In a crowd, if you don't keep your hand clasped to your 2- or 3-year-old, you could easily lose your child. Just in case, take the precaution of dressing your little one in bright colors.

Available today (but not foolproof) are electronic devices that help you track down wandering kids. Your son or daughter wears a small transmitter, and you keep a receiver that picks up its signal.

There are also harnesses and wrist tethers to help cope at airports, shopping malls, or other crowded places. Never leave your child unattended for even a second in public.

Backpacks keep your baby or toddler safely with you at all times, and they also lift him or her above knee level for a more interesting view.

Strollers are less safe in a crowd, and they're a nuisance to take up an escalator or onto a bus (you must lift out and carry your child, managing the folded stroller with your other hand).

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