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Toddler medical IDs



I wrote a blog in September about making homemade medical ID's. When O first needed a medical ID, he was 17-months old. He is now 23-months old. One of the challenges I have found when looking online for a medical ID appropriate for a toddler is that most of them are engraved metal bracelets. There is a chance that O will need his daily regulator, Pulmicort, changed in the next couple months (read my blog post, "Follow-up on reactive airways"), voiding a bracelet we have engraved with the previous medications. The pricing for many of those engraved IDs comes to about $50, conservatively, when including the cost of the ID tag, bracelet chain, engraving, and shipping. I've also found there are a lot more medical ID bracelet options for toddler girls than toddler boys.

The thing about toddlers is that they can't be trusted. I don't even like putting my toddlers down to nap with a sticker on their shirt with the fear that they will shove it in their mouth, start crying, and choke on it. I worried about ID bracelets with charms or other choking hazards. I was also concerned about IDs that would be too easy to remove. One of our challenges is that our asthmatic toddler is an identical twin; we are concerned about him being confused with his twin brother, who does not have reactive airways. I want to be sure that whoever is taking care of our boys knows who O is so they can properly monitor his asthma.

The best way for me to safely alert our childcare providers that O has asthma is the sticker on the back of his shirt. In my blog post "Homemade medical IDs" I show you how I made the stickers for his shirt. I also use ordinary address labels and write "ASTHMA" in a red permanent marker to stick on the back of his shirt. (I keep a sheet of plain address labels in my mini van in case I need to label the kids-- this is actually a great tip for identical twin moms!) Recently the toddlers have taken to ripping stickers off each other's shirt, even stickers on the back of each other's shirt. After our recent asthma scare, I wanted O to have an ID bracelet.

I have already decided against an engraved bracelet-- for now-- because of the cost. I could order him one that simply has his name, birth date, and says "Asthma," leaving off his medications. I will probably do this once he reaches preschool age (or if he has another asthma scare and I freak out and buy one!). For now I bought him an AllerMates Asthma medical ID bracelet and a Vital ID child's wristband.

AllerMates Asthma wristband


I found the AllerMates Asthma wristband on Amazon.com for $7.49. It was an add-on item, meaning you had to spend $25 from Amazon or Amazon Warehouse in order for it to ship. I was ordering a bunch of other stuff (including the Vital ID), so it worked out. I actually really like the bracelet. He has worn it for the past two days under my supervision and has not torn it off. The snap buttons snap tightly, making it a little difficult for even me to snap it off quickly, and so he is not able to just rip the bracelet off. I am optimistic that this will be the bracelet we use when dropping him off at childcare or leaving him with a baby-sitter.

Vital ID Kids Medical Wristband


I found the Vital ID Kids Medical Wristband on Amazon.com for $11 and change (it is now listed at $12.95). If you search on Amazon.com, there are several color options available for this bracelet, including a green camo, a charcoal, and lots of girl options. This one I'm not as thrilled with. It seems like it would work great for a four-year old, when you could tell the child to leave it alone, not so much for toddlers. It is a Velcro bracelet with a pocket to slide the medical info into it. The medical information slides easily in and out of the bracelet and the Velcro is easy to undo. I wouldn't trust him to leave this on his wrist. Perhaps if he was wearing pants and I could strap it on his ankle, however, that wouldn't be an obvious place for childcare providers or medical personnel to look in an emergency. I decided to strap the bracelet on his stroller strap to have handy. I did have a homemade medical ID to put on his stroller, but it was large and obvious and he kept playing with it. He has left this alone so far. One thing I do like about this bracelet is that the Velcro allows you to adjust the size and it does fit his little wrist.

Like the "Are your hands clean?" sign? Check out Touchy Tags! I hung them on bouncy seats, Pack'N'Plays, infant carriers, and their cribs the first year. Now I just have one on each of their stroller seats. We love our Touchy Tags!

Homemade medical IDs


O's car seat with an Oliver's Labels name badge, Asthma sticker, and homemade medical ID

The credential holder in the diaper bag, looped around the strap and tucked in the pocket-- easily accessible without digging through the bag

Ziploc of inhalers in the diaper bag complete with a homemade medical ID
I love our homemade medical IDs. I love how much information I can put on them and how I can easily change what medications he is taking. I love that I can print more off and pin one to his jacket or slip into a diaper bag. I have one attached to his car seat in case we get into an accident. I always have the large credential holder in my diaper bag, which has a copy of his asthma treatment plan. I also have a Ziploc with his inhalers and a homemade medical ID. I'm really pleased with how convenient the homemade medical IDs are.

Do you have a medical ID that you can recommend for toddlers?

The toddlers' bedroom door
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Comments

Unknown said…
Really great posts and good to read this article. it is very useful for every one!
July 11, 2013 10:59 PM
Unknown said…
Really it's a beautiful post. It is very good and helpful for all.
Great work!!
Buy Asthma Medicine Online
December 15, 2014 11:57 PM
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