http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/...st-11178687.php

This is my stomping grounds...a swampy area filled with quicksand, alligators, and worse!
The boy wandered away while the family was setting up camp and wasn't found until the next day, 400 yards away. This part (Stubblefield Lake) of the Sam Houston National Forest is the inflow to a reservoir and the grounds are mainly swamp muck broken up by areas of slightly higher grounds. To be honest I was really surprised and happy to learn he was found safe and sound!

New business opportunity: Tracking bracelets for toddlers in the woods.
-Blast

It was my own kids and a Cub Scout den that got volunteered to lead that hatched my interest in basic survival skills. I'd met a search & rescue team at the local county fair and they offered advice that matches that of Doug Ritter's Survival for Kids web site.

Yeah, I know, 3 years of age is a bit young, but when outdoors parents should equip them with a whistle, a large plastic bag, and some kind of tiny flashlight with an on switch. Teach them to stay put (hug a tree), be "findable", and blow that whistle if they realize they are lost. Tell them that they'll ask a few good strangers for help looking for them and to not hide or be afraid of them.

Thank God that little boy was OK. I can only imagine the parents' horror.

Ken K.

I'm so glad this one ended happily!

Thank goodness!

My experience with three year olds is that some can learn "hug a tree" and the rest, and others cannot. It's certainly worth trying.

I would be worried about giving 3-year-olds a plastic bag. Kids that age might climb into it head-first, with tragic consequences.

Also, I would look for a momentary-on flashlight, else the battery is likely to be dead by the time it is needed.

Kids that age play with things. They don't think. They see the world as magical rather than rational.

The whistle is great, assuming they are past the age of putting things in their mouths (approx. 0-3 years).

Thank goodness this story turned out with a safe and sound kiddo. PHEW! He parents must have been terrified. Frankly, this is one of my worst nightmares, as a parent, babysitter and Scout Leader.

I totally agree with KenK about starting to teach them to stay and get found from a young age. In Scouts, we start when they join Beavers at age 5. I started my own kids with the "Hug A Tree" concept at about 2/3 yrs old, in the hopes that they'd have some clue by the time they're 4/5/6, and a good foundation by 7/8/9/10.

I haven't lost one yet, but I'm no expert. Friends and family sometimes ask about the precautions I take when I take the kids to the woods, so I made this little video for them to explain my thinking and precautions. Of course, keeping a close eye on the little ones is paramount, but they can be stealthy.

I agree that it's important to stay age appropriate. Plastic bags can be dangerous, and flashlights and whistles are fun!

All kids are different, but what they can all benefit from is practice. Practice. Practice. Practice. Theory means very little to kids, especially young ones. Keep it fun, and get out there and play at it. Add stuff and increase their independence as they mature and are ready for it. Bring it to life for them and they'll remember better and become more competent.

A year or so later, at three and four years old now, I don't let my little ones out of sight. We do practice a lot though. Here's a look at how they're coming along in terms of being prepared. Self-sufficiency isn't even on the radar at this age, but they're having fun and learning at the same time. I'd still be a complete freakzoid if they ever got lost though. Those poor parents!



EDIT to add: The canteen cup is in there because the girls wanted to cook that day. Instead, they now also have a change of pants and underwear in their kits, along with a bucket hat and an SPF t-shirt. The hot and sunny days have arrived here, at least intermittently.

The best thing I ever found in a shop car park was a little boy. He couldn't really speak he was so young. And of course at that size needed only to step around a car to be hidden.
After I dropped him off at the store customer services, his mother was easy to spot in the car park. She was the woman looking wild eyed in anguish.
Tip; lie down and look for little legs moving.
qjs

that's all amazing and i am very happy that the child as been found all safe and sound but I am afraid that he might be having really big anxiety issues after that... PTSD shouldn't be thought of something unharmful.