What Is a Child Safety Kit?
A child safety kit is a preemptive measure to find your child if they are ever abducted. A child safety kit records your child’s height, weight, blood type, eye color, fingerprints, and DNA, so you can pass it off to authorities and help them find your child faster.
Where to Get a Child Safety Kit
Organizations like the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) partner with law enforcement to provide parents with free child safety kits. You can also contact your local police department directly to learn about any upcoming safety kit events. At these events, you’ll learn how to take fingerprints and sample your child’s DNA for storage. Plus, you may get forms to update when you change address, your child has a birthday, or they get a new distinguishing item like glasses.
A Warning about Child Safety Kits
Never submit your information or that of your child to an unverified organization. Police have warned parents about scams, so be wary.
How to Make Your Own Child Safety Kit
We don’t blame you if you don’t want to give out your child’s personal information. Make your own child safety kit by collecting the following information about your child on a piece of paper:
- First, middle, and last name
- Nicknames
- Birth date
- Age
- Height
- Weight
- Sex
- Ethnicity
- Eye Color
- Hair Color
- Unique features (like glasses, birthmarks, braces, piercings, tattoos, etc.)
- Doctor contact information
- Emergency contacts
- Fingerprints*
*Note: You’ll need to use a black inkpad and take a fingerprint of every single one of your child’s fingers. Go to your local police station if you’d like professional help taking your child’s fingerprints. If they’re recorded incorrectly, they won’t do you any good.
You should also include a recent, color photo of your child and a DNA sample—anything from a toothbrush to a bloody bandage.
What to Do If Your Child Goes Missing
We hope this never happens to you, but please read the following steps so you’re prepared if your child ever disappears.
- Call 911 Immediately
Unlike adult missing persons, children are registered as missing immediately and an AMBER Alert can be issued if the case meets proper criteria. The sooner you call the police, the quicker they’ll be able to get patrol cars on highways and citizens looking out for your child. - Call the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
Call 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678) to report your child missing. This organization will cast a wider net and use its resources to help bring your child home. - Don’t Interfere
If your child is missing, it’s going to be incredibly hard for you to sit still. But you have to let law enforcement do its job without getting in the way. The less you interfere, the more energy they’ll be able to focus on bringing your precious child home healthy, safe, and unharmed.
Preventing Abductions
Technology has made incredible things possible. GPS wearables are one of these advances. Now, you can choose between dozens of bracelets for your kids to wear so you always know where they are and if they’re in harm’s way. Check out our report on GPS wearables for kids to learn more about the available options.
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