Parents who fear getting separated from their children at amusement parks, beaches and other vacation spots are turning more often to new high- and low-tech safety devices.
GPS tracking devices with wander alerts emit beeps or vibrations when a child strays too far. Digital watches and apparel have high-decibel alarms. And there's the SafetyTat, a waterproof tattoo created by a Baltimore-area mom who wanted to attach her phone number to her child; a half-million have been sold.
But even as these products allow adults to breathe more easily, experts caution that they shouldn't replace parental monitoring - and common sense.
"Obviously it's another layer of protection, but nothing takes the place of supervising kids," said Debra Holtzman, a Florida-based safety expert, herself a mother of two, and author of the new book The Safe Baby: A Do It Yourself Guide To Home Safety and Healthy Living. She added, "The most important thing is keeping an eye on them at all times."
Gary and Cathy Newton agree. The San Antonio couple took their two children to Six Flags America in Bowie on a recent weekday afternoon when the expansive amusement park was virtually empty. Still, the Newtons made certain their kids stayed close.
"We always try to keep an eye on them," said Gary, "and we make sure that they understand that they need to keep an eye on us."
The Boston-based Center to Prevent Lost Children says that 90 percent of families will momentarily lose track of a child in a public place; 20 percent have lost a child more than once. Forty-five percent of the children get separated from parents in malls and stores, and 27 percent in amusement parks, according to the center, which consults with employees at amusement parks, airports, beaches and similar areas.
That means tens of thousands of children go missing for some period of time each year. Most are reunited with their families within minutes.
Often, parents believe they can rely upon monitoring devices more than they should, said Alyssa Dver, executive director of the center.
Six years ago she launched Wander Wear, clip-on tags for kids on which parents can write their cell phone numbers. She was surprised to hear how often parents let their guards down once they began using the tags.
