Dare to take your toddler to China?

L

Little Monster

Registered User
I really wanna take my son to China, say, Shenzhen, for a day trip. But read the news that stealing babies/toddlers in China is very common and the problem is getting worse. Is it true?
 
I think u just be careful and it should be ok. If u are going to be shopping and let ur son run around then that would be worrisome , Otherwise just be cautious and enjoy your day trip
 
Keep your eyes on them and don't venture out to any remote places. Those stories are freaky and 101% of the time, the kids are never found again. Kids are sooo precious there, especially boys!
 
I only heard about one case on this website, but it was with a foreign baby. I don`t know what your kids look like but I don`t see why a Chinese person would steal another Asian baby, unless they were mentally imbalanced.
I still lived there until my baby was 9 weeks old. I found the Chinese to be very sweet and loving towards my baby(who is mixed, but most just assumed he was all white unless my husband was with me).
If you keep an eye on your children, I think that would be enough.
I would feel more worried about someone kidnapping my baby in North America where kids go missing all the time.

Speaking of, has anyone been watching Without a Trace on Pearl? What a great show:)
 
I've read about this in this week's IHT/NYT. From what I understand, they're mainly Chinese boys who are being sold to families in rural areas where the first child turned out to be a girl, and not the so much wanted boy (especially in rural areas a boy is still very important). According to the article the "hunger for boys" still fuels boy's abductions, so my impression is that as a Western (in this particular case) you have less to worry about because it would be really weird if a "white / blond" boy would turn up in a rural part of China.

Having said that, lunatics everywhere, and it shows no matter where you live, keep an eye on your children and keep them safe.
 
my hubby is local and he refuses to let me take my kids to sz. we recently had an overnight stopover in shanghai. my hubby insisted that we take our double pram for our 4 & 2 yr olds so that we could strap them into it. he was terrified that something would happen.

he was more concerned because of the "mixed" nature of our kids.
 
Come on guys, it`s not that wild a place. It`s not like you travel a few km over the border and all hell breaks loose, people snatching kids everywhere.
And at any rate, I guess the recent boy-snatching and being sold to rural families scandal stands up to the girl-snatching and being sold to rural families to marry the boys that they mostly have due to infanticide and abortion of girls. Nobody`s safe eh;)
Whether I`m in SZ or HK, I don`t let my stroller out of my sight. It must be harder with toddlers, of course, but as with anywhere, common sense and caution often prevails.
 
I think that a lot of local people are overly paranoid about China. My husband was until we lived there together. He was terrified of China--and acted as though the boogyman was going to jump out and get us at every turn when we would travel around in China together. He seriously could not relax and have a good time at all. I have lived there off and on for seven years so I can say a lot of the paranoia is just hype. Part of this comes from the fact that HK news for a long time has fed the public in HK a heavy dose of negative-only news stories about China. With such a big country with such a "wild west" mentality and such widespread lawlessness (it's kosher to break just about every rule there) yes, a lot of negative things do happen in China. But, also keep in mind, a lot of positive things happen there as well. Yes, there are freaky things that happen in China but I would be more careful about what you feed your kids there than anything.

Keep your children contained in a stroller where you can see them at all times. Just as you should keep your passport and wallet under your clothes in a holder so you don't get pick-pocketed (which is a real reality in Shenzhen)--treat your child as the most valuable "thing" (person) that you have. Be vigilant and honestly, you'll have no problems.

Having said all this, Shenzhen is really a different world. It is a border town and boasts a lot of the negative things that go along with being a border town. It is in no way a true reflection of how most of China is. People in Shenzhen are desperate--desperate to get rich, desperate to get ahead (coming from the country to the city with big dreams of striking it rich--often living on the edge of poverty)--it's really a dog-eat-dog, survival-of-the-fittest world there. So, be especially careful in Shenzhen as well as in Guangzhou.

If you're going to go--I would go with someone--it's so much easier to have two sets of hands and two sets of eyes to keep everything sorted and keep an eye on your son. It's a bit much for just one person, I think--especially when you're dealing with a young child. People who are out to steal and harm watch for people who are distracted--and it's so easy to get distracted when you're with a small child because they don't always "go with the flow." So, make it a fun day--take a girlfriend or your husband and do go see China--it's a good experience--or can be. A lot of it has to do with your mindset and preparedness. :gl:
 
Shenzhennifer said:
Come on guys, it`s not that wild a place. It`s not like you travel a few km over the border and all hell breaks loose, people snatching kids everywhere.
And at any rate, I guess the recent boy-snatching and being sold to rural families scandal stands up to the girl-snatching and being sold to rural families to marry the boys that they mostly have due to infanticide and abortion of girls. Nobody`s safe eh;)
Whether I`m in SZ or HK, I don`t let my stroller out of my sight. It must be harder with toddlers, of course, but as with anywhere, common sense and caution often prevails.
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I totally agree, SZJ! Chinese people are by and large, very kind people. Just like every country has its nasty people and its great people--China has a fair share of both but you tend to notice more of the nice people there. As we've discussed previously--at least in SZ and China, people will offer to help you out if you have a cumbersome stroller or are pregnant or in any way look lost or like you could use a hand. Here in HK most of the time you have to conscript someone to help you down a flight of stairs with your stroller because there is no ramp or lift. Mainland Chinese hospitality can be pretty impressive! :flower:
 
thanks soooooooooooo much ladies, esp. MLBW. very well said. I agree with you that there are always good people and bad people everywhere in this world. I was born in China, so in fact I have an inborn affection for this country. I used to go to China alot, for business and for pleasure. People are very nice indeed. For me, I can go to China alone without worrying about anything.
But just that, the little one is too too precious to me, and the negative news abt kidnapping boys and girls, esp boys, are driving me crazy. My friends and family are teasing me for being such a paranoid. I am planning to venture a visit with my in-laws, so 3 adults + 1 toddler, should be ok. besides, we are going to that place where there are all the miniatures of different countries' famous spots. No way to go for shopping with my toddler.
anyway, i will NOT keep my hands off my boy!!!!!
 
i just returned from a shopping trip in shenzen yesterday and there were tons of kids, but for me personally i wouldn't take my child shopping there mainly because the smoking and poor air in Lo Wu. When I left there I had a huge headache from the 2nd hand smoke and felt like I had a thicky layer of dust and grime all over me. I didn't feel like my safety was threatened, but that the conditions were not where I would want my son to be if given a choice.
 
:yeah2

I am back from my Shenzhen trip with my toddler. It was great. My son enjoyed it very much. As mentioned yesterday, we went to the tourist spot - (中國民俗文化村 donno the name in English﹐ anyone can help?), so everything was quite alright. A lot of green, and good air with sunshine. He enjoyed riding on the single-rail train to cruise around the whole park). People were friendly. but for peace of mind, I still put on the baby harness for him, and he was very cooperative. I think it is quite a nice place to spend a day there. Don't miss the 19:30 free of charge show, it was magnificently superb!
and, I was surprised to see relatively clean toilets there. good job!
But, the food there was um.....very disappointing!
 
well.... just to let you know, we were in shatin before christmas and as we entered the "snoopyworld" playground, my hubby overheard someone pointing at my son while saying, "you could get a lot of money for him in china" in chinese....that scared the crap outta him.
 
Carang--that is scary. But the reality is, even people who might not say those things out loud could be thinking them. So, the best thing to do is to not assume that any stranger has you or your child's best at heart so be friendly and cautious. But, living in fear of what others might do is a crippling experience in life. I totally live by the "be wise as serpents but harmless as doves" approach. Everyone should use wisdom when it comes to their children but I refuse to let the possible intentions of others make me live in a prison of fear. Yeah, there are baby snatchers and kidnappers abundant (and my guess is that they would be hanging out in places like Snoopyworld--I mean if you want fish, you go to the ocean to fish--if you want to steal kids then you go to a place where kids are found) but not everyone is--plus, the only way those people would have been able to snatch your son if you're keeping a close eye on him would be to physically confront you--and you know how likely that is in Hong Kong, right?
 
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