Child identity theft is on the rise.

Identity theft is not just for grown-ups anymore. According to the Federal Trade Commission, the number of stolen children's identification has risen to more than 400,000 each year. So what can you do to protect your kids from having their identities swiped? According to Qwest Communications, parents need to keep their kids' information private and they offer the following tips on how you can safeguard your child's identity.

• Keep your child's birth certificate and Social Security card in a safe place--not in your purse, for instance, or anywhere else it could easily be lost or stolen.
• Beware if your kids receive telemarketing calls or credit card applications, because that information is usually pulled from existing credit records.
• Do not give your child's personal information over the phone or Internet unless you are sure you are interacting with a reputable organization.
• If your child is going off to college, ask the school not to use his or her Social Security number as a college ID number. Also, be very careful who you give your child's Social Security number to.
• Check to see if your child has a credit record with one of the major credit bureaus at least two times a year. Because parents rarely check their child's credit reports, identity theft often goes undetected for years.

Has your child's identity been stolen? Share your story below.