Diabetes Identification for Toddlers?

Type 1 and LADA
1

So our 2 year old “should be” wearing some form of Diabetes Medical alert item, but we don’t know of anything that a 2 year old would a) be OK with in the first place to wear around and/or b) remove.

So I wanted to ping the community to find out if any parents of Toddlers that are currently wearing identification…what did you use? What works for 2 year old? Any recommendations / Suggestions would be most appreciated.

We have a “rubber type bracelet” but our son will just remove that.

Thanks,
Harold

2

I think I found something!

A “mini button”
Type 1 Diabetes Awareness Ribbon Mini Button

If you have any other recommendations that would be something for a Toddler, would love to hear suggestions.

Thanks,

3

My nephew (and myself, sometimes too) wears temporary tattoos. http://www.tempalertid.com

Until he’s older and less prone to taking off everything you put on him, these will do.

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4

We got the Elite Road ID, which has a watch-band-like attachment and you can customize the size. He can’t take it off but he does NOT love it. All the other mini-silicone bands he removes…while his Non-D brother loves them and puts them on, go figure. I think the temporary tattoo idea is a great one!

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5

I’d love the idea of a temporary tattoo if I was a kid. That is a real neat idea. The tattoo I think would work better than the pin. The pin doesn’t really identify that the person wearing it is diabetic or has any kind of medical condition, other than they support awareness of the condition. The tattoo is the medical alert symbol and I think would be far more recognizable in an emergency situation identifying the person as being diabetic than an awareness button.

6

RoadID FTW!

https://www.roadid.com/kids?utm_source=AdWords&utm_medium=LinkExtensions_Kids&utm_campaign=Search&referrer=9431&gclid=CICulbPMyc4CFZKCfgodPaMGWg

7

I like the tattoo, but it’s HUGE for a 2 year old’s arm, and my wife doesn’t want to “announce to the world” that he’s diabetic. 1.5" diameter is really big for him. I measured out the space it would take up on his arm, and it would really “stand out”. We want to notify Emergency personnel if necessary, but not really interested in the world knowing, which is why we were going for the button idea.

They have more button options, such as:
Diabetes

8

We’ll definitely be going for a bracelet such as the RoadID when he’s a bit older, but right now he a) throws a fit if we try to put anything on his wrist or ankle or b) rips it off within a few minutes (while screaming). We were looking for a way to try and notify EMT’s WITHOUT his knowledge…thus the button idea. The tattoo idea is great if it didn’t take up so much of his arm real estate…

9

my nephew has hemophilia and my bro and his wife had a bracelet/anklet that was velcro. ive messaged them to see if they can remember where they got it. if they get back to me (if-they suck at keeping in touch) then ill let you know where they got it. maybe he would tolerate it more easily if it were over a sock and not touching skin? worth a try. they also have dog tags for him with his info on it now, but i guess that would be a bit of a strangulation/suffocation risk for a 2yo.
lots of luck trying to find something that works!

10

We had a velcro one, I think we got it from Zoo Bears Medical ID. The thing is, the actual letters on the ID part got worn off within a few months and the velcro disintegrated, and it was irritating his wrist. Given the poor quality we didn’t re-up when that one fell off. Obviously no one should ever have to get this sucky disease and it is hard at all ages, but it feels extra sucky for a 2-year-old given that everything (from insulin dosing to pump belts) is just too big for them.

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11

it does really suck to get it when someone is so young, it is not fair. i cannot imagine the worry of parents of tiny t1s.
my brother and his wife got back to me and the name of the company was wwwstickyj.com if you want to check it out. there is a metal part of the band that you can order engraved with medical info.

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12

Shoelace IDs:
http://www.medicalidstore.com/medical_id_shoe_tags

http://www.medicalert.org/products/everybody/laced-shoe-tag-medical-id

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13

Hi, I don’t know if a two year old would be too young for this, as in, if you still need to worry about chocking hazards at that age, been too many years since I had a two year old, but I just recently got me some of these…

They are inexpensive, 5 bucks for two of them and about 3 bucks for shipping and shipping only goes up about a quarter per package you add. They arel rather well made and sturdy for what they are. However, a two year old might be able to destroy them like they do many other things that shouldn’t break easily :slight_smile:

I haven’t liked having nothing that identifies me as type 1, but I also don’t like the idea of everyone I see knowing that I have it like they would if I was wearing a necklace or even bracelet, besides, I don’t want to wear either one. I thought if I just put one on the zipper pull on my meter case which I always carry and on an inside zipper in my purse, it might help were I in an accident or something. I know it wouldn’t be immediately seen, but at some point it might be found and I figured that was better than nothing.

Then I realized that since my shirts always go over my waistband, I could put a pin on the front of my waistband and put this through the pin.

I really like them and feel much better wearing one on my waistband, even though it is covered by my shirt. In an emergency like an acccident, there is a good chance that my shirt would either come up enough on its own to make it visible or it would be lifted up by emergency personnel and be seen. It might not be immediately noticed, but at some point someone would notice it. It might not be noticed til I am at the hospital, but having it noticed at any point is better than never and if I don’t have anything, there is no chance of them knowing at any point so it is better than nothing and it works for me.

I don’t know if you dare use a safety pin on his clothes at his age, but the belt loops on pants for a two year old might be small enough these would hook right through them and lay down nicely. The loops on an adults pants are too big for these to lay down correctly so I use a safety pin and it works perfectly but they might not be needed for his.

For winter time, it would work really well on jacket zippers and to be less noticeable to the general public, but still possibly noticeable by emergency people, I would put it on the zipper on the jacket pocket.

One place I would suggest putting this for a toddler is on his shoelace. It does tend to flip over but might still work and it might be a place he will won’t mess with it. It only has the info on one side of it, so it flipping over might be a problem but you can probably figure out a way to put it on the shoelaces in such a way that it won’t flip over.

Good luck

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14

Those are awesome. Thanks!

15

You are very welcome, I am glad you like them. I hope they work for you. :slight_smile:

Btw, I also found lil buttons that say the same thing that you might like as well…

The one above is a 1 inch button and I just found the one below that is bigger in case you would like that, it is a 2.25 inch…

I don’t know why it made the links look like an ad, so I am trying it again

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16

The temporary tattoo seems to be a good idea. If you do not want to put it on his wrist or lower arm for the world to see, what about putting it on his upper arm where I would be covered by a shirt sleeve or on his upper chest or thigh? In a true emergency, generally the first thing that EMTs or Emergency Room personnel remove on a child is the shirt. This would still alert them to his condition without letting the whole world know of his medical concerns.

17

The more visible a medical alert device is, the better! In many emergency situations, shirts and other clothing are not removed before aid is administered. For example, if someone is discovered not breathing, CPR is administered before any clothing is removed. If an opiate OD is suspected, Naloxone is often administered before clothing is removed. I make absolutely sure my daughter’s medical ID is not obscured by clothing as much as is humanly possible.

I’d much rather that the entire world know that my daughter has T1D than have emergency/first responders miss this crucial fact!

18

We’ve settled on the mini-buttons. They can be worn visibly on the shirt, but one has to be looking at the button to see it’s a medical identification. EMT’s would see it as they recognize the snake symbol, but others wouldn’t readily identify it, or even see it, due to it’s small size.

I’m sure over the years we’ll use everything recommended here…at this stage; however, the mini-buttons (the actual Medical Identification button) are where we are and seem to be the most reasonable to us so we’ve got them on his shirts now when he goes out anywhere.

In addition, I’ve decided that I will also wear a button from now on. My min-button is the Diabetes support button I previously linked. I want to voluntarily “live with” (have a button attached to my shirts) something in the best way I know now, to honor and support my 2 year old who has to live with involuntarily. So, all my shirts, casual, work and otherwise will have the support button it. I plan on wearing my button until there’s a cure for Diabetes – I realize it may be a year and it may be a lifetime, but it’s something within my power to do in support of him. Hopefully it will strike up conversations and can be an opportunity to educate and connect with others who are also dealing with this disease in their own lives at my work and other places.

Thanks all!

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19

I’m glad you found a workable solution!

I’m under the impression that EMTs and First Responders are more apt to look at bracelets/wrist bands and dog tags for notification of urgent medical information because bracelets and dog tags have historically been used more often than other items for medical identification purposes.

That being said, I realize that a wrist band is currently out of the question for your little guy (and that a dog tag is likely a choking hazard). Once he gets a little bigger, if he still refuses to wear anything on his wrist, you may want to try the following strategy (which I believe you may find successful in light of the fact that you and your wife have, what did you say, a bazillion kids older than your T1D son? :wink:) The vast majority of kids want to do or have whatever their older (and sometimes even younger) siblings do or have. Ask the older kids to wear a similar-looking silicone wrist band and “brag” about how cool it is. You may even encourage them to say things like “It’s too bad you don’t have one” to your little guy. I’ll bet that in no time, he’ll be begging you for one. Make sure his sibs continue wearing their’s for a period of time after the little one starts wearing his, because if they remove their’s too soon, he will quickly notice and stop feeling as “cool”. Once he gets to the point where wearing the wrist band is no longer something of which he is aware, then the sibs can stop “manipulating” your little guy and messing with his brain!

20

I trained as an EMT and, at least the class I went through, we were taught to search EVERYTHING, even purses if required for auto crashes or the like. EMT’s are trained to be very aware. I’m sure the “obvious button” next to his heart on his shirt won’t be missed.

We’ll do the other stuff when he’s older…unfortunately, we have MANY years to try everything and figure out what works best and what doesn’t.

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