Countywide : Child Safety Group Offers Holiday Tips for Parents

As Christmas shopping kicked into high gear, a local center dedicated to fighting child abductions urged parents to use extra caution and offered safety tips for the often-frantic holiday season.

Abductions and attempted child snatchings typically increase about 15% to 20% in Southern California during the Christmas shopping season, said Peter Caruso, spokesman for the Adam Walsh Center in Orange, a branch of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Caruso said the figure is based on calls received by the local office, which keeps track of such incidents.

The organization does not want to frighten parents or children, Caruso said. But the center wants wants the public to know that molesters and abductors are more active during the holiday season, taking advantage of harried parents trying to navigate crowded shops, malls and parking lots, often while also watching several children.

It only takes a few seconds for a child to become lost, snatched or lured away, Caruso said, adding that molesters or abductors also may “stalk” victims to determine how well they are being watched by a parent.

“It’s a very hectic, chaotic time and people who are molesters and people who want to abduct children know this,” Caruso said. “There are so many tricks that molesters can use.”

Caruso also offered parents the following safety tips:

* If possible, work out a baby sitting trade-off with friends or neighbors so children can remain safe at home during the shopping season.

* Set shopping rules before leaving home. Children should keep close to a parent at all times and should never talk to strangers. Children should be taught that if lost in a store, they should remain inside, stay in one area and ask a store clerk or a manager--never a stranger--for help finding their parents.

* Don’t leave children unattended.

* Reinforce good behavior by praising or hugging a child and promising them a reward.

* Bring along a nutritious snack or a favored toy to keep a child attentive and less likely to wander away. Play word games and help them feel they are involved in the shopping trip, not an unwanted burden.

Caruso also reminds parents not to allow the stressful shopping season to get the best of them. Instead, hold your temper, recognize that “kids will be kids” and do not physically or verbally abuse youngsters.

“Keep your children close at all time,” he said.