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By Angie McNew, Director of Web Sites and Emerging Media
You might be surprised at the types of odds and ends people leave behind at The Children’s Museum. Deirdre Bogard says the oddest thing she’s been handed is a child’s toilet seat. Deirdre is the museum’s Concierge and one of her many responsibilities is to attempt to reunite lost items with their owners.
If you’ve visited the museum and you suspect you may have left something, Deirdre’s advice is to call the museum right away to find out if it was turned in to lost and found. Visitors, staff, and cleaning crews hand over anywhere from 5 to 20 lost items a day depending on the time of day and how busy it is.
Clothing, cameras, and phones are the most plentiful objects in the lost and found collection. This time of year when it’s cold in the morning and warm in the afternoon, Deirdre says lots of jackets get left behind. It’s not uncommon for people to even leave strollers behind in the parking garage in the hustle and bustle of getting their family back into the car and on the road. 
Deirdre logs everything that gets turned in and makes every attempt to try to find something identifiable about the item so she can try to contact its owner. If you think you lost something while at the museum, go to the Concierge desk on Level 1. If it hasn’t been turned in you can leave your contact information along with a description in case it is discovered later.
If you’ve already left the museum, or if your child lost something while on a field trip, call the museum’s call center at (317) 334-4000 or 1-800-820-6214. You must be able to provide the approximate date the item was left and be able to describe the item in detail. Deirdre says it’s worth an effort to call no matter how small the item might be. If the museum does find your item, she will ship it to you at no cost to you. The museum’s policy is to hold onto items for 30 days. After that, the items get donated to shelters and thrift stores.
Keep in mind that if you want to stash your stuff while you visit the museum, coat check is available for $1 and self-service lockers can be rented for $.75 or $1. Both are located on Level 1 in the Welcome Center.
