, the ID card should have instructions on how to reach the parents in case the child gets lost or in case of emergencies. For older children, tape a few quarters to the ID card in case your child needs money to make a phone call.

Safety ID Cards from Zazzle. Click on any card to purchase.

Have you ever lost your child, even for a moment? Put the odds in your favor for a safe return with SafetyTat. SafetyTat prominently displays your mobile phone number so that if in the event you and your child are separated he/she can be returned to you quickly. Once you write your phone number on tattoo with provided tattoo marking pen, SafetyTat provides a highly visible form of identification that stays in place - even when wet - and lasts for weeks, until you are ready to remove it. Best part? Kids love them! It's The Tat That Brings Kids Back! Contains 2 mouse, 2 frog and 2 surfboard designed tattoos, 6 skin prep wipes and 1 tattoo marking pen.

Never leave your child unattended in public. Never leave your child unattended in a parked car, even if the car is locked.

Teach your child to be leery of adults that ask them for directions or for help of any kind, like looking for a lost puppy.

Instruct your child to not hide if someone is following them. Tell them to seek help immediately from the nearest home or store.

Instruct your child to yell for help and to make as much noise as possible if they feel threatened or someone tries to abduct them.

This Personal Safety Alert System empowers and educates your child to be safe and secure. It is a personal safety alert system specially designed for a kid's lifestyle.This system features a 110 decibel emergency alarm a high intensity SOS light signal a safe & secure watchband parental alarm controls and a child ID label on the back of the watch. It includes three interchangeable faceplates that can be easily removed and changed a lightweight safety flashlight specially designed to snap right on the watch band and an educational safety DVD with a video segment entitled Smart Kids Safe Kids featuring renowned Child Safety Expert Bob Stuber. He walks parents through a quick set up of the watch. OnGuard combines a cool looking digital watch fun accessories and in the event of an emergency your child can easily activate a very loud high-decibel alarm that instantly lets everyone in the area know that they need help.

Some examples of emergency situations where a child would activate the alarm are:

If your the child is approached by a stranger.

If a bully is antagonizing a child and he or she feels uncomfortable.

If the child is injured and needs help.

If the child gets separated from the parent or guardian in a crowded mall or theme park.

If the child needs to ward off aggressive animals.

In addition to the safety features the OnGuard Kids Personal Safety Alert includes:

3 Interchangeable Faceplates.

Day/Date/Time Function

Reminder Alert

Large Backlit LCD

Low Battery Indicator (Batteries Included)

Instruct your child to never ever answer the door when they are home alone, even if the person at the door says that they are a police officer. If the person at the door says that they are a police officer, teach your child how to verify this with the police department before opening the door.

Instruct your child to never give their name and address out over the phone or the internet, and to never let anyone know that they are home alone.

Instruct the day care center or school to never release your child to anyone but the child's parents. Put it in writing and give a copy to the school.

Do not allow your child to wear clothing with their name on it. This allows an abductor to address your child directly.

#17 If an adult is paying your child too much attention, find out why.

#18 If you child tells you that he or she does not want to be with a certain someone, find out why. Pay attention to your child's behavior and attitude towards the person.

Raising Safe Kids in an Unsafe World is a handbook to help parents understand, educate and protect their children from child abuse, molestation, bullying, date rape, violent kids and other forms of victimization. The personal safety education is also based on award-winning children's music, of which the lyrics and musical teaching are contained in the book.

Visit the following sites to find lists of registered sex offenders in each state.

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