*Breaking Mom Alert* – Don’t Let Your Children Out Of Your Sight While Shopping This Christmas

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Shopping malls are lined with giant Christmas trees and lighted decor, as Christmas songs blast in the background.

The hustle and bustle of shoppers floods retail stores as each person hopes to find the perfect gift for their loved ones. Yes, the Christmas season is alive and well and seems to bring everyone out of their homes and into the stores.

But parents, take note. Everyone means everyone, including child predators. And there’s one thing every predator is waiting for you to do this season, but you must not let them succeed.

You see, predators know busy moms are distracted.

Flipping through racks, pushing shopping carts, and trying to keep track of their little ones.

And many predators are cunningly smart, watching shoppers and waiting for an opportune time to do the unthinkable – snatch away your precious child, never to be seen again.

Some work in pairs, having a seemingly “innocent” woman ask you a question, while her partner takes away the child.

Others hide out in parking lots, and wait for distractions, even so much as returning a shopping cart or fumbling for keys.

But whether they are hiding in a sea of people, or lurking around the corner, child predators are most certainly out in the stores looking to snatch innocent children.

However, moms can fight back.

Yes, you can still shop with your children, and you can be smart about it by implementing some precautions to keep your little ones safe.

Parenting reported some fresh tips for moms on how to keep their children safe during Christmas shopping:

  • “Take time to talk to your children about safety and abduction prevention.
  •   The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children has an excellent campaign called Take 25 that provides free tools, such as safety tips, conversation starters and mini lessons to help adults start safety conversations with children…
  •  Prepare an ID kit for each child in the event that he or she goes missing.
  •  The kit should include a physical description, such as nickname, date of birth, height, weight, gender, fingerprints, hair and eye colors; any identifying features, such as glasses, braces, scars, birthmarks and piercings; any medical information, such as conditions, disorders, diseases and medications; and, most important, an up-to-date, high-quality digital photo.
  •  Be sure to take your kits with you on trips and vacations…
  •  GPS tracking device: GPS tracking devices, like the kidsport GPS band, are developed specifically for kids and allow parents to locate their kids using their smartphones, iPads or computers.
  •  The kidsport GPS band features an alert button that sends you an immediate text if your child needs you; a secure latch to prevent unintended removal; a removal alert that texts you when the band is taken off; and a Geo-Fence Boundary Alert that sends you a text if the band crosses a boundary you set.”

 But most importantly, use common sense.

Don’t let your child wander off. Hold their hands and keep your eyes on them at all times.

And if you don’t think you can concentrate with them at the store, then leave them at home with a babysitter or other trusted family member.

No discounted sale is worth losing your child.

While we are not to have a spirit of fear, we are to be diligent.

So moms, have fun shopping this Christmas season! But be sure to be on the lookout for those wishing to cause harm.

Do you have any tips to keep children safe while shopping during the Christmas season?

Have you noticed any suspicious people lurking around where you shop?

Tell us your thoughts in the comments below.

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