• Safety Tips:
• Community Safety:(Almost) Stress-Free Holiday Shopping
• Kid's Safety:Safe Shopping Trips
• Statistics:Shopping Mall Abductions

Community Safety:

As we begin the sprint toward the holiday season, people will begin flocking to their local shopping malls in the hope of finding the perfect gift for family members, friends, and co-workers. And, as if the stress of finding that elusive perfect gift weren't enough, many of us will be forced to complete the task with one or more small children in tow.

Obviously, the best solution is to leave the kids home with a sitter. However, recognizing this isn't always an available option, we offer the following tips for making the experience as hassle-free as possible.

Before leaving home, be sure to remind your children of the importance of remaining close to you while you are in the stores. Let them know that the stores will be crowded and they can easily become separated from you if they wander away.

When you do venture out, try to plan your trips for times when the children are well rested; tired, cranky kids are not pleasant shopping companions. Take advantage of the earlier opening times that many stores have during the month of December; not only will the kids be better rested, you will not have to deal with the larger crowds that will build as the day wears on.

It's no secret that fatigue can cause you to become easily flustered and lose track of your kids, so it's important to make sure that you take a few minutes to grab some rest for yourself. Get a cup of coffee and drinks for the kids and rest mid-way though your trip. Not only will you have a few minutes to re-charge, your kids will probably welcome the break.

You should also try to keep the duration of your trips to no more than three hours. While "shopping 'til you drop" can be fun under the right set of circumstances, it is not a good strategy to employ if children will be accompanying you on the trip. If necessary, make two or more shorter trips to accomplish all of your tasks.

Starting your holiday shopping early is another way to reduce the stress associated with this task. Some people begin their holiday shopping during the summer months and are actually finished before the kids head back to school in the fall. Not only will you virtually eliminate the need to fight the crowds, you can probably better budget your spending by making your purchases over a longer period of time.

Another way to cut down on the stress associated with these excursions is to have a plan before leaving home. Make a list of the items you are looking for and the stores in which you are likely to find these items. Knowing ahead of time which stores you need to visit will reduce the time spent wandering aimlessly through the mall and will help conserve your and your children's energy.

Kid's Safety:

Not only is shopping with kids more stressful, it can also be more dangerous. The holiday shopping period provides ample opportunities for child predators to prey upon children who appear to be unsupervised in shopping malls. Here are some ways to keep the kids safer.

First, create a plan for dealing with situations in which you become separated from your child. Point out a meeting place where the children should go if they do wander away from you and instruct them to remain there until you arrive. Tell your child that under no circumstances should they leave the mall without you even if it is to go to the car to wait for you. The key here is to keep the plan as simple as possible so that your child does not forget what they are supposed to do.

You should also instruct your child to go only to a security guard, police officer or store employee for help. If a person who is not one of these offers to help your child, be sure your child knows to decline their offer and continue to look for someone who can help.

As tempting as it might seem, do not leave older kids alone in a video arcade, movie theater or food court while you are shopping. Predators notoriously stalk these areas in the hope of preying on children who are unsupervised. Likewise, you should always accompany your children to the restroom. If this is not possible (perhaps you have several children with you) make sure that they enter the restroom with another child, predators are less likely to approach children who travel in groups.

You may also choose to do your shopping in stores and malls that have clearly defined procedures for searching for missing children. Many stores, including Target, Home Depot, and Walmart participate in the "Code Adam" program, a two-step process which includes employee searches and police notification when a child is missing for more than ten minutes. If you're not sure what your favorite store's procedures are, call the security office and ask.

Statistics:

According to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, more than 100,000 children are abducted each year, many of them from shopping malls and department stores.

At the West Edmonton Mall in Alberta Canada, the world's largest shopping mall, more than 2,000 people - many of them children - get lost each year.

The Code Adam program is in use in more than 45,000 stores nationwide.

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