Free Shipping On All
Orders Over $50

The Importance of Medical ID Bracelets for Children

Medical ID Bracelets for Kids

Who should wear medical ID's?

The purpose of a medical ID is to alert paramedics and Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT's) to a patient's specific medical or allergic condition at the point in time when they're about to administer emergency treatment. It's especially critical for children & persons whose illnesses might render them unable to speak to wear a medical id bracelet or medical alert pendant. For example, some of the conditions most commonly engraved on medical id jewelry are conditions such as Diabetes, Epilepsy, and for kids, severe insect and food allergies. Additionally, anyone involved in a traumatic incident such as a car crash could be in a state of emotional distress or unconsciousness when help arrives, preventing the patient from giving their pertinent medical information to first responders. It's commonly said that a medical ID speaks for you when you're unable to speak.

Kids who have medical conditions should definitely wear medical identification. No matter how involved you are in your kid's life, there could be a time when you can't speak up for your child. Whether it's at school, child care, a friend's house, a birthday party, or some other event, there might be a circumstance in which your child's medical information needs to be known right away. A medical ID can do just that, and help your child receive the correct treatment, faster.

What do EMT's look for on a patient?

Emergency Medical Technicians (or EMT's) are trained as first responders, to look first for a medical ID bracelet and other forms of medical identification (such as a medical alert necklace or pendant), and then for medical wallet cards. Because of the urgent nature of emergency situations, it's important to have your medical information quickly and easily available to the medical personnel via one of the aforementioned forms of medical identification. If the medical personnel is unable to quickly locate your medical alert information they will begin treating you without any prior knowledge of your condition and/or allergies.

Because medical ID's are typically quite small, and a person's medical history can be very lengthy and detailed, there are several abbreviations that are commonly used on medical ID's and understood by EMT's. Here are a few of the most commonly used medical abbreviations:

Atrial fibrillation: A-fib
Blood pressure: BP
Cardiovascular: CV
Epinephrine pen: EpiPen
Gastrointestinal: GI
Ventricular tachycardia: VT/v tach

Please follow the link for a more complete list of medical abbreviations.

What should you have engraved on your child's medical ID?

We've spoken with some of the Medical Technician's in this area and here's what we've found. The most important information to engrave on a medical ID is as follows:

1) The most important thing to engrave on your medical ID is your diagnosis or condition. That is, the main condition that affects your health.

2) The second most important thing to include on your medical alert jewelry is your allergies. In addition to your allergies to everyday things, it is also important to include any medications that you are allergic too.

3) Third, if there is room left on your medical id it is good practice to include your name and emergency contact information. For children, it's a good idea to have at least one parent's contact information included on the id. Note: name and emergency contact as well as any other personal information is optional and typically engraved on the back side of your medical id bracelet or pendant to keep personal information out of site until it's needed.

What if my child doesn't want to wear a medical ID?

Historically, medical alert jewelry has been unattractive, bland, metal bracelets.
Obviously, this presents a problem; children typically want to wear something that's fun, and isn't irritating to wear, they don't usually want to wear something boring or uncomfortable, such as a traditional medical ID. However, in recent years there has been a lot of development in medical id jewelry that incorporates style and practicality. We've designed a line of medical id bracelets specifically with kids in mind; this line has has been called the Sport Strap Bracelets line.

The sports strap bracelets come in 21 different interchangeable nylon strap styles that are designed to be "fun" for kids to wear. The decision to make the straps out of nylon was not only for the sake of appearance, but for practical reasons as well. Most people who need to wear medical id's have to wear them virtually 24/7; as uncomfortable as this is for adults, it's even more bothersome to a child. Nylon straps however, are typically less irritating than traditional metal bracelets. And, in addition to eliminating the possibility of chain links breaking, the nylon straps are colorfast, washable, and adjustable.

Another concern with purchasing a medical ID for an active child is whether or not they'll be able to wear the medical ID for sporting events. A lot of sports, such as soccer, baseball, and gymnastics, will not allow children to wear any sort of metal jewelry, or even loose jewelry during games or competitions. These rules are in place for the safety of all participating in the sport, but the purpose of a medical ID is defeated if it cannot be worn. However, the tight fit of the sport strap medical bracelets and the minimal amount of metal (only the plaque is metal) means that while the decision is ultimately up to the officials, there's a much greater chance that your child's medical ID will be permitted. Also, if a referee or judge does have an issue with the metal portion, it can easily be covered (and yet easily removed in the case of an emergency) by pre-wrap, a very affordable and common athletic supply that is widely used by athletes, trainers, and coaches for a number of purposes (pre-wrap can usually be found at your local grocery or drug store).

Sport strap bracelets have been a huge hit with our customers because of their versatility. Additional straps can be purchased for only $5.95, allowing you to match team colors, outfits, occasions, or just keep things from getting boring by having more than one option. The plastic snap lock clasp is more durable than traditional lobster clasps but still holds the bracelet on firmly. The clasp is also more difficult for very young children to open on their own, so you won't have to worry about them taking the bracelet off when they're not supposed too.

Written by Jed Mootsey
Buy kid's medical ID bracelets online or Go back to Jewelry Help Pages