This is just a quickie competition for you, because I need you to do something for a friend of mine. Have you ever ‘lost’ your child?
I did once. Ameli was eight months old and had just started walking by holding on to things. We were in Paris, sitting at the Arc de Triompf eating lunch and I was studying the map. She was sitting at my feet, playing. I looked down from the map, and she was gone. I lowered the map, and couldn’t see her, I looked around at where my brother and grandmother were sitting, having their lunch and she wasn’t with them. I launched off the chair and yelled “where’s my baby” so loudly, half the foot traffic – a few hundred people – stopped.
All this happened in less than three seconds, but they were the longest hours of my life.
And then a little head popped out from the other side of the bench. She’d crawled under it to get to my brother. I sobbed in relief.
Three seconds. Even now, 20 months later, the hair on the back of my neck stands up.
While I’m not one for too much stranger danger, and I don’t think there’s a predator around every corner, I know that public places with a toddler can be incredibly stressful. I also know that waddling after an over excited tot around a supermarket at 8 months pregnant can be exasperating, to say the least.
“KidsRSafer” created a product – Mommy I’m here – to help you find your child up to 150 feet away. It’s a teddy bear shaped wireless system which uses it’s own radio frequency, which attaches to a shoe, belt or wrist, with a simple key-ring beeper for the parent or carer.
COMPETITION
You can win one of two of these bears by simply completing this very short survey. It’s annonymous, so I’m going to have to trust that you have done so, and you’ll have to leave a comment below to tell me that you have.
Simple as that.
Competition runs for one week, ending at 23.59 on 23 January, and a winner will be selected using Random.org.
Thanks for your help!
Please read the competition rules.
You do not have to tweet or share this competition to enter, but doing so helps ensure that I can keep bringing you competitions! You can subscribe to Diary of a First Child by RSS or email. You can also follow us on Facebook or on Twitter. We hope to see you back again soon!