Food Allergy Bracelets???

[bluemongoose]

I have two children with severe allergies. I am thinking strongly about getting them medical bracelets or something to let others know of their allergies. I have found a couple of sites online, but I thought I would check in here in case someone else had done this.

 

Also one of the children is only 1yo. Many of the ones I am finding say not for under 3yo-choking hazard. Has anyone found these for very young toddlers???

 

I am hoping to get this done soon as my 1yo managed to steal a bite of his brothers toast this morning that had a tiny amount of butter and his eyes swelled up. It is really that bad! I am so afraid someone will unknowingly share with him in our homeschool groups (or other public places) something that could send him over the top.

 

Thanks for any help!

[Sandra in FL]

I wouldn't put a bracelet on a 1 year old for fear of choking. I don't have much advice except to say that I kept him at home for 4 years until he understood never to eat anything that I didn't hand to him.

 

His dairy allergy is so bad that he breaks out on contact (door knobs, etc. - not just ingestion). We also don't go anywhere near church on Easter Sunday (egg allergy too).

 

Blessings,

Sandra

[SeekingSimplicity]

We ordered from American Medical http://identifyyourself.com/ for my dd who has food allergies. Got her a silver bracelet that we put charms on to make it pretty, then a sports band to play in.

 

I've seen T shirts you can order for preschoolers to identify allergies. Can't remember where I've seen them tho.

[Mrs Mungo]

http://www.roadid.com/Common/default.aspx

 

These are designed for runners/cyclists in case of emergency. However, they are personalized and you can put whatever text you wish on there. They are durable, washable and you can have the metal plate updated without buying a whole new bracelet. Now, I would not use these for a toddler. Have you seen these allergy warning tattoos? They might work.

 

http://store.safetytat.com/store/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=1_7

 

http://www.fiddledeeids.com/alert-stickers-tattoos-c-14.html

 

http://www.eyedentitylabel.com/

 

Another company makes stickers to stick on clothing:

http://stores.homestead.com/allergystickers/StoreFront.bok

 

You can also buy t-shirts, might be good for field trips or such:

http://www.allergators.com/alecfood.html

 

This company has a variety of products:

http://www.jeeto.com/allergycollection.html

[Cera]

A cousin's son had very severe allergies as a baby and she made her own velcro bands for him. She had the info embroidered onto bright red fabric and just made it into a wristband with a velcro closure.

 

She also made some T-shirts using the printable iron transfer paper that said "Fatal Allergy - DO NOT feed me" for him to wear when he was not under her direct supervision.

[bluemongoose]

Wow! You guys are so helpful! Off to check out the links...

[rafiki]

.

[NoPlaceLikeHome]

I wouldn't put a bracelet on a 1 year old for fear of choking. I don't have much advice except to say that I kept him at home for 4 years until he understood never to eat anything that I didn't hand to him.

 

His dairy allergy is so bad that he breaks out on contact (door knobs, etc. - not just ingestion). We also don't go anywhere near church on Easter Sunday (egg allergy too).

 

Blessings,

Sandra

 

:iagree: I would agree to just keep a sharp eye out for your child and not have her in a homeschool group without your presence. IMHO I do not think a bracelet is going to help at this age and I envision them really only being used after an event of a food allergy reaction. I just cannot imagine that a person would notice them unless something was wrong.

 

OTOH, when my ds is older I would like to get something like an allergy bracelet in the event he cannot speak for himself:(

 

http://www.foodallergy.org/

[NoPlaceLikeHome]

A cousin's son had very severe allergies as a baby and she made her own velcro bands for him. She had the info embroidered onto bright red fabric and just made it into a wristband with a velcro closure.

 

She also made some T-shirts using the printable iron transfer paper that said "Fatal Allergy - DO NOT feed me" for him to wear when he was not under her direct supervision.

 

Now a T-shirt is going to be more noticeable to people. I am not sure about the wrist band though:(

 

I just think a bracelet or necklace cannot be effectively used to prevent someone from giving food to your child. They are ok for after the fact, but I would not count on them to prevent an episode. In hospitals, it is not uncommon for a nurse to forget to check the allergy bands and they are trained to do so. Lay people are not trained to do so.

 

Whenever I go to places with my son with food and other people, I instruct to not give my son any food, candy, or drinks due to severe food allergies. I always bring food/snacks where ever we go and assume that there will not be any safe food for my ds to eat. I do not allow him to eat home-made food from others outside the family. I only allow food that we can check the label and that I know has not been cross contaminated by trying to get his serving prior to everyone else's serving. When my son got old enough, I instructed him not to take food, candy, cookies from anyone but me or his teacher since I always, always bring food for him. I still tell him this every time we go out and about where there is potentially food. I also always have his dual pack epi-pen and benadryl always on my person and I will soon start training him to bring it and carry it himself in a fanny pack.

Edited January 26, 2010 by priscilla

[cara]

I personally would not get anything other then the official Medic Alert bracelets. EMTs, Hospitals are trained to spot them, every time DS is in the ER they look at his. They have no personal information on them, just a 1800 # to call Medic Alert 24/7 to get the child's medical history. There is a place in the medical history you can name 5 people for Medic Alert to call if they are ever called. And you can update the medical history at any time.

 

http://www.medicalert.org/

[NoPlaceLikeHome]

I would also remind your other children not to give your child any food at all and I would remind them in a nice way at every meal and snack. If they are not able to follow this instruction, then you will have to keep a very sharp eye out.

:grouphug:

[katilac]

I agree with the posters who said that medic bracelets are designed to help the EMTs/medical professionals; they are not designed as an 'alert' for the general public. If I saw a young kid wearing a bracelet, I'd probably think 'weird fashion choice' before 'food allergy.'

 

With serious allergies and young children, I'd go with constant supervision as much as humanly possible, and I would not have them in a group setting if I were not present (no mom's day out, no co-op, etc). If it were life-threatening, yes, my kid would be wearing the t-shirt!

 

Your family knows about his allergies, and he still managed to get into something, so I'm not sure increased awareness will help that much. Most parents aren't going to hand food to a one-year-old child; I'd think the biggest danger is from other small kids, and from him picking up food left on the table, dropped on the floor, etc. The bracelet doesn't help in those cases for sure. The worry of him choking on it or getting it caught in an escalator or other machinery would outweigh the allergy factor for me. Kids that age are just ninja-fast, and he's more likely to eat a trigger food that he finds under the slide at mcdonald's than a trigger food an adult hands to him.

[NoPlaceLikeHome]

I agree with the posters who said that medic bracelets are designed to help the EMTs/medical professionals; they are not designed as an 'alert' for the general public. If I saw a young kid wearing a bracelet, I'd probably think 'weird fashion choice' before 'food allergy.'

 

With serious allergies and young children, I'd go with constant supervision as much as humanly possible, and I would not have them in a group setting if I were not present (no mom's day out, no co-op, etc). If it were life-threatening, yes, my kid would be wearing the t-shirt!

 

Your family knows about his allergies, and he still managed to get into something, so I'm not sure increased awareness will help that much. Most parents aren't going to hand food to a one-year-old child; I'd think the biggest danger is from other small kids, and from him picking up food left on the table, dropped on the floor, etc. The bracelet doesn't help in those cases for sure. The worry of him choking on it or getting it caught in an escalator or other machinery would outweigh the allergy factor for me. Kids that age are just ninja-fast, and he's more likely to eat a trigger food that he finds under the slide at mcdonald's than a trigger food an adult hands to him.

 

:iagree:

However, I have had some well meaning adults give my son candy shortly after I instructed them not to give him any food:001_huh:.

 

To clarify, the well meaning adult in this case thought that it was ok because M&Ms don't have peanuts. However, they are made in a facility with peanuts which should also be avoided. From my experience, persons without direct food allergy experience in their immediate family really do not understand food allergies at all. This is understandable since they have never had to deal with it and even as an RN there was a learning curve for me as well in regards to how to deal with it on a day to day basis. I have even run into people who do not believe in the reality of food allergies as well:(

 

I would still try to instruct your kids daily since they are going to be around your allergic kids the most and unfortunately I think it takes even years for kids to learn that and always remember it:( I read of one case, where an allergic child who was well versed in his severe allergies, had a lapse and ate a cookie without checking first with tragic results. Teens are especially at risk for forgetting.

Edited January 26, 2010 by priscilla

[LittleIzumi]

For that age, I might get a couple shirts/onesies made for when you go out instead.

[Wyndie]

All three of my children wear medicalert bracelets. The older ones started wearing them when they were 6 months old and haven't had them off since then. They make them so they are completely unable to come off without a two-handed adult grip. My youngest had hers come off once but it was b/c we had the chain too long. We shortened it and she couldn't get it off anymore. The medicalert people are very helpful in making sure you get the right size so it's permanent (until they grow big enough to need a new chain).

 

That said, no one has ever noticed them other than medical personnel. I had them made so that if for any reason I was unable to speak for them, medical personnel would know not to feed them (I was thinking car accident and I was unconcious type scenario). It's the first thing medical people comment on when they see the kids, but an average person wouldn't give it a second thought. A few years ago medicalert came out with some trendier bracelets so I took pictures of them to a few first responders that I knew and asked if they would recognize them in an emergency. They all said NO, that the simple chain with emblem is what they look for. If they saw a sports band or beady bracelet, they wouldn't turn it around to see if there was an emblem. They look for the chain/emblem.

 

I honestly don't see why a 1 year old couldn't wear one. The ones from medicalert cannot be removed by a child. But I wouldn't rely on the bracelet in anything other than emergencies.

[Whereneverever]

 

http://www.vitalid.ca/store/scripts/default.asp My two year old wears one of these right now- when she's older I'll probably switch her to a medic alert one.

[cara]

All three of my children wear medicalert bracelets. The older ones started wearing them when they were 6 months old and haven't had them off since then. They make them so they are completely unable to come off without a two-handed adult grip. My youngest had hers come off once but it was b/c we had the chain too long. We shortened it and she couldn't get it off anymore. The medicalert people are very helpful in making sure you get the right size so it's permanent (until they grow big enough to need a new chain).

 

That said, no one has ever noticed them other than medical personnel. I had them made so that if for any reason I was unable to speak for them, medical personnel would know not to feed them (I was thinking car accident and I was unconcious type scenario). It's the first thing medical people comment on when they see the kids, but an average person wouldn't give it a second thought. A few years ago medicalert came out with some trendier bracelets so I took pictures of them to a few first responders that I knew and asked if they would recognize them in an emergency. They all said NO, that the simple chain with emblem is what they look for. If they saw a sports band or beady bracelet, they wouldn't turn it around to see if there was an emblem. They look for the chain/emblem.

 

I honestly don't see why a 1 year old couldn't wear one. The ones from medicalert cannot be removed by a child. But I wouldn't rely on the bracelet in anything other than emergencies.

 

Some people other then medical people have noticed ours, but most of the time it's medical people that notice.

 

DS can't get his off, he's had it since he was 3. I can't even get his off, they needed it off for basketball and we had to put a sportsband over it because I couldn't get it off.