Your child is lost. What should you do?

Ah, camping in the National Park.  Warm days and cold nights.  Birds chirping, chipmunks scampering, and a brook bubbling nearby.  Peace and tranquility.  A stark contrast to the chaos of your hectic work and kids' schedules.  For the first time in months you sit down to read a book.  You glance over to your smiling spouse doing the same.  You catch a glimpse of your two kids playing tag near the tent.  Time slows down.

Your son disturbs your serenity, "Trista's gone."  
"What do you mean Trista's gone?  Where is she hiding?"
Now, you see on his face and hear in his voice real concern,  "She's gone".

Your daughter is missing.  What should you do?

Hasty Search

Once you realize your child is missing, actively search for her, taking care not to become a missing person yourself.

Activate Search & Rescue

If you do not find your child quickly, get help.  Search & Rescue (SAR) volunteers would rather be recalled knowing your child was found safe, instead of losing precious search time while you 'made sure' she was missing.

Preparation

Before you and your family venture out, train and equip each family member to deal with becoming lost and spending an unexpected night alone in the woods.  Basic training and equipment greatly increase the odds of surviving the ordeal.     

Stop Moving.  The moment you realize you're lost, find a safe spot¹ and stop moving. This helps rescuers find you faster.

Build a Nest.  Make a nest of boughs², pine needles, leaves, or anything else to insulate you from the ground.  Sitting directly on the ground sucks heat out of your body.³ 

Immediate Action Shelter⁴.   Put on your whistle (see below), climb into your immediate action shelter, and sit in your nest on your backpack. 

Whistle.  Once in your shelter, start blowing your whistle every 10 minutes or so.  The sound of a whistle carries much further than your voice. 

Water.  Carry at least a quart; more if you are in an arid environment. 

Food.  A favorite candy bar or two will do two things for you:  1) help maintain a positive attitude; and 2) stoke your body's internal furnace generating heat from within.  

Something from home.  A small toy or stuffed animal can do wonders for maintaining a positive attitude.

Footnotes

¹Choose a spot clear of potential falling objects from the environment (branches, trees, rocks, etc)
       

²Boughs:  Could be pine, spruce, fir, etc.

³Conduction:   The transfer of heat through direct contact with an object.  Heat flows from the warmer object to the cooler one.  If you sit on the ground, heat conducts away from your body and into the ground. 

⁴An immediate action shelter is a windproof, waterproof barrier that traps your body's heat.  Choose a blue shelter to maximize your visibility to SAR.  

Survival Gear
Whistle
Immediate Action Shelter (adults)
Immediate Action Shelter (children)