As summer draws to a close and parents begin to prepare to wave tearful goodbyes to their precious little ones as they leave for school, they must also prepare for the health and safety of their children as they venture off into the world on their own. For an increasing number of families, this now means taking the necessary precautions to ensure that day care providers, educators, schoolmates and even other parents are aware and informed of any potentially life-threatening allergies, sensitivities or illnesses their children have.
I can remember as a child having to wear a clunky medic-alert bracelet around my wrist with my allergies engraved onto the back to ensure my own safety. Though mine was fortunately a nice sterling silver bracelet, I had friends who were forced to wear ugly ones with red markings which some of our classmates would tease them for. My prettier one managed to help me escape that teasing, unfortunately because of this it was frequently overlooked by my teachers, which could have put me in harm’s way had I not been so cautious.
Fast forward to the present, and an exciting new product line has come on the market to address just these sorts of issues! Beware Bandits are a fun and easy to wear medical alert wristband designed specifically for children to identify and promote awareness of their allergies or health conditions. They come in bright colours and while they are clearly designed with children’s tastes and lifestyles in mind, they are also incredibly useful in drawing attention to their medical alert message for caregivers.
Beware Bandits utilise a colour-coded system with cute but easy to identify cartoon characters to represent each different allergy or health condition, such as Saloon Shelly for shellfish allergies, Mr Moo for dairy allergies or Powder Puff for asthma.
After first hearing about this product line at the Toronto BabyTime Show, I was excited to take a look at them for myself. Beware Bandits provided me with two of their more popular medical alert bands: one for peanut allergies and one for Diabetes. The peanut allergy band comes in a bright green colour, with Poker Face Peanut as its cartoon mascot. Buckshot Bob is a startled looking needle which represents Diabetes on the company’s vibrant red band.
The bands are sold on an equally attractive and attention grabbing card, which includes not only product use and care details and features, but also information in regards to the particular medical alert condition in question.
The bands themselves are latex-free and comfortable to wear. Though their bright colours and fun designs make them appealing for children to wear (almost like a collectable trendy bracelet!), they are sure to also be clearly identifiable by adults through their red medical alert insignia, their bold “I am allergic to _________” text, and a backside with further details and instructions. These instructions, printed clearly in easy-to-read font include an explanation of the child’s condition as well as signs and symptoms to look out for, tips for avoiding an episode or treatment and emergency instructions, and even a space for you to include your own emergency contact number.
They’re also made very well, with stretchy and flexible soft latex bands that allow a child to play unencumbered as well as multiple nickel-free snaps which allow for smaller or larger sizing. Beware Bandits are easy to wash and disinfect to ensure that your children are always safe and healthy.
What an incredible departure from the old style of medical alert bracelets! Not only do these fun bracelets remove a significant portion of the stigma for children already coping with health concerns, but they also are able to provide quite a lot more valuable information for adults and are easy to identify as well! It’s refreshing to see children’s products designed and produced with children’s actual needs and preferences in mind – especially when those products are expected to play such a vital role in keeping our children healthy.
To check out the complete product line or to purchase your own Beware Bandit, visit the company website at www.bewarebandits.com or join the discussion on their Facebook group page.
By Contributor Aleisha Bonin