I lost my daughter at Disney World and was terrified. A simple tip helped me find her quickly, and I recommend it to all parents.

• I've traveled all over the county with my five children, and Disney World stressed me out the most.
• To keep track of my kids, I tied a balloon to their backpacks, but I still lost one in the crowd.
• I also recommend families agree on meet-up spots in the parks.

My husband and I have traveled with our five kids countless times across the US, Canada, and Newfoundland. We have camped in national parks and visited amusement parks .

Although family vacations should be a break from the stresses of life, some trips were more stressful than others.

Disney World was our most challenging trip. There was so much to grab our attention: huge crowds of people and characters everywhere. I tried not to focus on how easy it was for little kids to be swept away in crowds. Instead, I tried to plan for any scenario.

It was January when we visited Disney World in Florida. My kids — ages 5 to 11 — wore their school backpacks to carry autograph books for characters, pens, water bottles, trinkets they purchased, and raincoats in case of rain.

But a simple trick helped me when I lost my child at Disney for a few seconds.

Balloons helped me spot my lost daughter

Each day, I allowed our kids to choose a colorful balloon at the park gate. Then, I tied those balloons to their backpack straps.

Instinctively, I counted balloons all day. Each time we went into a restaurant, rode the monorail, watched the parades, or waited in line for rides, I looked out for those balloons to keep track of my kids .

The children held the balloons down while we watched events. I held the backpacks while the kids and my husband enjoyed the rides.

One day, as we left the monorail in another noisy swarm of people, I counted balloons: five. Everyone got off. We gathered our coats, camera, and collapsed double stroller and left the platform, heading up the swift escalator.

Then, for some reason, I decided to count balloons again. One, two, three, four! My heart stopped.

Just as we do when we hike in nature, my husband was in front of the line of kids, and I was in the back. Frantically, I looked at my balloons and found one of the twins missing.

Above the din of music and conversations, I shouted to my husband. Turning around on the escalator, I spied a balloon still on the platform in the throng of people.

I screamed my child's name as I fought my way through the people jammed on the escalator, attempting to race down the up escalator.

I continued to scream, pushing and shoving people out of my way to get to the platform before my little girl got swept onto the next train by the crowd.

People gave way, and a train had come by this time. As I raced toward my daughter, a lady had cleared people away from a ballooned little girl who was crying so that I could reach her in time.

I think the balloon really saved the day on that one.

There's so much more you can do to keep kids safe at Disney

It's terrifying to lose track of a child in a crowded place. Holding hands or placing the youngest children in a stroller in jam-packed places can help keep them safe. A family can also create colorful and unique shirts to wear.

Take photos of your young kids to show characters if your kid should wander away. Tell your children to go to the characters if they become lost. The characters are connected to security.

Organize a specific place to meet if you get separated: inside the Main Street Bakery, perhaps — but definitely not in front of Cinderella's Castle because there are too many people. For kids with phones, take a photo of the place to meet. The child can approach a character or security and ask how to get there.

Small, portable GPS tracker devices are available now. Put them in a small, zippered pouch on a lanyard around your child's neck or in their backpack.

But to spot little kids quickly in a crowd, I highly recommend the balloon trick. It saved me from losing my kid, so I swear by it.

Amusement parks and crowded vacation destinations don't need to be stressful for parents. As long as we plan to keep track of our kids, we can remain sane, and our children can remain safe.

For me, I will be forever grateful for balloons.