I can't imagine there's anything more terrifying than realising your child isn't where they should be, but one mum's 'looking loudly' method meant that thankfully the feeling didn't have to last very long.
Mum Krista, from the US, took to TikTok to share the method after taking her son and her three-year-old daughter, Lily, to a 'huge' indoor children's play area.
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It's exactly the kind of place where a child can disappear before your eyes, and natural instinct would usually tell you to shout their name in the hope of getting their attention.
However, after she lost sight of her daughter and started calling out her name, Krista pointed out that might not necessarily be the best course of action.
The mum, who noted the area had a 'lot of nooks and crannies' Lily could have hidden in, explained that she had a 'light bulb' moment while looking for Lily when she remembered a TikTok video she'd seen about a year earlier.
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The video showed a mum who had called out a description of her son when she lost him in a supermarket, allowing her to find him much quicker.
By 'looking loudly', other members of the public are able to quickly join in the search, rather than parents having to relying solely on the missing child to hear their name.
Krista explained: "I stopped calling out her name, I started yelling 'little girl, pink shirt, pink Minnie Mouse shirt' [...] I'm sure people thought that I was a little crazy."
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The time Lily was missing felt like an 'eternity', but she soon heard other mums at the play area repeating Lily's description, and before long someone called out that they'd spotted her.
Thanks to the help of the other parents, Krista said her daughter was missing for no more than a minute and a half.
She continued: "So [public service announcement], if you ever lose your child, or dog, or anything, yell out their description, raise your voice.
"I probably looked like a crazy person, but it got the job done. I found my kid really fast."
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After posting her video, Krista attempted to prevent any backlash from trolls online by insisting she was being diligent and watching her child, but that the youngster had slipped away amid the crowds as she watched on and chatted with another mum.
Krista now hopes other parents will remember the tactic, as it could save precious time if you ever lose a child.
Emily Brown