Having your child wear a medical ID at school can help to save their life in the event of a medical emergency.
The ID provides valuable information for the child’s teacher, classmates, and first responders about their condition, any relevant medications, and emergency contact information.
In addition to the medical ID, you should also ensure that the teacher and school have all the child’s relevant medical information on file and know what to do in case of an emergency.
Who Should Wear a Medical ID?
A medical ID is a good choice for any student who has a medical condition, especially one that can make it difficult for the student to communicate or can trigger a life-threatening emergency.
Common conditions include food allergies, stinging insect allergies, epilepsy, diabetes, cerebral palsy, asthma, congenital heart disease, or hemophilia.
An inadvertent exposure to peanuts in the classroom, bee sting, or episode of low blood sugar can be life-threatening if not immediately identified and treated appropriately.
What to Include on the Medical ID
Your child’s most serious medical conditions should be listed on the medical ID, especially those that are “invisible” or not evident to the casual observer, and those that can cause a life-threatening emergency.
List food allergies, medication allergies, and stinging insect allergies. List out any emergency treatment that the conditions require such as an EpiPen, glucose tablet, or albuterol inhaler. Include your emergency contact information so that you can be notified of the emergency as well. Get more help with engraving.
Making Sure your Child Will Wear the ID
To ensure that your child will wear the ID, work with them to pick out an option that they like. Pick out a wristband that has a sport that they like (soccer balls for a soccer player, for example) or that is their favorite color.
Other options include a fun flower design, dinosaurs, or superheroes. The best wristbands will be silicone and easily washable to accommodate for playtime and messes.
If the child has sensory processing difficulties, a tag that secures to their shoelace can be a more comfortable option as long as they don’t know how to remove their shoe independently or will leave their shoe on.
Some children may also find a necklace to be more comfortable than a bracelet.
What to Teach Children about Medical IDs
Teach your child to recognize the symptoms of their condition and to tell their teacher or a school nurse if they begin feeling that way. When it is appropriate, teach your child how to avoid circumstances that trigger their conditions.
Educate the teacher about your child’s condition and any precautions that need to be taken.
A child with a peanut allergy will need to avoid food that contains peanuts and will need to learn to read food labels. A child with epilepsy may need to avoid flashing lights.
The child’s classmates should also be educated about their condition, what precautions they can take to avoid triggering the condition, and when it is time to notify the teacher or the school nurse.
