Use Your Camera Phone at Public Events

by Ed

I went to the Texas state fair the other day with my family and took my digital camera to take pictures that will hopefully make family memories. For the past month, my wife and I have been experimenting with taking pictures of our son and emailing them back and forth on our cell phones. I never dreamed this exercise could potentially help our child.

While reviewing a couple of pictures I had just taken on my digital camera, it dawned on me that having these pictures would be helpful to give to authorities if my son were to become lost. I realized that I could achieve the same results with my camera phone that I always have on my hip.

So take this as a lesson. Almost all cell phones nowadays have built-in cameras. When attending large public events or outings (amusement parks, fairs, circus etc.) you should take pictures of your children with your cell phone camera. The picture you take could be used to describe clothing, physical attributes and save precious seconds. The faster your loved one can be identified, the greater the chances they will be found safe. This is a parenting toy you probably already have.

3 comments

1 ParentingToys.com » Critical Info Providers { 12.07.05 at 7:50 pm }: [...] I saw this website on TV over the holiday weekend and just now had a chance to check them out. This is a great way to get information to authorities fast. This can also be used in combination with my camera phone post about picture taking of your little ones at the beginning of public events. Just think, while at the amusement park and your little ones gets lost, Critical Info Providers will email your child’s vital info in the matter of minutes to the authorities. According to statistics from their website, The first 3 hours after a loved one is missing are the most critical It can take detectives an average of 4 hours to receive the information on missing love ones, and sometimes days. 67% of Alzheimer’s patients are at one time reported to the police as missing [...]
2 Naomi Hattaway { 04.05.08 at 5:23 am }: What a fantastic idea about the camera phone! Such a simple suggestion, yet I’d never thought about it.

Another of our favorites is SafetyTat . . . temporary tattoos (for kids) that provide critical information should they wander away from your side.
3 Lisa G { 04.05.08 at 12:47 pm }: I’ve been doing this since before my kidlet could walk [off]. I also keep stored photos of my child in profile and in “3/4″ pose.

The other thing I do when going somewhere crowded is to use my labelmaker to print out my cellphone number, and then attach it to my child’s beltloop or something. I have a p-touch that uses laminated tape, and those things have longevity! I still have a pair of his pants with it on from Disneyland A YEAR AGO. No wear on the label. Very handy.