TikTok Mom Gives Super-Smart Parenting Hack For Finding A Lost Child In Public

Losing a child in a crowded, public space is many parent’s number one fear. A parent’s mind will race, typically heading towards worst-case scenarios, as they frantically search for their lost child.

A parent’s natural instinct might be shouting their kid’s name and hoping for a response. However, a mom on TikTok is thanking the social media platform for a way more effective and efficient way to locate a lost child in a crowd.

Krista Piper Gundrey — a TikTok content creator and mother — explained how a parenting hack she saw years ago helped her locate her three-year-old child during a visit to a science museum with a crowded play area.

When she realized that she didn’t have eyes on her three-year-old, she immediately began to call out her name to no avail. That’s when she remembered a TikTok she had seen where a mom had also lost her child and gave alternative — and more helpful — advice than just frantically yelling your kid’s name.

“It was of a mom who had lost her kid in, 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. So that is what I did,” she said.

“I stopped calling out her name and I started yelling, ‘girl pink shirt, pink Minnie Mouse shirt and that is when I started yelling and I'm sure people thought that I was a little crazy.”

When other parents at the play place heard Gundrey yelling out a description of her daughter, they sprang into action, and she was found in just a few minutes. “A mom said, ‘little girl pink shirt Minnie Mouse?’ and I was like ‘yes’ and that was her. So PSA if you ever or lose your child or dog or anything, yell out their description, raise your voice,” she advised.

She wanted parents to know that if a child is missing, ego needs to be put aside. You can’t worry about looking “crazy.”

She continued, “Hopefully, this reaches other parents that if you are in this situation, shout out your kid's description and find them faster.”

Several parents chimed in on the video — which has since gone viral with over over 480k views and 50k likes — giving extra advice on what to do in this terrifying situation as well as sharing their own experiences.

“As a mom if I hear someone yelling a name probably don’t think much of it but yelling a description is like a call to action to moms!” one user noted.

“You don't look crazy! all those moms knew it takes a team ❤️” another commenter wrote.

Another advised, “I take a picture when we go to crowded places just incase I forget what she's wearing.”

In the United States, almost half a million children are reported missing every year, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, NCIC.

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children advises if your child is lost at home, search closets, laundry piles, in and under beds, inside large appliances, car trunks, and anywhere else that a child may crawl or hide. If you are in public, notify the store manager or security immediately.

It’s vitally important to remember what your child was wearing and when you noticed them missing from your care. If your child is not found, call local law enforcement.