A mother who lost her daughter on the playground has revealed how she found her in minutes using the viral “looking loud” method.
Earlier this year, Ohio’s Krista Piper took her two kids to a play area next to a local science museum.
While talking to another parent, the wedding photographer’s toddler Lily disappeared into one of the various “nooks and crannies” of the room.
Speak in one viral TikTok videothe mother of two recalled how she panicked and rushed to check on one of Lily’s favorite spots in the playground.
After finding out she wasn’t there, Krista explained, “I came back, I grabbed her brother and I was like, ‘I don’t know where Lily is, we have to find her. Come help me.’
Krista Piper, from Ohio, took her two children to a playground next to a local science museum and was terrified when she couldn’t find her daughter. Stock photo
Although Krista started calling out Lily’s name, the mother later remembered how a “lightbulb went off” in her head.
She continued, “I remembered a TikTok I probably saw over a year ago that I put in the back of my mind never to think about it again.”
The video Krista had seen was of a mother who found her child in a supermarket by loudly describing her son’s appearance to other members of the public.
Krista said, “She was able to find her child much faster, so I did.
“I’ve stopped calling [Lily]’s name and started screaming, ‘little girl, pink shirt, pink Minnie Mouse shirt.'”
She added, “I probably should have thrown in her age or her hair color, but you know, that was just the quickest thing I could think of to say.”
As she did this, the mother feared that her daughter – whom she described as a “little ninja” – might have somehow escaped the play area.
While frantically searching the playground, Krista said other parents realized what was happening and began repeating Lily’s physical description as well.
The mother shared her experience in hopes that the “looking loud” approach would help other parents in her situation
The clip has racked up more than 56,000 likes since it was uploaded last month and fans agreed it was a “call to action” for parents
As a result of the “looking loud” approach, another mother saw Lily and let Krista know exactly where she was.
Fighting back tears, Krista added, “Public service is announcing: If you ever lose your child, your dog, anything, raise your voice.
“I probably looked like a crazy person, but it got the job done. I found my child very quickly [in comparison] for me, just watching alone or coming to groups of parents and saying, “Hey, have you seen a girl with a pink shirt?”
“Normally I probably would have, but the fact that I saw that TikTok knew what I had to do. So hopefully this will reach other parents.”
In all, Krista says Lily was only missing for a maximum of two minutes.
The clip has racked up more than 56,000 likes since it was uploaded last month — and parents have been thankful for the advice.
One replied, ‘You don’t look crazy! all those mothers knew you needed a team.’
From experience, another added: “This happened in the pumpkin patch last year.
“Hundreds of people and a mother screamed about a girl with a blue bow and quickly found her.”
Meanwhile, a third wrote, “As a mom, when I hear someone yell a name, I probably don’t think much of it, but yelling a description is like a call to action for moms!”