Experts advise starting conversations about safety about a week before a journey, taking a family photo at the start of each day, and labeling bags and clothes.
A few months ago, my family was in the crowded Brussels Airport. Though I’d put an AirTag in my then 7-year-old daughter’s knapsack, made a bracelet with our contact information and even taught her my phone number to the tune of “Happy Birthday to You,” I had a sudden fear of what might happen if we were separated. What would she do? What would we do?
I tried to do the right things, but there are other measures a family can take before and during a trip to help keep children safe. Here are a few.
Get the family in travel mode before you go.
Start the safety conversation about a week before departing by reviewing the itinerary with your kids: destinations, length of stay and how you’ll be getting there. Pace your conversations so they hear each detail more than once and in multiple ways.
Children under 6 respond well to visuals, rhymes or music, and repetition is especially important at this age, said Eli Harwood, a licensed therapist and the author of the book, “Raising Securely Attached Kids.”
Go over details like how to find police officers — including what uniforms they wear at your destination — or seek a safe adult to ask for help. “One of the things that I think is really helpful for kids is to look for moms with kids,” said Cynthia Matthews von Berg, creator of Sharing the Wander, a family travel blog, who traveled with her husband and two children around the globe for three years.
For children 6 to 9 years old, shift to stating facts plainly and responding to their need to understand the reasons for them. “As they age and find this stuff cheesy, involve them in the problem-solving process,” Ms. Harwood said.