Bracelets

Just want to present a little bit different point of view. I have always been in great health. Then last month dd and I were traveling alone, and I had a surgical emergency. I ended up having to call 911 and having emergency surgery and being in the hospital for five days. I was relieved that dd had all information necessary in the Medic Alert system. She has a Medic Alert bracelet. As I recall, the cost is $50 for three years. $16.67 per year is really not a lot of money. You won`t always be available if you ever have any kind of emergency, and emergencies are never planned. I`d spent the money and get the Medic Alert bracelet.

If you look through old posts you will find that I recently posted about this and there are some good non-medic alert choices, from what I read.

We went with Medic Alert b/c it was not expensive at all. $7.95 for a braclet and $20/year after the first year (I think it was $35 for year one).

They were incredibly professional and I had a very nice bracelet with an excellent clasp within a few days.

Two things. 1) Medic Alert is the industry standard that EMT's look for. I wanted the bracelet to LOOK like a medic alert, not like one of the hundreds of other bracelets out there right now

2) As your child gets older, there will be times they won't be with you. My 3yo started preK. If he has a medical emergency, I know there is a 24 hour person there with all the info to treat my son effectively. I can go on line and change info as medicines change, etc. I have a condition where I occasionally stop breathing. My husband travels a lot. I KNOW that if I were to pass out, the info needed to care for DS is available if I can't speak for him.

My oldest is 9...soccer, baseball, skiing, cubscouts overnight camp...when my 3yo is that age, there will be many opportunities for me to be ahppy he has the medicalert!

Just food for thougth

[url="http://www.n-styleid.com/"]http://www.n-styleid.com/[/url]
This is where I got DS's. I know some swear by medic alert, but I feel as long as it has a noticeable medical symbol, it's fine.

I was going to buy a non Medic-Alert bracelet, because I too am a SAHM, but ended up changing my mind and bought the Medic Alert bracelet for my DD. I bought a sports bracelet and a chain. I am extremely satisfied with this company and don't regret it one bit. Feel free to email me, if you have any questions about it all. I'm more then happy to share [img]http://uumor.pair.com/nutalle2/peanutallergy/smile.gif[/img] The only other company that I am aware of that has sports-type bands is the one just mentioned above by the pp.

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DD, 4 years old, PA, MA & EA!
DS, 16 months, no allergies thus far!!!

I highly recommend Renee at

[url="http://www.petitebaublesboutique.com/store/WsDefault.asp?Cat=MedicalIdAlertSportsBands"]http://www.petitebaublesboutique.com/store/WsDefault.asp?Cat=MedicalIdAlertSportsBands[/url]

She is wonderful and has gone out of her way to get us just the right bracelet for ds.

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Tracy

I got my 9 yo DS one from [url="http://www.laurenshope.com"]www.laurenshope.com[/url] . It is really cool and has the medical symbol on the outside of bracelet (like medic alert) in bold red. The bracelet is of wonderful quality and is the nicest (coolest) boys/mens bracelet I could find. I would not hesitate to order from them again. My DS was not thrilled that he had to wear one but now he does not take it off.

PP

I am another Medic Alert fan. It is worth the money.

Even as a SAHM there are times where you are not reachable. Or where your child may have a problem away from school and your number is not at hand. Or be in the car acccident with you and you are unable to speak... The point is that no one plans an accident.

My MIL is a diabetic and during a past severe reaction, she passed out in a city park. She probably would have been taken to the drunk tank (she does not drink, but an insulin reaction looks similar)and not have gotten the medical care she needed to live if they had not read her bracelet and called.

Ok, off my soapbox, but I guess my point is that is you are going to wear the bracelet give it the full value with a real Medic Alert tag. DD does have some pretty bracelets from Laurens Hope which are great, but I just but the bracelets and use a real Medic Alert tag (instead of theirs).

I am a huge fan of medic alert. The cost is money well spent. Like others have said, you never know when your child will need attention and the possibilities are endless that you won't be available whether you're a SAHM or not. You could miss a phone call, you could be somewhere that your cell phone doesn't work, etc.
This medic alert system is the standard and it has worked and been around for ages!

Hi,

I am Canadian and my son brought home some paperwork from school from Medic Alert this year. Apparently they have a program that is providing bracelets to all children in need for free. I didn't need it because I already subscribe to the program. But try calling Medic Alert and ask them about the program that they distributed through schools. I can't remember the exact name of their program, but the idea is that they want any child who NEEDS a bracelet to have one for free.

HTH

My son's MA bracelet has the MA symbol right on the front. It is engraved on the front and the back. My cell # and dh's cell # is on the back. I was able to put

front:

ds name
Severe Nut
Allergy All
Nuts Epi Pens

and on the back:
Asthma uses inhaler
My cell number
Dh's cell number
DS' birthdate

The MA Symbol on the front is raised and very prominent.

Just one more thing, if your personal information changes, all you have to do is call medic alert and they change it in your records. When you engrave phone numbers, especially cell phone numbers, if your number changes, you'll need a new bracelet!

[url="http://www.medicalert.ca/en/become/assist.asp"]http://www.medicalert.ca/en/become/assist.asp[/url]

This is the link about getting a free Medic Alert bracelet in Canada (someone mentioned in a previous post), but it's only for stainless steel (though maybe they could substitute if you had concerns about that and needed a sports band).

Well, that is true but you can now take your cell phone number from company to company (if you switch) so I'm not concerned about that.

I`d be more concerned about total strangers having access to your cell phone number. There are two many wackos and sex offenders out there. It seems much safer if you were in a car accident for people to call medic alert for the cell phone numbers and not to have it on your child for all the world to see.

I too support MedicAlert - not only because of the quality and reliability of their services, but also what they do to support the allergic and medical community.

Now, about the bracklet - I suggest the standard Stainless Steel MedicAlert one, as the sport band is too easy to take off and if the child isn't used to it, it will end up getting lost. I haven't seen the other sport type bracklets but if they care clip or velcro type, be aware cause you'll probably be replacing them often (thereby increasing your cost)

CarefulMom, are you in Canada or the US? I thought the prices you quoted seemed rather low, and I checked their Canadian site:

Quote:With a one-time [b]registration fee of $50[/b] (before applicable taxes), [b]plus[/b] the cost of a MedicAlert

I am in U.S. I just pulled out my receipt. I just got dd a new Medic Alert bracelet a few months ago, because her old one was too tight. It cost $7.95 for the bracelet with the emblem/engraving plus $4.95 shippping. Total = $12.90. That was for the bracelet. For memebership it is $50 for three years. I found my cancelled check which I save because I tax deduct this as a medical expense. So those are the correct prices in the U.S. It doesn`t seem to me like it is worth using another company; you can`t be saving that much money by going with someone else and you lose a lot of the service. I guess Canada rates must be higher.

My nephew is PA, and I bought him several allergy-specific items, including a red silicone wristband that clearly states "Peanut Allergy." Check out [url="http://www.allergikid.com."]www.allergikid.com.[/url] It is a great site with many products to protect allergic children at home and in school.

Quote:Originally posted by Carefulmom:
[b]I`d be more concerned about total strangers having access to your cell phone number. There are two many wackos and sex offenders out there. It seems much safer if you were in a car accident for people to call medic alert for the cell phone numbers and not to have it on your child for all the world to see.[/b]

It's on the backside of his MA bracelet. I don't worry about it being there at all. If a whacko somehow gets hold of the number that means he got hold of my son. I'd want to know that, kwim? Also, a cell phone number isn't the same as a home phone number- it's not affiliated with an address per se.

I'm not agaist Medic Alert at all. I just don't think they're THE way for EVERYONE, kwim?

I am in Canada as well , sounds like medic alert is a bargain in US , but here it it $149.00 for one years subrcription and one sports type bracelet, although a good deal of money it is very important and recommended by Anaphylaxis Canada, this year is just $70.00 for the membership.It is a write off at tax time.Can't be too careful.

Quote:Originally posted by ~*Trace*~:
[b]
It's on the backside of his MA bracelet. I don't worry about it being there at all. If a whacko somehow gets hold of the number that means he got hold of my son. I'd want to know that, kwim? Also, a cell phone number isn't the same as a home phone number- it's not affiliated with an address per se.

[/b]

Wow. You are a very trusting person. There are so many different scenarios that can occur. Yes, maybe the person who has your cell phone number has your ds. But if I had a nickel for every time someone has turned over dd`s bracelet to read it, I`d be rich. It happens all the time. And abductions commonly occur by the abductor gaining the trust of the child, saying he is a friend of the family in order to get the child to go with him. A common ploy is to say "your mom was in a car accident, I am a friend of your mom`s, and I`ll take you to her." And what better way to "prove" you are a friend of the mom than to have the mom`s cell phone number. What a great way to gain the trust of the child. And often abductions occur after the child has been observed for awhile. I know there is no right answer here, but I am just not as trusting as you. There are a lot of sick minds out there. We see it all the time on the news.

There was a thread in Off Topic about six months ago where someone posted a link where you could type in your zip code or city and see where there are registered sex offenders in your neighborhood. We all were in shock after we checked. We all had them in our neighborhood. You just can`t be too careful these days.

When I was growing up my best friend and I played together every day. One day I went home for dinner, and about two hours later her mom called. She had not come home. Her mom wanted to know had I seen her. I lived in an upper middle class neighborhood in the suburbs. Turns out she was abducted. It can happen anywhere.

carefulmom:

i was a lifeguard for many years and once had a 5 yr old girl come to my lifeguard stand and ask, "lifeguard, should i go with that man outside the fence over there? he says my mommy is sick and told him to come get me. he's going to take me to her." i asked her if she knew him and when she said she didn't, cold chills went up my spine. i tried to be nonchalant, and went inside to call the police. by the time they arrived, he had run. sounds like fiction...but it did happen. i remember it like it was yesterday. lousy (or maybe just desperate) parents left their children as young as 4 at the pool (it was public) all day long for cheap babysitting and this happened. in smalltown, missouri, no less.

sorry...i have no advice about bracelets. the preceding comments just brought back this memory to me.

i did once order these adorable silver necklaces and charms for my PA girls...can't remember where i ordered them from....but one is in the shape of a cat and the other in the shape of a dog. they have the red medicalert type symbol on them and on the back are inscribed with "peanut allergy." they were a fabulous idea but my children will not consistently wear jewelry. i guess they would if i insisted, but the necklaces went by the wayside after about a week of wear. they were not cheap either. [img]http://uumor.pair.com/nutalle2/peanutallergy/frown.gif[/img]

It`s a common ploy abductors use. "Your mom is sick" or "your mom was in an accident" and "I am going to take you to her". That is how they get kids to go with them, by being told that the child`s mom sent them. After that 13 year old was abducted from the car wash on videotape, and there were all those experts on TV being asked to speculate what the abductor said to get the abductee to go so willingly, this was discussed a lot. It was also discussed a lot after Elizabeth Smart was found. They had all these experts on TV discussing ways to try to prevent your child from being a victim of abduction. Having personal information displayed makes it so much easier for the abductor to pretend to know the mother.

Careful mom, we'll just agree to disagree, ok? I'm more than comfortable having the cell numbers on the backside of ds' bracelet.

I do teach both of my kids about stranger danger. We have a secret word. Having my cell phone number doesn't increase my child's odds of being abducted.

Anyway, as I said, I'm comfortable having our cell numbers on the backside of his bracelet. At this point he goes nowhere where he's not supervised anyway. He goes to school (very small school) and he is home. He never goes outside to play alone. Perhaps when he's older I'll change the plate but for now I LOVE having our cell numbers on the plate.

Thank you for your thoughts and concerns though.

Try this....awesome bracelets...my son loves his. Hope this helps.

Donna

[url="http://www.americanmedical-id.com/marketplace/build.php?plateorcharm=plate&bbmaintypeid=7&preradioed_plate=0&preradioed_chain=1&preradioed_clasp=100"]http://www.americanmedical -id.com/marke...dioed_clasp=100[/url]

Just wanted to update to let those who do a search...this company has changed their engraving process...they now paint the lettering instead of engraving. I would not buy from them again.

[This message has been edited by notnutty (edited August 02, 2007).]

Thanks for the links...I am thinking about getting one for my daughter. Right now I am waiting for my SIL to get back to me on her recommendation since she is a EMTP.....I am just curious as to a professionals opinion on what they look for in the field, and what it should say.