Mom shares 'best life advice' on what to do if a child goes missing in public place and parents confirm 'it works'

For parents with little kids, one of their worst fears is losing their child in a crowd. As many precautions as we can take, there are sadly many ways a child can get separated from their parents while traveling or outdoors. A mom named Jess Martini (@jesmartini) shared a solution on what to do if your child goes missing. She noted that she had tried the same when the unfortunate event unfolded in her life and it worked and helped reunite her with her child. Several parents are holding on to this insight and claiming that it "works." The mom pointed out that losing a child in a public setting is something that can happen to even the “best of parents.”

“If you’re at an amusement park, mall or whatever and you look around and your child is no longer with you, you want to start loudly looking for them,” Martini explained. She advised parents against panicking or looking silently for their child by themselves. “What I mean by that is you start loudly shouting their description,” the mom said. She offered an example and said, “I’m looking for a boy, 5 years old, with brown hair, brown eyes, a red Nike shirt, and black shorts.” Martini suggested shouting out loud what your child looks like and every visible character you can recall. She insisted that parents repeat the same until they get some update on their kid. 

Revealing why this is a genius idea, Martini explained that the loud and repetitive description will put all the people in the area on alert to search for the child. “Best case scenario— someone spots or finds your child and gives them to you,” she noted. The mom also added a “worst-case scenario." She explained that if someone is trying to get away with your child silently, by using the trick, everyone will know the kid is yours and will subconsciously be vigilant for the child. “You may feel like you look stupid doing it but it’s so much better to look stupid than to be sorry,” the woman remarked.

She also added that even as a mom she’d never “instinctively” thought of doing such a thing but after learning about the same, it worked powerfully for her. Every parent can relate to the scare it is to even think about losing a child in a public setting. Parents understood the breath-shuddering experience and noted Martini's advice. @elysethemomtherapist said, “This information is so important. Thank you for raising awareness.” Another mom, @kpsalton, mentioned, “Don’t forget to take a picture of your kid before you leave home or walk away from your car. Many parents forget their kid’s description in the panic.”

Many moms mentioned that they tried and tested the method when they had the gut-wrenching moment and it worked wonderfully. @the.rappard.ruckus recalled, “Yes. This helped me find my son last week when he wandered off at Disney. Thank you!” @gemsmarlborough added, “I did this two hours ago at a local fireworks show. Thank you!” @heyhannahhtm here remarked, “This works! I screamed and cried my child’s description.”

You can follow Jess Martini (@jesmartini) on TikTok for more content on parenting.