Medic Alert Bracelet for Toddler?

Hi,
My daughter is almost 5 now & we started her with the smallest medic alert bracelet at age 2. She was diagnosed at 18 months & we didn't realize the severity of this allergy until she was almost 2.

What we did was get the smallest medic alert bracelet & then my father took pliers & pried open a link, took out several links & then shut the open link. we've had no trouble with it breaking & dd has been trained that she NEVER takes it off.

We started DS wearing medic alert bracelet at 15 mos. We got the smallest size and then went to a local jewelry store. The jeweler made it fit perfectly and was happy to do it for free. He said to go back any time. Hope this helps. I think the sooner they get used to wearing it the better. DS doesn't know anything different.

JUlie

I'm having a bad day today.. I don't feel like myself... and I don't know why.. could be no sleep, sick DW, etc... but here's my answer:

We got Caitlin a MA bracelet when she was 4 3/4 yo. We got it, because we had extra money in our FSA to burn, and did it... Actually, [I] just ordered it, THEN told DW we did it...

She's fine with it, dont get me wrong.. but It's as if that was the next 'stage' to go thru, and I didnt want to push DW thru that stage too quick, kwim?

So we ordered it, the sportsband version, and let Caitlin pick out which one she wanted (purple w/notes).

They walk you thru the whole darn process, and what you want on the back, for us.. a lot...'allergic to latex, bananas...' etc.

I wouldnt go through any other company.

But at what age to get it? Its a YMMV type thing... We didnt think it was necessary at a young age, because Caitlin was home with DW, no day care, no school, etc..

And we didnt think there'd be a car crash at any time, and DW couldnt talk, kwim?

So we waited. Admittedly so. We didnt think theres a hurry. There were no babysitters, no schools, no nothing involved. DD#2 was with DW 24/7.

Most people get them before 5 yo, however.
But you asked, so I told.

Today, my opinions are a bit off, I apologize.

Jason

------------------
[b]* ENRICHED * [/b]

Our DD was 16 months old when we got a medical bracelet for her. She is with me 24/7 so we decided she didn't need a MedicAlert bracelet but wanted her to have something. We orderded from oneida-medical-jewerly.com They ask for a wrist measurement but it was still too big so I used a pliers to take out 5 links. (DD is just about 21 lbs, tall and skinny)

It has served as great reminder to friends and relatives that they need to take precautions around DD. She is allergic to Peanuts, Eggs and anna. to Milk.

She wasn't too happy about wearing it the first 2 days, now she won't let me take it off. She chews on it every once in a while. Mostly when she is cranky and tired.

Alicia

I was looking at the old posts the other day and found this link: [url="http://www.fiddledeeids.com/index.php"]http://www.fiddledeeids.com/index.php[/url]

The smallest size they make is 4.5 in.

We got a Medic Alert bracelet for my son when he was 3. I decided that was the age when he was most in danger of running away from me when I was shopping. I could just see some kind person trying to comfort my crying son and giving him a Nutter Butter cookie.

I talked with Medic Alert and they were very helpful when advising me on measuring his wrist and how their bracelet would fit. My son is small and skinny for his age and the bracelet fits fine. I looked at their website but called to speak with a real person so I could get my questions answered properly.

We got our medic alert when ds was 2 even though he still is with me all the time. We moved faster than we might have otherwise because ds perfected his houdini skills and escaped from a friend's deck. We had to go looking for him.

Aside from the whole kidnapping fear, which is unthinkable, I thought OMG someone's going to give a pb&j and milk and we're in big trouble!! But, thank god we found him quickly.

We got the size 5 Medic Alert, and it stays on his wrist fine, but it's a little loose. I think it bothers him less that way.

Meg

My son has PA and my 2 year old daughter has allergic reactions to yellowjackets so she has to carry an epi pen jr too. I called medic alert and they sent me the smallest bracelet they have and it fits her fine. I think its a 4. Just call them directly dont try to do it yourself over the internet. They are very helpful. I am always of the opinion that it is better to be safe than sorry so that is why we set her up on Medic ALert too. Hope this helps!!

[url="http://www.childsidinc.com"]www.childsidinc.com[/url] is where we got our pa daughter's first and second bracelets beginning at age 18mos. We now get them from [url="http://www.Hah!originals.com"]www.Hah!originals.com[/url] because they're much more stylish (she's almost 5 now).
Angela

DD got hers when she was 18 mos. She is very petite for her age, and after a quick trip to the jewelers to remove a few links it fits just fine. While she is with DH 24/7, I was worried about if she got lost at Disney World, etc and someone offered her a cookie. I also think it might slightly enforce the severity of the allergy to some people. She loves her bracelet.

Anne:

We had the same trouble with our PA son. Even though he was at home with me most of the time, I still worried about visits to neighbors, grandparents, car accidents. We decided on using the sport band from N-Style ID. It is a little more kid-friendly than Medic Alert. My son thinks it is a "watch". They have a new style out that fits "infants to 6 1/2 inches. It is a jelly band that is interchangable. Check it out at:
[url="http://www.n-styleid.com/medical_id.htm"]http://www.n-styleid.com/medical_id.htm[/url]

We were happy with their customer service and their product. Good Luck!
Donna

Thanks everyone for your replies and your sources!! After much thought, we decided to go with Medic Alert. We live overseas, and we liked that Medic Alert is supported around the world. The driving style here is legendary, and our (very small) expat community here has an extremely high car accident rate. Sadly, many of the accidents involve serious injuries and/or fatalities. We decided to get the bracelet because of the risk of us being incapacitated in an accident, and the medics/hospital staff giving her peanuts or tree nuts (or the other foods to which she is allergic).

I'm considering buying an additional bracelet from another company and having it engraved in Italian, so she will have bi-lingual bracelets.

Once again, I appreciate all of the responses!

Jason, what does YMMV mean?

Anne

Your mileage may vary.

Your results may be different.

Example -- We eat plain M&M's and are nut allergic and have no reactions.. Your child, however, DOES... YMMV, To each their own.

NOTE: we do NOT eat M&M's, silly [img]http://uumor.pair.com/nutalle2/peanutallergy/smile.gif[/img]

Jason

HTH (Hope that helps)

------------------
[b]* ENRICHED * [/b]