This afternoon, as there's no school, we're heading off to a children's carnival ball because here in Dunkirk, Mardi Gras (like, in fact, most weekends during the first three months of the year !) is a huge celebration. The photos above are from last year. The atmosphere at Dunkirk Carnival is indescribable and has to be experienced to be believed. Here's just one photo to give you a small idea of what it's like.
Yes, if you click on the photo for a close-up, you'll see that each of those coloured dots is indeed a person. I refuse point blank to take the kids to see it until they're bigger because it's just too busy and we'd get swamped in the crush. This afternoon however is just for the kids (and their parents). Nevertheless there will be 6000 overexcited kids running around inside the Kursaal exhibition centre !
Needless to say, as soon as we got up this morning, the debriefing started about what to do if we get separated and where to go as an emergency meeting point. I'm as apprehensive as the kids are excited ! But this year, I have a couple of tools up my sleeve to help keep the kids safe and me reassured.
The first of them is the Me Finder. As you can see, it comes in three designs - a girly pink flower, a cute little monkey or the plainer green one, which I chose to review as it is unisex and not too babyish for Sophie. It looks just like a watch from a distance but in fact, it's a brilliant device in which you can store up to five phone numbers. The idea is, if your little one gets lost, he or she just has to find a safe person (remember to explain to them who safe people are - there's a great online video for this, see here) and show them their wrist and they will see the message "Mummy" with the phone number that you've programmed into it on the little digital screen. You can choose between Mummy and Daddy and store three other numbers - maybe the grandparents, an older sibling and the childminder - then just select the number you want to be displayed on the screen before you go out.
It's absolutely perfect for this afternoon but also for when we go on holiday to Turkey this summer as it's water resistant so they can even keep it on in the pool. Even if you play around with the buttons (because, let's face it, it's just too tempting for kids not to fiddle about with them !), it's very very difficult for you to change the display if you don't know how. It's also very soft and lightweight so is extremely comfortable to wear.
My one little niggle is that I found it quite hard to get the strap open and closed (you have to pull the hole on the stretchy rubbery plastic strap over a square of harder plastic) - but the good thing is, if I find it difficult, the kids won't be able to get it off either so it won't get lost !
Hopefully, it won't ever need to be used but it's very reassuring to know that, should we get separated, they just have to find someone with a mobile phone and I can instantly be contacted. As all parents know, it only takes a second for a child to wander off out of sight so this is a great piece of equipment for peace of mind for everyone, parents and kids alike.
star rating : 4.5/5
RRP : £14.99
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this is a great idea, like you say - you would hope to never need to use this but at least it gives extra reassurance
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