Thanksgiving is over and that other harbinger of the holiday season has arrived! Holiday decorations have suddenly appeared in and on homes.  In shopping malls and stores everywhere, there are colorful displays of children's toys and family gifts in every shape and size. From Frosty to Santa to Rudolph and the Grinch--the gang's all here!  And the shopping has begun from "Black Friday" to the day after "Cyber Monday" and on, people and their children are shop-shop-shopping!

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children advises us that amid all the holiday excitement parents need to focus especially on the safety of their children while they shop--whether kids are in strollers or carriages, in infant and car seats, or simply walking on a crowded sidewalk or in the mall beside Mom, Dad, other family members, and caregivers.  Here are some of their latest tips on safe shopping with children:

Parents, first and foremost, know where your kids are!  Don't let the zeal for a particular gift or bargain distract you from knowing where your children are or are intending to go. You need to make sure the youngest ones are with you at all times while you are shopping. 

Before your shopping trip, make sure especially young children know their full name and address.  Make sure your kids have identification in the pocket of their clothes and that you have current photos of them.

While shopping, always accompany children to public facilities, especially public bathrooms, and stay with them! 

Teach your children to look for people who can help in the event you become separated, such as a uniformed security officer, salesperson or a mother with children. 

Make sure your children know where to meet at a designated spot if you become separated. Tell your children not to leave the store or area where you became separated.

Do not leave children in stores expecting supervision by store employees while you shop!  Store employees take breaks, change shifts, may be reassigned to other areas and leave for lunch, and then WHO is watching them? Put simply, expecting store employees to fulfill your responsibility to watch out for your kids is inappropriate and doesn't work.

Do not take children shopping if you feel that you are going to be distracted for any reason. Call your child care provider or your regular babysitter ahead of time.

Never allow young children to shop on their own (no matter what they are shopping for, i.e., gifts for you or other family members). 

Never drop off older children at a shopping mall without everyone understanding what time, by whom, and where they will be picked up--and what the procedure is if there is a change in plan.

Do not dress your children in clothing or jewelry that displays their first or whole names--as this makes it easier for them to receive unwelcome attention.

Discourage your children from becoming too friendly with other shoppers while you are shopping and to focus on the shopping at hand. 

 One more tip from a recent personal experience, frustrated shoppers are nothing for children or adults to tangle with at holiday time. Last weekend, I visited a local department store to purchase a pair of shoes, and was surprised to see a young child using the try-on area of the shoe department as her play area. She had monopolized the entire shoe try-on area with 20 pairs of shoes and boxes lined up for her play. The child's parent was seemingly invisible and the shoe shoppers didn't know quite what to do or where to go to try on shoes. Find the parent? Talk to the department head? Take a lesson from this. Don't let your child become a "nuisance" to other shoppers in a store. Always keep them with you even in the try-on booth and away from others.  Frustrated shoppers are nothing for children to tangle with, during holidays or any other time!

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With grateful thanks to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children for the tips and all they do to keep kids safe!