ParentingAPR 18, 2023

Three-Year-Old Goes Missing In A Huge Play Place, Mom Finds Her Within Minutes By Utilizing A Technique She Learned On TikTok

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It’s every parent’s worst nightmare. That sudden moment when their heart drops, and they realize they can’t find their little one. It can happen anywhere, and it’s best to be prepared for when it does. That’s why one mother, Krista Piper, who recently had this experience detailed exactly what she did to find her daughter quickly on TikTok. Below, you’ll find her full explanation of the “looking loudly” method, as well as some of the replies concerned viewers left on her video.

This mother has shared the brilliant method she used to quickly track down her daughter in a crowded, public place

Image credits: krista.piper

"I lost my 3-year-old in a kids' play place today. And thank God for TikTok"

Another mom actually found her for me and found her way faster than if I had done what I normally would have done. I went 7 years without losing one of my children. And this play place is huge, runs the entire length of this giant science museum, and the kids love it.

It has a lot of little nooks and crannies, and she was going back and forth between one of the barns and the little farm salts back and forth. And I was talking to another mom that we came there with because our two boys were playing because they're older. And all of a sudden, I don't know where my three-year-old is.

Image credits: krista.piper

So I ended up going the opposite direction of where she actually ended up because I thought I didn't see her go past me, so she must have just gone to a water table or something cuz she loves water. She wasn't down there. So at that point, I'm starting to panic. I came back, I grabbed her brother and I was like, I don't know where Lily is, we need to find her. Come help me. So then he got involved.

So I started calling her name. Right after I started calling her name, a little light bulb went off in my head. I remembered a TikTok that I had seen probably over a year ago that I watched, I just kind of put it back in the back of my brain, and I never really thought about it again. But it was a mom who had lost her kid and I believe a grocery store. And instead of yelling out the kid's name, she yelled out the description of what her child was wearing. And she was able to find her kid way faster.

Image credits: Oakville News (not the actual photo)

So that is what I did. I stopped calling out her name and I started yelling "little girl, pink shirt, pink Minnie Mouse shirt." And that is what I started yelling. And I'm sure people thought that I was a little crazy. She was probably only missing for maybe a minute to minute and a half. But for me it felt like eternity. Like I said, 7 years and I've never lost one of my children. This was the first time.

Yes, it was in a kid's play place. But they can still get out. She's like a little ninja. She gets everywhere. And there's a lot of little nooks and crannies, like I said, So I raised my voice and I was like "little girl, pink shirt, Minnie Mouse." And I heard behind me after I'd already passed other moms repeating that. And I was like, thank God, and I just kept going and then I didn't see her in the other far corner.

Image credits: krista.piper

So then I came back the other way. And I was still saying "little girl, Minnie Mouse pink shirt" probably should throw age and their hair color in there, but you know, that was just the quickest thing I could think of to say and say it loud. And luckily a mom said "little girl, pink shirt, Minnie Mouse?" I was like, yes! And that was her.

So PSA, if you ever lose your child or dog or anything, yell out their description, raise your voice, you know, I probably look like a crazy person, but it got the job done.

Image credits: Ksenia Chernaya (not the actual photo)

I found my kid really fast versus me just looking by myself or just coming up to groups of parents and being like, "Hey, have you seen that girl with a pink shirt, you know, three years old?" like, because that's probably what I normally would have done, but the fact that I saw that TikTok, I knew what to do. So hopefully this reaches other parents that if you are in this situation, shout out your kid's description, you will find them faster.

Image credits: krista.piper

So hopefully this finds the right people. And no one that is like "You weren't watching your kid" because I was. I was watching her she was literally playing and a farm stand that was two feet in front of me and then the barn that was behind it, that was eight feet in front of me, and yes, I was talking to another mom. We were doing that whole little, you know, talk for a second, find your kid, talk, find your kid, you know.

I mean, every single parent has done that, when you go to any place that you are with another adult, or if you're talking to any kind of other adult, you know, you don't want to be rude, so yes, you look at them, you talk with them, now you're still talking, you're listening, but you're looking around for your child. So just to kind of like, nick those comments right now, because yes, I was watching her and I watch my kids diligently. Like, I'm probably like a helicopter parent, if anything, when it comes to being at play places like zoos and anywhere that's crowded, and today was super crowded.

You can hear Krista's full explanation right here

Losing track of a child in public is enough to make any parent’s heart stop

Losing a child in public may not be part of every parent’s experience, but it’s certainly an incredibly common one. You turn your back at the grocery store to grab a loaf of bread, and suddenly your little one is nowhere to be found. You frantically run through the surrounding aisles while trying to keep your mind from wandering to the worst-case scenario when you see him staring at the array of gummies in the candy aisle. Whew, that’s a relief! It has nothing to do with how great of a parent you are; children have their own minds and feet and, unfortunately, they’re perfectly capable of running off and giving their guardians a heart attack.

This often only happens for a few moments or minutes, but according to Pingo GPS, 22% of parents with kids between the ages of 3 and 12 admit that they’ve lost a child for at least an hour at some point. And when it comes to parents of children with special needs, 60% of them revealed that their kid has been missing for over an hour. So even if you’re the most careful parent in the world, it’s wise to be prepared for situations like this. If you take your family to Disney World or to the zoo, it’s impossible to predict how many people will be around and what exciting sights might tempt your little ones to run off.

Image credits: Jess Zoerb (not the actual photo)

But it's still a quite common experience, as children can be unpredictable

It’s wonderful that Krista was aware of the ‘looking loudly’ technique and was able to find her daughter within minutes, but this is not the only precaution parents can take to ensure that their kids don’t vanish on a crowded playground or seemingly into thin air. According to Julie of Fab Working Mom Life, it’s always wise to prepare for public outings. Krista knew exactly what her daughter was wearing, which is a great first step. Parents might want to take a photo of their kids when the day begins to know exactly how they look that day and confirm with their children that they know what mom and dad look like on that particular day too. Make sure that your kids know your first and last names as well, in case they end up seeking help from an adult who will try to reach you.

There are certain tools that can help parents keep an eye on their kids as well, such as watches with GPS trackers or the ability to call their parents’ cell phones in case they realize they’ve gotten lost. You could even give your child a bracelet with your phone number on it while out in a crowded place, just in case they go wandering off. And as Rachel Norman notes on her blog, A Mother Far From Home, it can be helpful to prepare our children ahead of time before going into public places that they don’t experience often. They might be so excited about heading to the airport or going to the mall that their everyday precautions just go flying out the window.

Image credits: Robert Norton (not the actual photo)

It's best for parents to take precautions and prepare their kids before heading into crowded, public spaces

Rachel says it can be helpful to teach our little ones to always make sure a parent or guardian is right by them, and if they happen to wander off, they should know how to ask for help. “Practice the ‘what if’ or ‘what would you do’ game frequently,” she writes. “It will be hard at first, but in many scenarios practice asking your children what they would do if so-and-so happened. This will give you ample opportunity to teach your children how to respond in various scenarios.” According to Clarity Clinic, it’s common for parents to experience anxiety surrounding losing their kids in public, but it’s important not to let that fear keep us from allowing our kids to have fun.

Children are always going to want to go to playgrounds, swimming pools, DisneyLand, science museums and more, and we should never hold them back from those experiences. It’s just important to be prepared, ensure that our kids are prepared, and keep sharing valuable information like the ‘looking loudly’ method that Krista detailed on TikTok. We would love to hear your thoughts on this situation in the comments below, pandas. Have you ever lost sight of your little ones for a moment in public? If so, how did you manage to find them? Feel free to share your best parenting tips down below, and then if you’re interested in reading another Bored Panda article featuring a similar discussion, check out this story next.